Our journey in Asiago, began with the World War One museum. This museum was full of valuable artifacts and our guide did a great job of explaining the brutal nature of war which strips soldiers of their humanity.

This image shows a model of a World War One trench. It shows the complex system of tunnels and the no man’s land in the foreground.

This collection of objects in the museum does a good job showing the logistics and mechanics of World War One bombs alongside the human and environmental impact. Our guide mentioned that his house was built in 1919 and in many places you can see shrapnel in the wood that comprises his house. The photo of an injured soldier also shows the barbaric toll on humans.

These two small pieces of artwork struck me as we walked through the museum. Art, in my opinion, is important in times of war because it reinforces humanity and offers a vehicle for expression and dissent. I liked the image of a soldier weighing both his heart and lady victory. This soldier yearns for victory, but at what cost? The image of the little girl addresses an often-forgotten aspect of war: the homefront. The sacrifices of families are often forgotten as soldiers are heralded as heroes.

Lastly, we visited the cemetery of unidentified Austrian and Italian soldiers and the cemetery of British soldiers. At the British cemetery, the graves were uniform, but differentiated by the messages loved ones chose to leave on the graves. These are the two that plucked at my heartstrings.

It reminded me of the humanity of these soldiers. It is easy to depersonalize these graves, yet they were people’s “cherished memories.” The second message of a “goodnight” instead of a “farewell” also resonated with me.

Overall, the visit to these memorials of war was impactful for me because of the humanizing elements. It truly makes war an incomprehensible aspect of humanity.