The Gonars concentration camp!

The Gonars concentration camp is located just 21 kms from Udine. On February 23, 1942 the Italian fascist regime established a concentration camp there. Most of the prisoners were from present day Slovenia and Croatia. The first transport of 5,343 internees (1,643 of whom were children) arrived two days later.

The camp was disbanded on September 8, 1943, immediately after the Italian armistice. Every effort was made to erase any evidence of this black spot of Italian history. The camp's buildings were destroyed, the materials were used to build a nearby kindergarten and the site was turned into a meadow.

The remains of 453 Slovenian and Croatian victims were transferred into its two underground crypts. It is believed that at least 50 additional people died in the camp due to starvation and torture, including 70 children who were less than 1 year old! Apart from the sacrarium no other evidence of the camp remains and even many locals are unaware of it (all pics by M. Rimati).

Castle day in Udine!

A very nice event took place on the weekend of Oct. 2-3rd: open castle day in the Udine area. What they basically did was to open to the public 17 different public castles in the provinces of Pordenone, Udine and nearby Trieste.

I saw three and the third one was perhaps the nicest, located in the nearby town (9kms from Udine), Villalta. The castle itself dates back to the 10^th-11^th centuries. In 1300 it was destroyed and then again re-built. As you can see from the pics, they also had falcons, owls and small, cute barn owls plus their trainers in the central courtyard. The area also included exhibits of old wedding apparel. Indeed a very fascinating way to spend the weekend, visiting old (and who knows, also haunted?) castles (all pics by M. Rimati)!

The 50th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori!

The 50^th anniversary of the Frecce Tricolori (the Tricolour Arrows, also known as the P.A.N.—Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale—National Aerobatic Team), the pride and joy of both Italy and Friuli Venezia Giulia (FVG), took place on September 11^th-12^th, 2010 at the Rivolto airbase, located just a hop, skip and a jump from the splendid town of Udine.

Approximately 500,000 people showed up from all over Italy as well as neighbouring countries for this spectacular two-day air show which saw over 100 aircrafts involved, including the highly impressive (and very loud) EFA 2000 Euro-fighter “Typhoon”. The event was also the occasion to celebrate the 10^th anniversary of the performance by the pilots of the international aerobatic teams. RAI, Italy’s state-run television network, gave ample coverage to the air show in Italy and for millions of Italians living abroad, including the many immigrants that hail from the Friuli area.

Italy’s President, Giorgio Napolitano, expressed his high admiration for the Frecce (as they are also affectionately called by Italians) in light of the festivities surrounding the 150^th anniversary of Italy’s unity by saying that the “Frecce are a symbol of unity and peace”. His words were also echoed by the highest government official present at the air show, Italian Defence Minister Ignacio La Russa, who stated that the “Frecce are an important calling card for Italy throughout the world. The Frecce are also at the forefront of showing others what Italians are capable of doing”.

But the Frecce were not alone in Rivolto. They were also in the illustrious company of some of the most important foreign aerobatic teams in the world. A total of ten different nations participated at the air-show: Poland, England (and the Royal Air Force’s “Red Arrows”), Croatia, Jordan (and their “Falcons”), Spain, Switzerland, Korea (and their “Black Eagles”), South Africa, Japan (and their “Blue Impulse”) and France with one of the oldest (1931) and best teams in the world, the “Patrouille de France Acrobatique”.

The Frecce have been entertaining Italians and the world alike with their stunning display of aerobatic flying for the last 50 years. In all these years they have not only become an exceptionally important symbol for Italy and FVG throughout the world but they have also become an excellent “ambassador” for Italian technological and military know-how abroad. As Luca Ciriani, the vice-president of the FVG region, stated, “The pilots of the Frecce Tricolori are also outstanding testimonials for tourism in FVG and their capabilities are a fine example of what many around the world admire so much about Italy”. And it is the likes of Ciriani and so many other people in FVG who are exceptionally proud to host the garrison/hq of this phenomenal team which has entertained millions of spectators around the globe.