Memorial Day has just passed. What did you do to honor those that made it possible for you to live free in America? Italy knows how to honor its warriors. Every year, the Alpini Mountain soldiers of Italy gather in a major city to honor their service. This year, the gathering was in Treviso, a city of about 100,000 people just north of Venice. 500,000 Alpini descended on this walled-in city surrounded by a moat. The city closed off all entrances to vehicular traffic; only foot traffic could cross over the moat to enter. Most Alpini arrived in buses to the outskirts of the city, then had to walk a kilometer or so to get in.

Once inside the walls of Treviso, it was wall-to-wall Alpini, singing, drinking, eating and just having fun. All Alpini wear the traditional Alpini hat with the eagle features; the color of the hat pin defines their area of service. All the males had Alpini hats on, even the pretend Alpini. For these three days of celebration, everyone was an Alpini warrior.