During the 2nd World War many young men in the area joined the "Alpini" mountain forces that went on the ill fated expedition to Russia.
The troop was poorly equipped and many perished, either through cold and starvation or were shot or captured.
Recently some buckets full of Italian soldiers' name tags were unearthed near Voronezh and our local poetess Alba Donati was contacted and told one of these tags belonged to none other than her 102-year-old mother's first husband!
A ceremony was held this morning in memory of the young man, Marino, who'd left a few days after the birth of his son Giuliano. Here you see the son tearfully clasping the framed tag of his father, together with the mayor and step-sister Alba.
Ian