Vallefoglia, August 29, 2026 – They said yes in their homeland. Ilaria Cucchi and Fabio Anselmo got married in a civil ceremony in the countryside of Vallefoglia, in front of the woods surrounding the former village of Codelce.
An intimate ceremony for 50 people, in the park in front of the pool of what the couple calls their “house of the heart”. Ilaria has origins from Pesaro, while Fabio grew up here, in the province of Pesaro and Urbino. Their is a great love born from an equally great pain, which yesterday took flight towards happiness.
A love born from the pain of Stefano Cucchi’s death
Seventeen years after Ilaria’s brother, Stefano Cucchi, died due to the beatings he suffered after his arrest at the Rome Casilina barracks, many things have happened. On one side, the Supreme Court convictions for the cover-ups carried out by the Carabinieri for Stefano Cucchi’s death; on the other, the birth of a great love story. “Shortly after I met him, I realized I had fallen in love – Ilaria says at the end of the wedding ceremony – with his strength, his courage, the determination with which he fought to find the truth for my brother.”
The mayor officiates the ceremony
The civil ceremony was officiated by the mayor of Vallefoglia Palmiro Ucchielli, in front of the couple’s four children acting as witnesses: Valeria and Giulio Di Paola on Ilaria’s side and Vincenzo and Marta Anselmo on Fabio’s. After the ceremony, the newlyweds mingled with guests during the aperitif. “Today Stefano is here – said the bride, while embracing her radiant husband after the wedding ceremony – Fabio is the gift from my brother Stefano. I have always thought so. I feel that today he is close to me and happy for us.”
Ilaria Cucchi: “Fabio is a gift from my brother”
After all, the love for Stefano and found thanks to Stefano is a theme that in recent years has often come alive in the thoughts of Fabio Anselmo as well. He tells it calmly. “For years I lived with this feeling as a burden – he says –. The immense joy that came from the love for Ilaria was unfortunately linked to Stefano’s tragic death. It was a happiness that initially made me feel guilty.”
Yesterday, in her romantic pink dress with a long tulle skirt and lace and pearl bodice, Ilaria Cucchi was radiant. Her blue eyes like the sea shone with joy as she recounted that “even in the most tragic and difficult moments, when everything seemed to be against us, Fabio and I always found a way to smile, to give each other strength. This allowed us to move forward, even when everything seemed too complicated.” Plans for after the wedding, for now, there are none. “We are living moment by moment – the couple said together – Plans, after all, are not part of our style.”
“We would like to live permanently in Vallefoglia”
The certainty that remains is their commitment to the battles for the respect of rights for the most vulnerable, from the benches of the Senate among the ranks of Avs for Ilaria and from his law firm in Ferrara for Fabio. “The marriage has united our hearts and our stories – they say –. We will continue together in what we have done so far.” With a dream in the drawer. “In a few years if I can’t take it anymore – says Fabio – I don’t deny that I would like to live permanently here in Vallefoglia.” And Ilaria does not dismiss the idea either.
