Rome, Mar 19 (IANS): Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi chose the hard-hit northern city of Bergamo to mark the first National Day of Remembrance for Covid-19 victims.

"This place is the symbol of the pain of an entire nation," he said at a ceremony on Thursday in a park, renamed the Wood of Remembrance, near the city's main hospital.

"We cannot hug each other today, yet this is when we must all feel closer than ever."

Bergamo located in Lombardy region was Italy's (and Europe's) first large pandemic hotspot last year between February and March, reports Xinhua news agency.

The city of around 120,000 inhabitants accounted for at least 670 victims, and the province, also known as Bergamo with a population of 1.1 million, tallied some 6,000 fatalities, Mayor Giorgio Gori said at the ceremony.

On March 18, 2020, long columns of army vehicles plied across the streets of Bergamo carrying hundreds of coffins to various cemeteries.

"There is no one in this city who has not had a family member or acquaintance affected by the virus," Draghi recalled, before laying a wreath at the cemetery.

Yet, he highlighted Bergamo's ability "to react and turn its grief into a desire for regeneration".

"Its example is precious to all Italians who I am sure cannot wait to hold their head up again and release the energies that have made this country wonderful.

"I am here to commit myself to rebuild without forgetting, along with you all," Draghi said.

As the Prime Minister led the official celebration in Bergamo, national flags in public buildings were lowered at half-mast across the country.

Italy's death toll currently stands at 103,855, the sixth highest in the world, while the overall caseload has increased to 3,306,711.