Hey all.
When I was in Italy last summer, I saw a monument to the Wars with some confusing dates on it…
http://img64.imageshack.us/i/pic1596.jpg/
The dates on this one are 1918-1945
http://img684.imageshack.us/i/pic1595.jpg/
And then 1915-1940.
This was in the town of Aosta.
Any ideas why the dates are that way?
For Italy WWI starts from 1915 and ends in 1918. In WWII Italy officially enters at war in 1940 and the official end is in 1945.
I suppose it’s an “artistic” choice to put both of start dates in one monument and both of end dates in another one.
Hey Churchill,
glad to hear that last summer you spent some time here in Italy. I hope you enjoyed your stay… I’ve been to Aosta just a couple of times but i didn’t have the chance to visit it, but i know something about the Monument. It was generically consecrated to the fallen soldier from Val d’Aosta, during the two World Wars. Infact, you’ve probably seen on the left the inscription A LA GLOIRE DU SOLDAT VALDOTAN. Like you probably know the Val d’Aosta is a bilingual region. They speak Italian and French (the most…). Infact the above mentioned inscription is written in French, and the meaning is TO THE GLORY OF SOLDIERS FROM AOSTA VALLEY. On the right of the monument there is a poetry of Giosuè Carcucci. I agree with you that at first sight the dates appear confusing: 1918-1945 in the upper front and 1915- 1940 on a stone at the foot of the base… The statue represents an Alpino soldiers, 'cause all the soldiers from Val d’Aosta were, for tradition, part of the Alpini Troops (Mountain Troops).
Best regards.
skorzeny57
Thanks for the info, but that answers only half the question, I think…
Apart from aesthetic reasons, why put the dates that way?
I think they, i don’t really know who did it, want to put the two wars start dates together (upper front) and the end dates at the foot of the Monument.
It’s, from my point of view, an illogical think but it’s the only explanation i can find…:shock:
At a first sight it seems that a war started in 1918, until its end in 1945…
But i can assure you that from the end of WWI (1918) to the enter of Italy in WWII (1940), in the happy Aosta Valley they enjoied a life of bliss… 
I think, since the Monument was consecrated in post-war times, that it was planned by Civil Service and the result is a classic example of Italian bureaucracy… 
Cheers.
I guess that’ll have to do… Oh well, thanks mate!
(silly Italian bureaucracy)
That is the monument at the alpini bragade (mountain troups ) i do not know why date like that but i think in the ricorrence of some big battle in russia, U SEEN THIS MONUMENT BECAUSE THE BRIGADE IS I N AOSTA AND THE NAME IS BRIGATA ALPINI AOSTA