"Not everybody came back" by the actors Ester d'Amato and Alfonso Masi thrilled the large audience who flocked to the Teatro di Rovere della Luna on Saturday 28 January.
The theatrical show curated by Alfonso Masi is part of the commemorative project
"Not everybody came back" (Non tutti tornarono) of the eighty years since the tragic retreat of Russia (1943 - 2023) which saw the extreme sacrifice of the fighters, including Italians and in particular of the Tridentine alpine army which, finding herself better equipped, she was thrown into the front line to open the Russian gates.
With the vocal and musical accompaniment of Patrick Coser, Michele Tovazzi and Luciano Maino, the show received broad approval both among the representatives of the Alpine sections present, the mayor of Rovere della Luna Mr. Luca Ferrari and the large audience who flocked to the hall .
The touching war diary of an Alpine soldier sent to the Russian front through the monologue of the actor Alfonso Masi unfolded among traditional Alpine songs.
To enrich the atmosphere of the first-person story, the female voice of Ester d'Amato, as well as the artists Patrick Coser, Luciano Maino and Michele Tovazzi who gave voice to the protagonist's fellow soldiers.
In addition to the accompanying voices, Patrick Coser performed on the guitar, Luciano Maino on the accordion and his colleague Michele Tovazzi alternated the accordion and the mandolin on the double bass.
On 21 June 1941, in the midst of the world war, Hitler decided to launch the attack on Russia and Benito Mussolini, back from the disastrous Italian campaigns in Greece and North Africa, to regain authority over his German ally on 6 July 1942 sends self-transported forces and the ARMIR (Italian Army in Russia) to Russia on its own initiative, exploiting the ideological propaganda of the fight against Bolshevism.
The troops were stationed on the Don River and immediately found themselves facing continuous and exhausting Soviet attacks.
On 17 December the Russians managed to break the lines and forced the Italians to fall back on Rostov in a column to which, later on, the Germans, Romanians and Poles were added. During the great retreat they found themselves having to breach the Russian blockade which at the height of Nicolajevka prevented the retreat.
Badly armed, the armed forces send the "Tridentina" division, which was still equipped, to the front line and on 26 January a tragic battle took place at the gates of Nikolajevka which succeeded in breaking the Russian blockade but caused numerous and further deaths, while the wounded they could not walk and were left to their fate.
The Alpini endured a retreat on foot for about 1,300 kilometers in the snow-covered steppe in temperatures of 40 degrees below zero.
Of the 640,000 soldiers who left, only 21,000 souls returned to Italy.
At the end of the Alpine veteran's monologue it is said that the lucky ones, returning worn out and wounded, were hidden in the return convoys so as not to compromise the fascist public image of "winners" ...
Among the general applause of the large audience in the hall, actors and musicians named the names of the Trentino people who perished in the terrible retreat and also gave space to the story of Pietro Luigi Calvi, adviser to the Alpine group A.N.A. Trento who, excited, shared the memory of his father who was a veteran and survived the tragedy.
The cultural association Kunst Grenzen - Art of frontier aps through the President Mr. Gentile Polo sincerely thanks the artists Ester d'Amato, Alfonso Masi, Patrick Coser, Luciano Maino, Michele Tovazzi, the private collectors Roberto Tessadri, Mariano Concin and Pietro Luigi Calvi, all the Alpini groups who enthusiastically collaborated on the
"Not everybody came back" (Non tutti tornarono) project, specifically:
Rovere' della Luna group, S. Michele – Grumo group, Faedo group, Mezzolombardo group, Mezzocorona group, Alto Adige Salorno – Few group.
We also thank the Mayor Mr. Luca Ferrari representing the Municipality, the Cassa Rurale and the Pro Loco of Rovere della Luna, the Santa Caterina d'Alessandria Oratory Group for making the Theater, the kitchen and the canteen available, the technicians web Kunst Grenzen Ing. Damiano Martorelli Ph.D. and Lucia Martorelli, our President Mr. Gentile Polo for the coordination of the event, transport, care and preparation of the memorabilia on display, friends and all the public who attended.
Particular thanks from Kunst Grenzen also go to the volunteers and private collectors ROBERTO TESSADRI, MARIANO CONCIN and PIETRO LUIGI CALVI and to the Alpini group of Faedo for making available the historical memorabilia and video documentaries on display at the Kunst Grenzen private gallery.
The "museum" part of the NOT EVERYBODY CAME BACK (Non tutti tornarono) project of the Kunst Grenzen-Arte di Frontier cultural association will remain open to the public until 04 February 2023 with free admission and the following gallery hours:
SATURDAY 15.00 – 19.00
SUNDAY 10.00 – 12.00 / 15.00 – 19.00
MONDAY (closed for weekly rest)
FROM TUESDAY TO FRIDAY 15.00 – 19.00 (by appointment: Tel. 335 607 9154 Gentile Polo – or by e-mail secretariat: e-mail: kunstgrenzen20artedifrontiera@gmail.com)
We remind you that the Kunst Grenzen gallery has no architectural barriers and is also accessible to people with mobility difficulties.
Free parking spaces available to the public:
Kunst Grenzen – Frontier art aps
(Trento, IT – 38030 Rovere' della Luna, Via Villotta 7/A)
http://www.kunst-grenzen.eu/