Map of the Trentino, part of "Italia Irredenta," unredeemed Italy: Venezia Tridentina (Trentino and Alto Adige)
Venezia Tridentina (Trentino and Alto Adige)Confine del Regno d'ItaliaConf.[ine] Geografico d'ItaliaConfine fra Trentino e Alto AdigeFerrovieTramvieIst. Geogr. De Agostini-Novara - Riproduzione InterdettaVenezia Tridentina (Trentino and South Tyrol)Border of the Kingdom of ItalyGeographic boundary of ItalyBorder between Trentino and Alto AdigeRailwaysTramwaysGeographic Institute of Agostini-Novara - Reproduction prohibitedReverse:Message dated December 14, 1917
"The 'foreign' volunteers were disliked by ordinary Italian soldiers, for they might be Austrian spies and they actually wanted this foul war. Patrizio Borsetti, a volunteer from the south Tyrol, wrote home in August 1915: 'the soldiers look at us as if we were the reason why they have to fight. How many curses on account of "Trento and Trieste" . . .'"
Parts of Italia irredenta, unredeemed Italy, including the French territory of Piedmont but more importantly the Austro-Hungarian city of Trieste and region of Trentino, both with significant populations of ethnic Italians, were offered to Italy as a prize for entering the war by the Entente allies, by Germany, and, ultimately and too late, by Austria-Hungary. Italy had already seen that the 1914 dreams of quick victory were false, but entered the war in May, 1915 with the same hope. By August, 1915, Italy and Austria-Hungary had fought two Battles of the Isonzo River on their border, the First costing Italy 15,000 casualties; the Second 42,000.
The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front, 1915-1919 by Mark Thompson, page 114, copyright © 2008 Mark Thompson, publisher: Basic Books, publication date: 2009
1915-08-04, 1915, August, Trentino, Tyrol, Tyrolia
