I want to share some photos I took last October during my trip to the Dolomites in Italy, specifically images I took when I visited the town of Vittorio Veneto.
For those that don’t know, the Dolomites saw heavy fighting during WWI between the Italians and their Allies (including British and French troops) and the Austro-Hungarians. This theatre of operations saw some extraordinary battles and witnessed some of the most courageous actions of the war carried out in some of the most challenging terrain imaginable.
I have included a few shots of the war memorial in the main square, which includes an unusual set of troughs containing soil from all the major battlefields, which I found surprisingly moving. The sculptural pieces speak for themselves in a very powerful way.
It just so happened that on the fencing opposite the square, surrounding a large villa, there was a series of posters telling the story of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, marking the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice. These were in the form of reproductions of a rare, special publication produced by Edizioni del Risorgimento in 1923.
The publication is certainly rather nationalistic in tone, glorifying the role of the Italians (and ignoring the role of their Allies) and can be seen to be the precursor of that mood that in due course led to the rise of Mussolini, but it certainly has historical value as a record of an oft-overlooked aspect of the First World War. Even if you can’t read Italian (though Google Translate makes us all linguists nowadays), you can still enjoy the photographs. If there is enough interest, I could obtain a translation of the text (I could do it myself if I had a parallel life) and make it available.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the images and I recommend a visit to this fascinating and beautiful part of Italy.
Henry
P.S. The images are all very high resolution, so you can click on them and zoom in to read the text and maps.
Visitor information sign in Vittorio Veneto
Villa in Vittorio Veneto
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Preface.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The War Front and the Opposing Forces.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Navy and The Army.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Supreme Command, 9th Army, Cavalry Corps and 1st Army.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th Armies.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. 8th, 10th and 12th Armies.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Italian Soldier.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Morale (including the somewhat questionable “The Sanctity of the Cause” and “Sacrifice and Martyrdom”)
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Artillery.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Air power – offensive, defensive, observation, reconnaissance
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Dirigibles, air power, homing pigeons.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Gas, flammables, bunkers, observation posts, camouflage.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Supplies.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Methods of transport.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Signalling, Communications, Instruments and Machines.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Mines, Roads.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Routes, Bridges.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Military Health Care.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Red Cross.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Costs of War.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The formidable Austrian positions and the italian plans.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Signal is Given.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Attack
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Manoeuvre 27-31 October.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Manoeuvre 27-31 October
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. The Pursuit.
Public exhibition of The Battle of Vittorio Veneto for WWI Armistice in Vittorio Veneto, Italy. Pages from Edizioni del Risorgimento by Guido Tabet. Victory. The Armistice.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto. Soils from the various battlefields.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto. Soils from the various battlefields.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto. Soils from the various battlefields.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto. Soils from the various battlefields.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto.
War Memorial in Vittorio Veneto. Inscription.
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