Outline of the place:
Amongst the legends of the Great War, one of enduring importance is that of the “Boys of ‘99”, the last class enrolled and active on the front. Forced by the events of Caporetto to rapidly replace losses, the Royal army ordered the call up of boys born in 1899 and their immediate military training . When the front was established on the Piave, it was necessary to intervene to contain the adversaries’ attempts to break through, intending to take full advantage of the operative weakness of the Italian divisions. The Supreme command had no choice but to place the youngest and freshest soldiers in the battle who with the recklessness of their age united the boldness cultivated by the propaganda and the rhetoric of the moment. This is the beginning of the symbolic worthiness of the “boys of ‘99”, always cited as an example of the regenerating freshness of the nation and the total sacrifice for victory.