Statue of Justice and Freedom

Justice and Freedom: memory reborn in bronze At the entrance of the Palace of Justice in Catanzaro, in the Lido district, 13 km from the center, one of the most intense and symbolic works of Calabrian public sculpture welcomes visitors and operators: "Justice and Freedom" by Giuseppe Rito. Made of bronze and placed at the end of the first flight of stairs in the atrium of the Court, the sculpture is deeply connected to the history of the city and its twentieth-century experience. History and metamorphosis of the material The uniqueness of this work lies in its genesis: Giuseppe Rito molded "Justice and Freedom" using the remains of the “Weeping Mother”, a bronze statue that was part of the Monument to the Fallen in the square in front of the Court, destroyed by the effects of a powerful blast during the bombings of 1943. Through the recovery and recasting of the bronze, the memory of the war devastation has been transformed into a new message of hope and civilization. Symbolism of the two figures The work depicts two closely united female figures, full of symbolic strength: - **Freedom**, represented with an open breast, an archetypal image of nourishment, generosity, and sacrifice. - **Justice**, holding the scales, emblem of fairness, law, and civil values. Together, the two figures create a powerful visual narrative: the awareness that there is no true freedom without justice, and that justice, to be complete, must nurture and protect everyone, just like a mother. A bridge between past and present Placed in the institutional atrium dedicated to the administration of justice, Rito's sculpture is not only a tribute to republican values and aspirations for equality, but also a testimony to the trauma suffered by the city during the war and the spirit of rebirth of the Catanzaro community. Today, "Justice and Freedom" not only enhances the architecture of the new Palace of Justice, but also daily reminds citizens, lawyers, and judges that the protection of rights and the respect for memory are the foundations on which a free and democratic community stands.