10 point summary of Pighi's War Diary

Pighi's vivid diary provides a poignant look at a young soldier's life on the Italian front, his sense of duty, brushes with death, and the bonds formed in war. Here is a summary:

• June 1916: 18-year-old Pighi passes his medical exam to join the Italian army, hiding his poor eyesight to avoid any fuss.
• February-April 1917: Pighi trains with the 170th Regiment of Campaign Artillery in Novara. He accepts his duty without question, like most young soldiers.
• May 1917: After officer training in Modena and Porretta, Pighi is assigned to the 79th Infantry Regiment headed to the Isonzo front, dashing his hopes of joining the elite Alpini.
• August 1917: Pighi arrives at the front near the Isonzo River. As a young officer, he leads patrols, digs trenches, and sets explosives in no man's land.
• October 1917: Pighi narrowly escapes death when his helmet is pierced by enemy fire. He gets leave to take university exams just before the Italian front collapses at Caporetto. The exams saved his life.
• October-November 1917: Reassigned as a machine gunner, Pighi is sent to various posts. A sympathetic superior officer and professor at the Milan Polytechnic intervenes, assigning him to a safer position.
• December 1917: Pighi joins the 81st Machine Gun Company on the slopes of Monte Grappa. On Christmas Eve, they take their positions in trenches under heavy snow.
• January-March 1918: Despite snipers, bombing, and raids, life in the trenches is tolerable thanks to warm gear, good food, mail and newspapers. Pighi regales his men with tales from Virgil.
• Looking back in 1970-74, Pighi sees WWI as the end of the Risorgimento's noble struggles. He remains curious about the officer who likely saved his life in 1917.