This reasearch on war theatres arose from the great writings of those who played leading roles in the Great War: ranging from "Un anno sull'altipiano" by Emilio Lussu to "The storm of steel" by Ernst Junger, also including the indespensable and extremely detailed guides to war itineraries by Walter Schaumann.
Mountains become a sort of epic backdrop reflecting the drama and immense sadness of war. These are almost inaccesible places, perhaps only just deserving a name on maps, all of a sudden becoming necessary reference points, positions from which one cannot - one must not - withdraw.
Multitudes of soldiers dug kilometers of caves and galleries, labyrinths of trenches, raised never-ending networks of barbed wire. They shot at one another for months on end remaining only at a short distance from each other.
From the silence of the Pasubio, the Ortigara, the Grappa and the Carso, come the memories of many tales and the echoes of words from extraordinary books: the tragedis and miseries of war mingle with anedoctes and adventures. Fear mingles with heroism, in the continuos exhausting effort to remain alive and return home.
from the exhibition catalogue Novecento, Rome 2006
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