“The War Within”: Fabio Todero in Trieste explores the enduring legacy of the Great War
A wide-ranging and thought-provoking reflection on the cultural, political and human consequences of the First World War was at the centre of the event promoted by the “Manlio Cecovini International Society for Historical, Social and Ethical Studies”, which hosted the presentation of Fabio Todero’s latest book *The War Within. From the Trenches of the Karst to Fiume*, published by Battello Stampatore.
Joining the author in conversation was Luca G. Manenti, Scientific Director of the Association, who introduced Todero’s work by highlighting both its scholarly rigour and its ability to combine meticulous attention to sources with a broader interpretation of historical phenomena. Manenti described Todero as “a builder of dioramas”, capable of mastering detail without ever losing sight of the wider picture, reconstructing the complexity of the Great War through essays, testimonies and decades of research.
During the discussion, Todero explained how the volume brings together texts written at different times but united by a common thread: the idea that war does not end with an armistice or a peace treaty, but continues to live on within societies, politics, collective memory and individual lives. This interpretative approach is linked to the French historiographical school of the Historial de la Grande Guerre and to the concept of “coming out of war”, understood as a long and complex process rather than a simple “post-war” period.
As Todero pointed out, the First World War left behind not only new conflicts and territorial tensions, but also a profound “brutalisation of politics”: the violence experienced in the trenches continued to shape civil and political clashes in the years that followed, from the Biennio Rosso to the rise of fascism across Europe. At the same time, the conflict generated a long cultural memory expressed through books, diaries, poetry, films and testimonies that continued to influence the twentieth century.
Particularly moving was the reflection on mourning and the deep emotional wounds left by the war. Todero referred to the experience of Giani Stuparich and the never-healed grief caused by the death of his brother Carlo, explaining how entire generations remained marked by that historical and emotional fracture. The very title of the book, *The War Within*, draws inspiration from Bertrand Tavernier’s film *Captain Conan*: war as an experience that continues to consume individuals and societies from within long after the fighting has ceased.
The discussion also focused on the Fiume enterprise and the continuity between wartime experience and the tensions of the immediate post-war years. Todero highlighted how many of those involved in D’Annunzio’s occupation of Fiume came directly from the trenches or had grown up within a cultural climate steeped in heroic and militaristic rhetoric. The episode is therefore interpreted as one of the Italian manifestations of the long aftermath of war and the violence that continued to shape Europe after 1918.
Considerable attention was also devoted to literary and diary sources in the study of the Great War. Todero explained how poems, novels, memoirs and letters are essential tools for understanding the concrete experience of soldiers and the human dimension of the conflict, often absent from official sources. From Ungaretti’s verses to Carlo Salsa’s accounts and the diaries of ordinary combatants, literature allows us to grasp the reality of trench warfare, daily coexistence with death and the trauma experienced by millions of men.
The event also explored the theme of Adriatic irredentism and the different ideological currents that coexisted among interventionists from the Julian March. Through figures such as the Stuparich brothers, Ruggero Timeus and Scipio Slataper, Todero recalled how the war against Austria temporarily united deeply different political and cultural positions, differences that would later re-emerge during the post-war years and under Fascism.
Another significant aspect of the discussion concerned wartime writing and the enormous correspondence produced by soldiers at the front. Todero recalled how trench warfare, marked by long periods of waiting and immobility, encouraged the writing of letters and diaries, essential tools for maintaining a connection with home and civilian life. Today, this vast body of testimonies represents an extraordinary historical and human archive.
During the evening, the audience also reflected on emblematic figures of the period such as Ercole Miani and Gabriele D’Annunzio. Regarding the latter, Todero underlined above all his ability to use language and rhetoric to captivate crowds, intuiting psychological and symbolic mechanisms that would profoundly shape twentieth-century mass politics.
In the closing part of the event, the author discussed the genesis of the final chapter of the volume, dedicated to the islands of Veglia, Cherso, Lussino and Arbe during the Fiume enterprise. Through documents and reports that had long remained little known, Todero reconstructed the political climate and national tensions affecting those Adriatic territories in the years immediately following the war, offering an original perspective on an area deeply marked by the transformations of post-war Europe.
The event formed part of the Association’s wider programme of cultural activities aimed at exploring the history, memory and identity of the Adriatic region through public discussion and historical dissemination.
WATCH THE GALLERY
Joining the author in conversation was Luca G. Manenti, Scientific Director of the Association, who introduced Todero’s work by highlighting both its scholarly rigour and its ability to combine meticulous attention to sources with a broader interpretation of historical phenomena. Manenti described Todero as “a builder of dioramas”, capable of mastering detail without ever losing sight of the wider picture, reconstructing the complexity of the Great War through essays, testimonies and decades of research.
During the discussion, Todero explained how the volume brings together texts written at different times but united by a common thread: the idea that war does not end with an armistice or a peace treaty, but continues to live on within societies, politics, collective memory and individual lives. This interpretative approach is linked to the French historiographical school of the Historial de la Grande Guerre and to the concept of “coming out of war”, understood as a long and complex process rather than a simple “post-war” period.
As Todero pointed out, the First World War left behind not only new conflicts and territorial tensions, but also a profound “brutalisation of politics”: the violence experienced in the trenches continued to shape civil and political clashes in the years that followed, from the Biennio Rosso to the rise of fascism across Europe. At the same time, the conflict generated a long cultural memory expressed through books, diaries, poetry, films and testimonies that continued to influence the twentieth century.
Particularly moving was the reflection on mourning and the deep emotional wounds left by the war. Todero referred to the experience of Giani Stuparich and the never-healed grief caused by the death of his brother Carlo, explaining how entire generations remained marked by that historical and emotional fracture. The very title of the book, *The War Within*, draws inspiration from Bertrand Tavernier’s film *Captain Conan*: war as an experience that continues to consume individuals and societies from within long after the fighting has ceased.
The discussion also focused on the Fiume enterprise and the continuity between wartime experience and the tensions of the immediate post-war years. Todero highlighted how many of those involved in D’Annunzio’s occupation of Fiume came directly from the trenches or had grown up within a cultural climate steeped in heroic and militaristic rhetoric. The episode is therefore interpreted as one of the Italian manifestations of the long aftermath of war and the violence that continued to shape Europe after 1918.
Considerable attention was also devoted to literary and diary sources in the study of the Great War. Todero explained how poems, novels, memoirs and letters are essential tools for understanding the concrete experience of soldiers and the human dimension of the conflict, often absent from official sources. From Ungaretti’s verses to Carlo Salsa’s accounts and the diaries of ordinary combatants, literature allows us to grasp the reality of trench warfare, daily coexistence with death and the trauma experienced by millions of men.
The event also explored the theme of Adriatic irredentism and the different ideological currents that coexisted among interventionists from the Julian March. Through figures such as the Stuparich brothers, Ruggero Timeus and Scipio Slataper, Todero recalled how the war against Austria temporarily united deeply different political and cultural positions, differences that would later re-emerge during the post-war years and under Fascism.
Another significant aspect of the discussion concerned wartime writing and the enormous correspondence produced by soldiers at the front. Todero recalled how trench warfare, marked by long periods of waiting and immobility, encouraged the writing of letters and diaries, essential tools for maintaining a connection with home and civilian life. Today, this vast body of testimonies represents an extraordinary historical and human archive.
During the evening, the audience also reflected on emblematic figures of the period such as Ercole Miani and Gabriele D’Annunzio. Regarding the latter, Todero underlined above all his ability to use language and rhetoric to captivate crowds, intuiting psychological and symbolic mechanisms that would profoundly shape twentieth-century mass politics.
In the closing part of the event, the author discussed the genesis of the final chapter of the volume, dedicated to the islands of Veglia, Cherso, Lussino and Arbe during the Fiume enterprise. Through documents and reports that had long remained little known, Todero reconstructed the political climate and national tensions affecting those Adriatic territories in the years immediately following the war, offering an original perspective on an area deeply marked by the transformations of post-war Europe.
The event formed part of the Association’s wider programme of cultural activities aimed at exploring the history, memory and identity of the Adriatic region through public discussion and historical dissemination.
WATCH THE GALLERY
