Founded 1957 Office location Rome, Italy | Members 1,088,451 | |
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Full name Italian Ricreative and Cultural Association Native name Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana Key people Francesca Chiavacci
(National President) | ||
Arci - Associazione Ricreativa Culturale Italiana is the biggest Italian non-profit association not linked with the Catholic Church, with 4796 cultural centers (2016) and a million of members in all Italian Regions.
It was born in Florence the 26th of May 1956, to link local groups, cultural centers, that were near to the Italian Communist Party and the Italian Socialist Party after the end of the Second World War and the birth of the Italian Republic.
Since 1996, with the main Italian Trade Unions (CGIL, CISL, UIL) and with Libera organizes the "Carovana Antimafie" an international project which, during a long trip, includes events about the fight against mafias in different cities. The project started in 1994 less than two years after the murder of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino with a ten days march from Capaci (near Palermo) to Licata, Sicily.
From 2006 the official name of the Association is "Associazione Arci".
With Libera, CGIL, Rete degli Studenti Medi and UdU organizes the "Campi della Legalità" summer camps in different Italian towns (like Corleone) where volunteers can work on lands that were property of Sicilian Mafia families, which now are controlled by the State and administrated by these Associations. Volunteers can visit places linked with the fight against mafia and they also learn about history of the anti-mafia movement with the help of people that are directly involved.