Although France is the butt of many jokes, mostly by Americans but also by Brits, as to their military history, Italy also gets a bad reputation, though this is something said by people who go a little deeper into their history but not very deep. 

The joke on both countries centers on their pure recent WW2 record: France fell to German advances within 6 weeks. I have always held this to be more a sign of German excellence and luck than French incompetence (or cowardice, as the jokes go), though the unpreparedness of their armed forces had some role to play. 

Italy was even worse. When it tried invading France through the Alps, the French held them off. It occupied Albania, which it technically already controlled in all but name, in an attempt to match Hitler’s victory in Norway. And when they invaded Greece from there, the Greeks threw them back and invaded Albania in turn, requiring the Germans to invade Yugoslavia, take it over, then conquer Greece on Italy’s behalf. 

Italian colonial forces in Libya tried to invade Egypt and failed dramatically, with the British pursuing them into Libya. Over the course of the conflict in Africa Italian forces generally surrendered in masses of tens of thousands at a time. 

There are obvious disadvantages to being an Italian soldier. Mussolini was much less militarily savvy than Hitler was. Both dictators tended to meddle in military planning, but at least Hitler’s gambles worked sometimes. Hitler’s generals also came from the old Prussian officer class, and were experienced, proven, and capable. Mussolini tended to promote purely on ideological loyalty, and lots of Italian generals were really bad at what they did. Italian equipment was also pretty bad. Their tanks couldn’t stand up to anything the British had (and British tanks were never great), and their logistics were worse. 

And all in all, Italy is a rather complex political entity. Italians are a bit like the French, in that there is never one pure political power. Mussolini was a dictator, but he was legally below the power of the king. Italians were okay with showing off a little, but I don’t think they liked Mussolini enough to die for him or his ambitions. They seemed like they could also generally see a losing situation and didn’t think it worth the effort to fight it out. 

You could argue that they were extremely pragmatic. Under effective leadership, Italians fought well in Eritrea, under Rommel, and in the Soviet Union. But they had any number of other disadvantages such that they never really had a chance against the big powers… and the average soldier knew it. Why waste their lives on it? 

But in other conflicts Italians have done very well. In the 1800s conflicts (except Abyssinia), and in the First World War. As always, it’s a more complicated picture when you take the time to look into it. 

“Cinque giornate di Milano” - The Five Days of Milan - 18-22 March 1848

1848 was a big year for European revolutionaries. I guess you could link it a little to the Occupy protests last year, except in this case it really was violent and bloody revolution, and violent and bloody suppression. OWS protesters complaining about tear gas didn’t have to deal with rather brutal suppressors of revolutionary ideas in the old aristocratic and imperial orders. This was the 1800s, with barricades in the streets, waving tricolours, and when it was a great and fine thing to be a nationalist. 

For Italy it began their first, ultimately unsuccessful, war of independence. A few days of street fighting on the barricades managed to force Austrian Marshal Radetzky from the city. 

I saw it memorialized by this street being named after it. It probably happens in most Italian cities. 

Alessandro Volta (1745 - 1827)

Italian Physicist, renowned as the developer of the Voltaic Pile, essentially the first battery. 

Why he’s dressed in a toga, I imagine was the choice of the artist. 

Giuseppe Garibaldi

In many historical cities, streets and plazas will be named after famous historical people. Local patriots, national heroes, poets, scientists, whomever. Usually under the street name will be a short description of who they were and what they did. 

In Italy, you don’t need to describe Garibaldi. Everyone should know of him. He’s been called “perhaps the only truly admirable character in history.” And justifiably so. 

If you haven’t heard of him, then shame on you. He’s the Italian equivalent of George Washington, but I think a better person. No slaves, no political office, just faith in democratic principles and in Italy. 

Paolo Carcano

Italian politician during the Risorgimiento and onwards. 

Monumento alla Resistenza Europea - Monument of the European Resistance

“In der Hoffnung auf das Leben gehe ich in der Tod. Ich gehe in Gläuben an ein besseres Leben für Euch.”

“In the hope for life, I go to death. I go believing in a better life for you.”

This monument in Como was interesting. It memorializes with quotes people from all different countries in Europe of the Second World War.

Note in the second photo the reference to the concentration camps. 

My quote above is from the plaque in the third photo, engraved on metal along with other quotes. 

Giuseppe Mazzini

I have an addiction to statues or busts. I generally figure that if the effort was made to memorialize them, I’d like to learn about them. 

Mazzini is a big one though. He was one of Italy’s heroes of its unification, as a fervent journalist, Republican and politician. He, like Garibaldi, believed strongly in Republican values. 

Como Cathedral, Como, Italia. 

When I arrived in this Piazza, I thought “… I could climb up there… those are handholds there… but where’s the wooden ledge and the cart full of hay to jump into?”

Seriously though. Look at the towers. They look practically made to be climbed like an Assassin. 

Will Italians finally start accepting African immigrants? 

At least for a little while? 

gedenkenbrauchtwissen:

Young Silvio Berlusconi, apparently….

At the start of 2012, here are the four countries we all need to watch closely: Italy, Iran, Pakistan and North Korea.

instahlgewittern:

By the spring of 1915 General Luigi Cadorna had 25 infantry and 4 cavalry divisions. Grouped into four armies, Cadorna only had 120 heavy or medium artillery pieces and some 700 machine guns. Despite the shortage of artillery Cadorna launched mass attacks on Austria-Hungary in May 1915. The defending army quickly built trenches and the Italians suffered heavy casualties. In the first two weeks of the Isonzo Offensive, the Italian Army lost 60,000 men. By the time the attacks were called off that winter, Italian casualties had reached 300,000. Cadorna had also lost 3,000 field guns. 

See the interesting hats on the Italian soldiers? Those are the distinctive mark of the Bersaglieri, one of Italy’s several elite formations. 

Most European elite divisions come from Light Infantry. Because warfare in the 18th and 19th centuries were mostly permeated by large, thick formations of uneducated troops trained to fire by discipline and without serious aim, light companies were elite in their marksmanship, independence, mobility and initiative. 

The British have several, such as the Green Jackets and the Connaught Rangers. The French Tirailleurs had a strong reputation, though the term gradually came to represent colonial soldiers from Africa, which were anyway still generally treated as light infantry. In the German states, the Prussian Freikorps were recruited from the unruly lower classes and were praised for less discipline and the privilege to grow a beard. 

The Italian Bersaglieri and Alpini have a strong historical record. To this day, the Bersaglieri regiments still wear that distinctive black feather:

lord-kitschener:

the-unpopular-opinions:

bye bye Silvio, I’m proud to say that you’re no longer our Primo Ministro. Have a nice party life.

Christ, I thought the fucker would never leave. 

Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.

Again, let’s hope what replaces him is an improvement. 

Ridiculous as he was, there was one thing he had that Italy needed: Stability. 

I remember when we used to make jokes about how Italy had more governments than they’ve had years of independence (well, of the most recent republic, ie. since WW2), which was true up until Berlusconi. 

So… onwards and upwards. 

SILVIO BERLUSCONI and his coalition ally, Umberto Bossi, look increasingly like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in the last scene of the 1969 Western: wounded, doomed, yet seemingly unaware of the sheer numbers ranged against them.

…

As S&P’s analysts noted, resistance to the structural economic reforms that Italy so desperately needs is rife among trade unions, professional bodies, incumbent monopolies and the public sector. Ditching Mr Berlusconi might be a good start. But it would be no more than that.

In one call dated 1 January 2009, Mr Berlusconi allegedly tells Mr Tarantini that 11 women were waiting outside his door but he only “did” eight of them because “you can’t do all”.

In another, he describes himself as “prime minister in my spare time”.

It’s hilarious what this man gets into. 

I still don’t think he’s a particularly credible political leader, but for political reasons. I don’t see his sexual deviance as a judge of his political credibility, like many people do. 

Regardless, this man and his sex life.