Welcome to the beating heart of our project, where history comes alive through the voices of those who experienced it firsthand. Our thematic paths have been conceived as a true immersion into the history of the Cold War in Friuli Venezia Giulia, a period that profoundly shaped both the territory and its inhabitants. Our aim is not merely to narrate events, but to convey the complex and vibrant intertwining of experiences, emotions, and personal anecdotes that defined those years.
This section of the website represents the main gateway to our work, the result of careful research and extensive collection of oral testimonies. Here you will find a series of thematic paths, each meticulously dedicated to a specific and significant aspect of that historical period. This is not a dry presentation of facts, but an interactive journey guided by the direct and often moving narratives of the protagonists. Each path is constructed as a narrative mosaic, in which video interviews form the central core. These testimonies are accompanied by short texts that contextualize and deepen the themes addressed, while also inviting reflection on the meaning of each individual story. Our goal is to make you feel the tension, hope, difficulties, and small daily victories that characterized life in a borderland at the center of delicate geopolitical balances.
During the years of the Cold War, in Italy, there was a day that changed everything: the arrival of the draft notice. For some it was expected, for others unexpected and destabilizing. Conscription was not merely a civic duty; it became a component of a complex geopolitical scenario, a passage that brought young men from civilian life into the rules, discipline, and uncertainties of military service.
During the Cold War, military life in the Alpini consisted of duties, daily hardships, and a wide variety of roles. Each assignment—from mule driver to pioneer, from mortarman to instructor—helped keep a complex system functioning, in which discipline, esprit de corps, and adaptability were essential.
Through firsthand accounts, this section illustrates the variety of roles within the Alpini units: a mosaic of experiences combining the strength of tradition with the modernity of an evolving army.
Military life was not made up solely of discipline, marches, and exhausting training. Amid the rigidity of barracks life and strict regulations, there were also lighter moments, unexpected episodes, and small gestures that still bring a smile today. These anecdotes reveal the more human side of conscription—one shaped by relationships, surprises, and memories that time has not erased.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was the cornerstone of Western defense during the Cold War. For Italian servicemen, membership in the alliance meant intensive joint training, complex exercises, and constant interaction with allied armed forces.
Beyond strategic doctrines, NATO was a daily lived reality, characterized by professional exchanges, technological integration, and at times genuine friendships. On this page, the voices of veterans guide us through their direct experiences of international cooperation.
If there was a place in Italy that symbolized the tension of the Cold War, it was the eastern border.
Friuli Venezia Giulia, positioned between the “Western world” and the “Eastern bloc,” was transformed into a true fortress.
Fortifications, tunnels, and bunkers were built to resist for a limited time and to ensure that, in the event of an attack, Italy and NATO would have the necessary time to react.
On this page, we offer a journey through firsthand accounts: the voices of those who lived in these places and those years, giving us a tangible glimpse of military service along the border.
Defining who “the other” is within a context of ideological and geographical tension such as the Cold War is a complex exercise.
“The other” can assume multiple identities: it may be the distant geopolitical enemy, symbolized by the Russian bear; it may be the neighbor across the border, perceived with suspicion or, conversely, experienced as a close relative; or it may even be a fellow serviceman who, despite wearing the same uniform, speaks a different language.
The answer to this question is neither simple nor self-evident, as it varies according to geographical perspective, ideology, and military role.
In this section, we explore how “the other” was perceived by those who wore an Italian or Yugoslav uniform, listening to the voices of individuals who experienced these ambiguous and often contradictory realities firsthand.
For entire generations, compulsory military service represented a rite of passage. But what happened once the uniform was set aside?
Discharge did not simply mark the end of an obligation; it signaled the beginning of a new phase of life, in which discipline, friendships, and an operational mindset merged with civilian reality.
This page offers a journey through the testimonies of those who experienced that crucial moment, providing a concrete insight into the meaning of conscription and its legacy.
