In the Army Now!

We start our trip by trying to visit the area that my father went through basic training. It's very near the famous Aosta Valley and the town of Ivrea, only an hour or so from the Swiss/French borders. The area is incredibly beautiful, but clearly difficult from a training location. This is where the Alpini did their basic and advanced training.

Unfortunately, the location of the old training site is now an apartment complex, but the conditions are readily apparent. Mountains and valleys in every direction.

Although while I'm the Italian army only for a few months, his training in Alpine fighting and counter insurgency would have been very tough. In a strange twist of fate, he was actually trained on how to fight what he became. He had the huge advantage of knowing his enemy's tactics. We had a great time hiking all around the area and imagining hat it must have been like for him.