MOENA. On 22 and 23 June the “majon di fasciagn” Cultural Institute, the “Sul Fronte dei Ricordi” Association and the Municipality of Moena present two days dedicated to memory with the exhibition as protagonist
“1914-1918 La Gran Vera – The Great War: Galicia-Dolomites”
Over one hundred and twenty thousand visitors, thousands of original pieces exhibited in five sections with various period environmental reconstructions and dozens of reports on Italian and international media. Ten years after its debut, “1914-1918 – La Gran Vera – The Great War: Galicia-Dolomites”, a successful temporary exhibition that has become permanent, is at the center of “Monc de Pèsc – Mountains of Peace”on 22 and 23 June in Moena.
Two days that the Ladin Cultural Institutefasciagn majon” with the Association “On the Memories Front” and the Municipality of Moena they conceived, when war shakes the heart of Europe and Palestine, to support peace with conviction, making a constructive memory of the terrible conflict experienced, 110 years ago, also in Val di Fassa.
The two days dedicated to memory were presented at the Teatro Sociale of Trento by Sabrina Rasomdirector of the Ladin Cultural Institute, Michele Simonetti Federspielscientific curator of the exhibition, Bernardino Chiocchettipresident of the Ladin Institute, Joseph Detomasprocurator of the Municipality general of Fascia e Cristina Doneideputy mayor of the Municipality of Moena, in the presence of the provincial councilor Walter Kaswalder.
«This is the flagship of the museum offering in the area – says Sabrina Rasom, director of the Majon di Fascegn – and we hope that the project of making it a new section in the area of the Ladin Museum of Fassa will soon come to fruition».
During the two days in Moena at the end of June, between the town squares and in the Fango area (on the road that leads to Passo San Pellegrino), a extraordinary reconstruction of daily military life, on the front line and in the rear, with around sixty historical re-enactors in the uniforms of almost all the Italian, German, Austrian and Bosnian corps, involved along the lines between Marmolada and Passo San Pellegrino. «We want to emphasize the daily life of the soldiers, their clothing, the supplies, the equipment they used, with a particular eye on technology. Today, 1914 appears very distant from us, but at the time there was already so much technology available, from the telephone, to the airplane, to the heliograph. We will have an example of the latter in Moena”, underlines Michele Simonetti Federspiel, curator, together with Mauro Caimi, of the “La Gran Vera” exhibition and also of the commemoration of 22 and 23 June.
«Our territory and our communities were direct witnesses of the Great War and the signs that this tragic event left are still visible – comments the vice-president and councilor for education, culture and sport, policies for the family, for young people and for equal opportunities Francesca Gerosa – These traces speak to us and speak above all to the new generations, offering important food for thought on the value of peace and the need to have an awareness of the role that each of us has in the construction of peace itself, especially in this moment in which close to many of us are still experiencing the drama of war. Every occasion, therefore, that invites us to these reflections is precious and I believe that the contribution of the initiative promoted by the Ladin Cultural Institute has the merit of providing the appropriate tools, those of culture and historical re-enactment, to interpret a complex and painful part of our history.”
The activities will be concentrated in particular on Saturday 22nd when, from the morning, the displays will come alive thanks to the re-enactors intent on carrying out the actions of the time, including manoeuvres, preparation of coffee and military rations (with the possibility of tasting them for visitors), but also haircut with the military barber and also field photographer. Large format vintage photos are placed in different parts of the town to recreate the atmosphere experienced in the valley during the war period.
«In addition to the affection for this land which preserves my origins – says Federspiel – I am passionate about this particular historical moment experienced by Moena and the Val di Fassa, because it represents a special case: here the civilian population, after an initial displacement, returns to town. Women, children, teenagers and elderly people remain in their poor homes while fathers, sons and husbands fight just four kilometers from home to defend the valley.
For the local population they were difficult years with much tension, hunger and deprivation: the army paid but took away materials, wood, livestock. A positive note is the small number of civilian deaths, especially when compared to those killed on the front line on the nearby peaks.”
Naturally, it will be possible to visit the “La Gran Vera” exhibition (10am – 12.30pm and 3.30pm – 7pm) also on Saturday evening (8.45pm) with the presence of re-enactors who will make the journey particularly realistic. You will then be able to attend (3.30 pm) the screening of three period films: “Helden im Eis und Schnee” (1917), “Berge in
Flammen” by L. Trenker and K. Hartl (1931), “Uomini Contro” by F. Rosi (1970). Furthermore, the exhibition of drawings by middle school children in Fassa will be inaugurated, the result of visits and in-depth studies in recent months, and of the “competition” entitled “Cognoscer la vera per n davegnir de pèsc – Knowing the war for a future of peace”.
The debate (5.30 pm) with experts such as Andrea Marighetti, a fine collector and connoisseur of the history of the conflict, and the presentation of the digitization project of Walter Zorzi’s photographic archive was interesting. «A portion – specifies Federspiel – of Zorzi’s important collection will be able to be seen during the event, then we will work on the online publication».
On the morning (10-12 am) of Sunday 23 June, visits will be made with the re-enactors to the entrenched camp of Fango, while in the afternoon the re-enactors will close the procession of the parade of the band groups which, on that very day, celebrate the 170th anniversary of the Band of Moena. Finally, the lowering of the flag and the sound of “Silence” (4 pm) will conclude the event.
“Monc de Pèsc – Mountains of Peace” is organized by:
Ladin Cultural Institute “majon di fasciagn” Association “Sul Fronte dei Ricordi” and Municipality of Moena in collaboration with Apt Val di Fassa and the financial support of the Region.
“Monc de Pèsc – Mountains of Peace” program.
Saturday 22 June
10 am: start of commemorative activities in Piaz de Ramon, Piaz de Sotegrava in Moena and in other parts of the town with: camp life, short marches, officers’ club, military barber shop, photographer, Alpini coffee and Austrian Chai Tee
10am – 12.30pm: opening of the exhibition “1914-1918 – La Gran Vera – The Great War: Galicia-Dolomites”, at the Navalge Theater
11.30 am: in Piaz de Ramon, flag raising ceremony followed
from the inauguration of the event in the presence of the local authorities, with the laying of a wreath of flowers in memory of the fallen of all wars, to the wooden monument of Federica Cavallin
12.30 pm: distribution of a sample of rations, according to the original Austro-Hungarian goulash recipe
2pm: resumption of commemorative and educational activities
3.30pm – 7pm: opening of the “La Gran Vera” exhibition and start of continuous screening of period films in the Navalge Theater room
5pm: at the Navalge Theatre, inauguration of the exhibition of drawings by middle school children from Fassa who took part in the “competition” entitled “Cognoscer la vera per n davegnir de pèsc – Knowing the war for a future of peace”; inauguration of the special installations and presentation of the digitization project of Walter Zorzi’s photographic archive
5.30 pm: at the Navalge Theatre, meeting with Andrea Marighetti, expert on the Great War, and other guests moderated by Michele Simonetti Federspiel, on the logistical and technical aspects of the great war
8.45pm – 11pm: “Night at the Museum – The Gran Vera comes to life”, open museum with the presence of groups of re-enactors.
Sunday 23 June
10am-12pm: flag-raising ceremony in the locality of El Fanch-Fango followed by visits to the entrenched camp with re-enactors in historical uniform (in case of bad weather the activities in the center of Moena)
10am-12.30pm: opening of the exhibition “La Gran Vera”
2.30 pm: parade through the streets of the center of band groups for the 170th anniversary of the Moena Band, closing the procession with the re-enactors of “Monc de Pèsc – Montagne di Pace”
4pm: in Piaz de Ramon, lowering of the flag to the sound of “Silence” and conclusion of the event.
Tuesday 25 June
8.45pm: at the Navalge Theatre, recital “Uh, this bloody and brutal war!” – Pages of Fassa soldiers from the eastern front and beyond (1914-1918), memories, sounds, images. Directed by Ilaria Chiocchetti. Free entry. CL
