Italian ‘Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis’ speaks to Centenary News about its ‘Voices of War in Peacetime’ exhibition

The Italian based Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis has organised a travelling exhibition entitled Voci di Guerra in Tempo di Pace (‘Voices of War in Peacetime’), and is promoting the venture jointly with the AJSER 2000 Cultural Group.

Speaking to Centenary News, Roberto Bertoli of Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis explained that: “the aim of the Gruppo Ermada Favio Vidonis, in view of the forthcoming Centenary of the First World War, is the promotion and the preservation of First World War heritage in the Duino Aurisina municipality [of Italy]”.

The Duino Aurisina municipality lay on the historic border of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy. As a result, it was an important theatre of combat between the two opposing armies during the First World War.

Bertoli emphasised the importance of keeping this history and heritage relevant and accessible to a modern audience.

He told Centenary News that, working with 30 similar organisations, Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis is trying to “improve the historical tourism in our area, by organising guided tours among the Italian and Austro-Hungarian trenches and by promoting four historical trekking tracks around the area called Monte Ermada”.

Discussing Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis’ travelling exhibition, Bertoli explained its significance to Centenary News. The artefacts on display at the exhibition “represent the result of decades of searches all over central Europe, from Italy to Austria and Hungary”.

In particular, the photographs in the exhibition are something Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis is particularly proud of, as Bertolli details: “The general opinion is that the First World War pictures that we have got are unique in terms of quantity and of subjects depicted”.

The exhibition recently travelled to Milan, Italy (pictured above), and there are plans for the exhibition to move to Villa Manin, Tarvisio and Monfalcone – all in Italy.

Whilst the exhibition has only travelled around Italy so far, Centenary News was told that plans could see the exhibition taken to Austria and other European countries, in light of the 27,000 people who have visited it since October 2011.

The exhibition’s next stop will be in Treviso, Italy from 15th March 2013 – 1st April 2013.

To find out more details about the event in Treviso, click here.

To visit the Italian language website Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis, click here.

Images courtesy of Gruppo Ermada Flavio Vidonis.

By: Daniel Barry, Centenary News

© Centenary Digital Ltd & Author