25 April: St Mark, patron saint of the Lagunari

Today, 25 April, the Lagunari of the 'Serenissima' Regiment celebrano il loro santo patrono, San Marco Evangelista. Questa data, che coincide con la morte dell’Evangelista, è un momento di profonda riflessione e orgoglio per i soldati anfibi dell’Esercito Italiano. San Marco non è solo il protettore della città di Venezia, ma anche il simbolo vivente dei valori e della storia dei Lagunari.​

According to tradition, St Mark was shipwrecked in the Venetian lagoon during a voyage. In a dream, an angel appeared to him saying: “Pax tibi, Marce, evangelista meus. Hic requiescet corpus tuum” (“Pace a te, Marco, mio evangelista. Qui riposerà il tuo corpo”). La profezia si avverò nell’828, quando due mercanti veneziani trafugarono le sue reliquie da Alessandria d’Egitto e le portarono a Venezia, nascondendole sotto carichi di carne di maiale per eludere i controlli musulmani. Da allora, la figura di San Marco è divenuta il cuore spirituale della città e il leone alato, suo simbolo, campeggia sugli stemmi e sulle uniformi dei Lagunari.​

I Lagunari: soldiers of history and tradition

Despite being the youngest speciality of the Italian Army, the Lagunaris boast a centuries-old tradition. Already during the Fourth Crusade, in 1203, Doge Enrico Dandolo established a regiment deployed on Venetian ships, which was employed in the two Byzantine seizures. In 1550 they were consolidated as 'Fanti da Mar', protagonists at Famagusta and Candia.

Over the centuries, the fighting tradition of the lagoon has been renewed: from the 'Cacciatori del Sile' during the heroic defence of Venice in 1848, to the Marina and San Marco Regiments during the Great War, to the formations of the Second World War, such as the San Marco Division and the 'Barbarigo' battalion of the 10th MAS.

After the war, on 15 January 1951, the first nucleus of the future Lagunari was born in Venice Lido. On 20 October 1959, in a ceremony full of meaning, the War Flag was presented in St Mark's Square. In 1964, the Lagunari "Serenissima" Regiment was officially born, with the "Marghera", "Piave" and "Isonzo" battalions.

After various restructurings, the Regiment was reunited in 1992 and is now part of the 'Pozzuolo del Friuli' Cavalry Brigade. The Lagunaris operate where water and land merge: canals, rivers, coastlines, lagoons. And precisely in these hostile environments, their adaptability and spirit of initiative make the difference.

The value of the Winged Lion

The Lagunaris have operated in national and international missions: from 'Vespri Siciliani' in Sicily, to the 'Ancient Babylon' mission in Iraq, where they mourned their first casualties: Captain Massimiliano Ficuciello and 1st Corporal Matteo Vanzan. They have also been in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon (operation 'Leonte'). Since 2009, they have been active in Venice as part of the 'Strade Sicure' operation.

Their commitment was recognised with important decorations: Gold and Silver Medals for Valour of the Army, Silver Cross of Merit of the Army. But even more than the medals, it is the symbol of the winged lion that speaks: present on coats of arms, uniforms and hearts. The cry 'San Marco!' is much more than a formula: it is a bond of brotherhood, it is a spiritual legacy.

Every 25 April, the Lagunari celebrate their patron saint with religious and military ceremonies. The date coincides with the death of the Evangelist, but for the Lagunari it is also a rebirth: an occasion to renew their oath to the Fatherland, to honour, to sacrifice.

St Mark is therefore much more than a saint. He is the living symbol of the courage, discipline and history that inextricably binds the Lagunari to their Venice. A bond that resists time, war and water - just like the lion that watches over the Serenissima.