This flagpole pedestal commemorates the “Beffa di Buccari” (beffa = practical joke, mockery). On February 10, 1918, a small group of 30 men, including Gabrielle d’Annunzio, slipped by night into the harbour of Buccari and fired six torpedoes at Austrian ships at anchor. The results of the raid depend on which source you believe. I have found that either three ships were torpedoed, or one was sunk or none was sunk. This was either because five torpedoes were stopped by anti-torpedo nets, or because they were faulty. The Italians left messages in bottles, boasting that “the seamen of Italy laugh at every sort of obstacle and are always ready to risk the unriskable.” Although the success of the venture was doubtful, it was a morale booster for the Italians.
The pedestal stands in front of a church which will be the centre of events this weekend.
No comments:
Post a Comment