The 4th of November is a particular day here in Italy. It’s the anniversary of the end of the I World War, and it has been celebrated for a long time as the “Day of victory”. Later on, the original meaning of this celebration, so closely related to war and death, has faded. Nowadays, indeed, while commemorating all the people that lost their lives during wars, or serving the nation, they now generally reflect about the issue of maintaining the country united and in peace. Just to add to that change most celebrations no longer take place on the 4th but on the following Sunday.
This morning the Mayor of Barga, Marco Bonini led a procession through the town to commemorate the 4th of November along with the Associazione nazionale Alpini and the Associazione nazionale dei Mariani d’Italia. They laid a wreath at the plaques to commemorate Leo Giuliani and Fratelli Lombardini in Barga Giardino before moving on to the Monumento ai Caduti where a final wreath was laid to the sound of the last post played on a solitary trumpet.
The last port of call was the S.S Annunziata church right here in Barga Vecchia which re-opened its doors this morning after being shut for the past two years when falling masonry and plaster made renovation work of vital importance both to the structure itself and of course the congregation below.
That renovation work has now been completed and the so the church is once more fully functional.
“At the beginning of World War I Italy remained neutral, claiming that the Triple Alliance had only defensive purposes, and the war was started by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. However, both the central empires and the Triple Entente tried to attract Italy on their side, and in April 1915 the Italian government agreed (London Pact) to declare war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire in exchange for several territories (Trento, Trieste, Istria, Dalmatia). In October 1917, the Austrians, having received German reinforcements, broke the Italian lines at Caporetto, but the Italians (helped by their allies) stopped their advance on the river Piave, not far from Venice. After another year of trench warfare, and a successful Italian offensive in autumn 1918, the exhausted Austro-Hungarian Empire surrendered to the allies on November 4, 1918, soon followed by the German Empire.”