Adunata Alpini Udine, 2023

[Ovidio]

In these days, we had the yearly Alpini meeting. This time in Udine.
Udine, with Trieste, is the capital city of Friuli Venezia Giulia, a very special region in Italy.
Most of WWI, and the tragic final act of WWII had here their main stage.
This region is fiercly Italian. Not in a negative way, but in the way border regions, where bloody wars have raged ever since can be.
In these last days, my Brothers, the Alpini, met here.
I joined them on Friday and today.
Friday, together with a friend of mine, we walked from San Vito al Tagliamento to Udine, making a few detours to avoid the main roads and to have a few beers with friends.
At the end, we walked 47km.
WONDERFUL!!!
Yesterday we rested, and today we took the train and paraded through the city with our former units.
People cheered at us and offered us car hikes , drinks, meals all the way on Friday.
Today we’ve been cheered like heroes the whole day.
The city was full of people, despite the pouring rains of these past days.
I met my Brothers in Arms and paraded with them.
The few people I would trust to take care of my family if something should happen to me…
I’m getting old, I guess… but I thank the Lord every day for making an Alpino of me!
Alpini, jo mame!

[RASelkirk]

Forty seven klicks (29.2 miles), that's a healthy walk! I do 2 miles a day, but the heat and humidity here is pretty ugly...

Russ

[Low & Slow]

To have one friend you would truly entrust your family to is a treasure. More than that is riches indeed. You are a lucky man.

[Ovidio]

Some of my Brothers in arms.