The President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, has awarded, motu proprio, thirty honors to the Merit of the Italian Republic to citizens who have distinguished themselves for ethical entrepreneurship, for the commitment in favor of prisoners, for solidarity, for volunteering, for activities in favor of social inclusion, legality, the right to health and for acts of heroism.

President Mattarella identified, among the many examples present in civil society and institutions, some significant cases of civil commitment, dedication to the common good and witness to republican values.

Half men and half women, the thirty "heroes" awarded. The youngest is 21 years old, the oldest 75. Among them also Matteo Marzotto, 56, son of Marta, former president of Enit and Valentino, awarded for the promotion of scientific research on cystic fibrosis, through the financing of study projects and sports initiatives on the pathology of which his sister was a victim.

In the list of "heroes" also Caterina Bellandi, who, after the death of her taxi driver husband, decided to use the car to provide a free shuttle service to the families of children who need treatment at the Meyer hospital in Florence. Several who provide assistance to young people and children, such as Alberto Maria Antonio Bonfanti of Milan and Ugo Bressanello, former vice president and director of the media section of Tiscali; or those who deal with the enhancement of the work of prisoners inside and outside the prison, such as Immacolata Carpiniello of Pozzuoli and Luciana Delle Donne. Fabio Cervellieri and Stefano Falchi were awarded for helping a little girl from Kosovo, activating a treatment path in Italy; Miriam Colombo for her commitment to raising awareness in the research of cystic fibrosis treatment; Davide Devenuto for the promotion of the project "Spesa sosspesa" in favor of those in difficulty. Fatima Zahra El Maliani, 22, was awarded for her commitment to after-school activities in Turin; Valeria Favorito, suffering from leukemia, after undergoing two bone marrow transplants (one by Fabrizio Frizzi), transformed her painful experience into a commitment to spread the culture of giving.