THE ITALIAN UNKNOWN SOLDIER

Introduction

The Italian Unknown Soldier is an unknown soldier who dead in the first World War.  The body of this soldier was not  identified and so it became a symbol for all the war victims.

The Italian Unkonwn Soldier is buried in Rome in the “Altare della Patria”

History

In May 1920 was proposed by the major general Giulio Douhet to celebrate the Italian casualties with a monument: the idea of an Italian unknown soldier was born.

Cesare Maria De Vecchi, in 1921, presented to an assembly (Camera dei deputati) Giulio Douhet’s idea. Next a law was designed to convey a monument for all casualities of the great war also in Italy.

With the agreement of the Parliament the war’s Ministry created an assembly. This commission had to choose eleven body from all Italian unidentified soldier of the great war.

Next, the selected one would be buried into the “Altare della Patria” as the Italian Unknown Soldier.

The different bodies for the selection came from various zones of Italy like: Cadore, Gorizia, Rovereto, the Dolomiti, mount Grappa, Montello, the Basso Piave and Isonzo, mount St. Michele and the Carso.

While the eleven coffins destined to the selection were transported to Gorizia and next to Aquileia. A tomb for the Unknown soldier was built in Rome in the “Altare della Patria”.

The body’s selection was assigned to Maria Bergamas (the mother of a soldier, citizen of Gradisca, who dead during the war and remained unidentified).

The selection took place on the 28^th of October 1921in Aquileia’s Basilica. Maria Bergamas selected the tenth coffin.

The coffin started the trip by train in the direction of Rome on the line Aquileia-Roma. The procession passed through Udine, Treviso, Venezia, Padova, Rovigo, Ferrara, Bologna, Pistoia, Prato, Firenze, Arezzo, Chiusi and Orvieto.

The train arrived in Rome and it was greeted byVittorio Emanuele III of Savoia, a representations of all Italian troops, the widows and the mothers of dead soldiers.

On the day of the National Concord and the Armed Forces (4^th of November 1921) the sarcophagus was buried in the “Altare della patria”.

On the tomb took place an epigraph on which was written "Ignoto militia XXIV MAGGIO MCMXV - IV NOVEMBRE MCMXVIII". (Symbolical dates for the beginning and the end of the conflict)

Now the Italian unknown soldier tomb is controlled by the Italian army.