A directive from Italy’s Defence Staff is stirring controversy across military barracks. From now on, during official ceremonies, it will no longer be permitted to shout the traditional “Sì!” that has long closed Il Canto degli Italiani, the national anthem. The measure stems from a presidential decree issued last March but enforced only in recent weeks, and has been circulated to all military commands with instructions for strict compliance.

According to institutional sources, the decision is meant to restore philological accuracy, aligning performances with the original 1847 text written by Goffredo Mameli, which does not include the final exclamation. The issue, however, is far from straightforward. The original musical score by Michele Novaro - still referenced in official documents - clearly features the shouted ending.

Novaro himself explained the addition as a deliberate musical choice: a climactic cry meant to crown the anthem with emotional force, almost a solemn oath. For more than 150 years, that final “Sì!” has accompanied public ceremonies and entered the collective imagination, from institutional events to major sporting occasions.

The Quirinale’s reference version appears to be the 1961 performance by tenor Mario Del Monaco, which omits the exclamation. Yet this interpretation clashes with long-standing custom, reopening a debate over a seemingly minor detail that nonetheless touches one of Italy’s most deeply felt national symbols.