Monument to the Wolves of Tuscany

20 min.

In San Giovanni al Timavo/Štivan stands a monument to the Wolves of Tuscany (Lupi di Toscana), dedicated to the 77^th and 78^th Infantry Regiments, or the Toscana Brigade. It is situated a few kilometres from Monte Ermada/Grmada, the southernmost point of the front which ran across the Kras. In the spring of 1917, the Toscana Brigade came to this area to give support to the Trapani Brigade in the Tenth Isonzo Battle.
The memorial, set up in 1951 on a rock next to the entrance to San Giovanni al Timavo, consists of two bronze wolves. One faces Monte Ermada as if calling his pack, the other looks downward as if trying to keep the enemy under control. Next to the monument stands a tombstone of Major Giovanni Randaccio, commander of the Toscana Brigade, who fell in the Tenth Isonzo Battle. In 1930, architect Arduino Berlam had the opening verses from the Aeneid engraved in the rock on which the two wolves stand to celebrate the 2000^th anniversary of the birth of the poet Virgil.

Photos: (1) Marco Mantini, Fundacija Poti miru; (2) Jernej Bric, Fundacija Poti miru