Defence: Rauti at the Alpini Hat Ceremony, “Tradition and modernity guide the future of the Alpine Troops”

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“Tradition and modernity guide the future of the Alpine Troops.” With these words, the Undersecretary of State for Defence, Senator Isabella Rauti, spoke today in Bassano del Grappa on the occasion of the ceremony for the awarding of the Alpini Hat to 153 Initial Fixed-Term Volunteers (VFI) of the “Adamello III” Course, marking the concluding act of “Alpine Week.”

During her address, Senator Rauti renewed “the profound sense of tribute to military valor and to the memory of those who fell for the Homeland,” recalling the deep-rooted historical bond linking the city of Bassano to the Alpini. The famous Ponte degli Alpini was evoked as an ideal “bridge between yesterday and today”: a symbol crossed during the First World War by those heading to the front and, today, by young Volunteers entering the Alpine Troops.

The course participants experienced in Bassano a “formative and immersive” journey, marked by technical-tactical training, ascents and mountain warfare exercises, while maintaining a constant dialogue with the local community. “The Alpine spirit is learned through training but internalized through sharing and service,” the Undersecretary stated, highlighting the excellence in training ensured by the Alpine Training Center in Aosta. The facility was described as a “center of excellence where common training standards and a shared operational culture are built,” elements that are now indispensable for integration between active-duty personnel and the voluntary reserve.

Addressing the new Alpini directly, the Undersecretary finally emphasized the high ethical value of the insignia they had received: “The Hat you wear today binds you to a history of sacrifice and calls on you to be worthy of it every day, as increasingly complex operational scenarios demand professionalism, discipline, and esprit de corps.”