The 8th of June, as member of Italian paratroopers reenactment group, I participated to the remembrance about fallen on Nettunia and Roma front. It was celebrated at Verano, the central and monumental cemetery of Rome. A parade at three sites and a Mass in Latin language. The day was very hot, standing at attention wearing the uniform under the sun at almost 40°. My helmet was ready to cook eggs.

After, another celebration on the site where paratroopers destroyed a Shermans column and where paratroopers commander died 70 years before.

We crossed Apennines to go to a modelling fair in Macerata for two days. It was inside a larger fair about second hand and vintage objects.

Large halls and a lot of things to buy. The modelling part was the widest that I personally ever saw in Italy.

Among models I found these two Zaku dioramas. I like them a lot.

A modelling contest for various categories was held in the fair. Here some of what I think is the best.

Germany navy.

Italian navy: motorboat with explosive charge inside.

Three Italians tanks in Africa.

Picchiatello, the Italian Stukas.

Reenactors about Italian war in Africa.

More helmets.

There was space for various kinds of rc models.

From these photos you could believe that all was inside only a structure, instead these were three, one covered and closed (where we were), one covered, one half covered.

I bought only a couple of coins for my collection and four little cars. We were not so interested in other things, we are more miniatures oriented than generic vintage objects. But on the way to home we stopped to Col Fiorito to buy some cheese, lentils and beans. We wished to visit more the surroundings but hast is a bad mate, so we visited only where we sleep (a very little rural hamlet with a huge and ancient knight templar church built over pre-Roman sacred site), roads among hills and mountains, the fair, and good and bargain restaurants. We saw the Adriatic sea too.

A different way to pass the 8th of March. Castel Decima is a nature area near a rural castle at the South-West of Rome, just outside the GRA (the motorway that encircle Rome). Here there was a large, and practically unused, WWII defence system for Rome, with bunkers and trenches. A visit was organised only for local WWII reenactors. No other people involved.

The area is not properly equipped for visitors as a museum area: bunkers are houses for bats, trenches are among debris and woods. After 70 years th structures are still solid, made by concrete or tuff stone. I tried to find the layout of the area by GoogleMaps, but from the sky all is well concealed. We think to explore more the surroundings for another time.

The visit was even a photo opportunity for reenactors, a way to show off weapons and uniforms. It is a way to live and understand history, as wargame. And there was the presence of a real veteran of war, a man that fought in that area to delay the Allies in their march on Rome. We listened about his experience and visited with him the place where he and his comrades destroyed a Sherman column.

I’m a member of the Italian paratroopers historic group. Almost 70 years ago in this place, the commander of Italian paratroopers died heroically. So we organised a ceremony at the war memorial.

Maybe in April I will participate to another meeting, but this time with a paratrooper uniform of the other political half of the divided Italy after the 8th of September.

I was waiting this event for a couple of years. I thought that, for an important anniversary as the landing on Anzio and Nettuno beaches, great things could be done. Instead, at the noon of the day before, I was informed about the dismiss of the participation of our representative group of the national army paratroopers association. Various problems with the organiser of the Anzio event (another one were held in the neighbour Nettuno) made we thought about boycott or clear malpractice. I went privately only the Sunday to watch the two events.

This is the new monument in Anzio.

The war cemetery for Italian Army soldiers that fought against Allies on this front. The X shape is for the X° MAS, one of the Italian combat groups.

Some objects in a museum. On the right some items from Italian paratroopers on this front.

An helmet with shells from years in the sea.

A pan made with a German helmet.

An absolute great diorama on the Anzio harbour.

The Italian Garibaldi aircraft carrier.

Part of Forte San Gallo on the beach in Nettuno.

Some reeneactors as American soldiers in Anzio.

Some reenactors as Germans and Italians in Anzio. Some were not so believable and with wrong uniforms.

Last but not least, the part dedicated to Ganesha Games of the Ludica Roma 2013 full report.

Space is not a big problem in the pavilions of Ludica. So we obtained lots of tables to show rules and games. A DBA in 1:72 scale was organised by Diego.

On your wargame tables in 2016! One of the first playtests of some new ideas for a game by Andrea.

The first public preview of A Fistful Of Kung-Fu. Out by Osprey Publishing in February…

A photo from the first day in the fair. Building modular walls for my arena.

And after the masonry work, a chocolate snack. The candies stand poisoned the air with a terrible stench of chocolate. You couldn’t resist it for long. So I bought my waffel stick!

And here my arena. A lot of people appreciated it.

Those days my father was painting more spectators. However these are just all very active.

Among reenactors there were some involved in gladiatorial fights. A nice chap illustrated to people the specific disciplines of arena. I took advantage of the situation to brandish weapons and touch helms. So I could have a direct experience of what I studied and applied in Ferrum et Gloria.

Do you recognise the different kinds of helms? In Ferrum et Gloria you can understand why these are made in every specific way.

Shields and greaves. Due to hits, you can see as these are used in real fights.

In front of you an arbelas, with its crescent blade.

Back to Ganesha Games space. On the right a preview of the second volume of my rules: gladiatorial fights with ships.

A more detailed view.

An OGAM tournament was held the Saturday. I was very nervous because I only play it in playtests with Andrea mastering. Moreover I didn’t know the final version and how to build a winning strategy. Indeed this is my year: another great result, the third place! A Ludica gold dice and a book from Osprey as prize.

Another preview. I’m planning another game after Ferrum et Gloria. With this photo I suggest the topic of it. We knew in Ludica a reenactor of this historical period that is even a wargamer. An interesting meet.

Now we are waiting for Ludica Rome 2014. And the organisers are waiting for an analysis of the fair that I have to write to them. And you are waiting for other fair reports that still I have to write. In the meantime: Merry Christmas!

And now the report about Ludica Roma 2013 convention, at last! Three daysv in Rome, my city, full of what you desire about games. They were the 29th & 30th of November and the 1st of December. Here we go…

The convention was held in 4 pavilions. We were in this one dedicated to wargames and boardgames.

Some volunteers managed, with an explanation of rules, an area to play boardgames.

Other notable things: Rubik’s cube competitions as solutions with blinded eyes; painting laboratories; abstract boardgaming; Subbuteo.

Another pavilion, only for children. All kinds of games and experiences.

The modelling pavilion: cars, earth movers, trains, ships and more. The paradise of radio controlled models.

This rail modelling circuit is based about a road near where I live, at one of the external gates of Rome built inside one of the main Roman aqueducts. In this zone there was the Gothic camp during a siege of Rome during the Gothic Wars. Moreover here happened some fights against Allies by Italian soldiers in the defence of Rome in 1944.

Some vintage action figures in a vendor area in this pavilion.

The softair (and other ways to shooting people safety) and reenactment pavilion.

And after this “garibaldino” (a fighter of the independent and volunteer army who fought for the unification of Italy) I promise that I will continue with this report another day.

Post number 300! A morning in one of the museums of Rome. This one is a little underrated because we have so many archaeological remains that waste them. I visited it when I was a child. It is the Museo delle Mura (wall museum), built inside a city door of the late Roman walls. This is now called Porta San Sebastiano, and it is the door where start the Via Appia from Rome.

The opportunity to visit it was a temporary exhibition about Roman armours and helms. The materials are supplied by Archeos, an almost local reenactment and research group. So we haven’t real archaeological pieces but reproductions. It is good to see these things in a natural size shape to understand better what you can see only on books or monuments. My only remark is on some realisation are not so exact, as late Roman helm or other things for gladiators. But these are particulars. Enjoy the spectacle indeed.

Classical imperial helms and lorica segmentata.

Late Romans are a historical period not so represented in actual iconography. Trajan times are used as standard for all the Roman history. But what we generally know about Trajan is his column, while we have evidences about something different even for his epoch.

An armour for commanders. Vitreous materials could be used instead of gems for the helm. A way to save…

The kind of standard dress for foot soldiers. But this one is for a high rank soldier. Watch the crest and the richness of the vest.

On the left a secutor armour. I love this close helm. Near an arbelas, the weapon of the scissor.
On the right a middle Roman armour with a chest protector composed of rhomboidal plates.

The classical duel: on the left a myrmillo, on the right a thraex! In the middle, myself.

Some short graeves, a parmula, a sice supina and a falx.

A highly decorated myrmillo helm. Someone claim that this kind of helms were used only during the pompa magna, the presentation of gladiators to public before the fight. But if they are build to be used for a fight, then they were used for fights. None build a strong helm only for a parade. It is so simple. This is the helm of a champion.

I’m so tired and replete! Sunday I was in Canino (VT) for a wargame convention organised by Narciso, my wargame club mate who lives there. The opportunity was a countryside festival about asparagus. The municipal authorities gave us a building in the town centre to place our tables. So some demonstration games ran all the day.

The Napoleonic rules by Di Bartolo in a mastered battle. Only for grognards.

The Clan Conan of LuccaGames fame was there. Romans versus late Macedonians with easy rules: Battle of Cynoscephalae (364 BC).

The best demonstration table. Diego has got a real feeling for children. So he took Song of Blade and Heroes, mastered and simplified the rules to baby level, and a lot of fun were spread.

Vlad the Impaler always by Clan Conan. Playable by common men.

Another preview for Of Gods And Mortals. In these days I’m studying the rules to build a new mythological pantheon expansion.

This is a demonstration game season. So I was there with my Ferrum et Gloria. Now I’m writing the rules, at last! In this phase I’m editing all the game mechanics to add more fluency to the play and to clarify some situations. The goal is to have the published version in the late 2013.

Narciso is an artist too. His first attempt to make something about miniature sculpting: two 75mm gladiators that he sculpted with Milliput and realised with resin. I think that they are great! Remember, his first attempt…

And now, back to the countryside festival. Part of the long historical parade. Sorry, I didn’t captured the feeling of the thing, it was better than what you can see here. There were three horses too. Canino is a little town, so it is a big effort to have a lot of people with medieval costumes.

Asparagus, oil and artichokes, sold at bargain prices, especially the asparaguses, something like one euro for one bundle! This place has got an agricultural vocation, and they are famous for high quality oil and early production of asparagus.

All wargamers together for the lunch. And a multi courses menu exclusively based on asparagus recipes: with oil and vinegar, with pasta and fish, with potatoes and meat, with calamari, au gratin. Two hours and half for this duty. The ladies around the table (girlfriends, Andrea’s mother and Di Bartolo’s wife) went in the morning to visit an ancient Longobard stronghold in the surroundings, in a trip leaded by Narciso among tuff rocks and high grass. Narciso is the chap with sideburns.

In the main square of the town, the traditional Guinness omelet with asparagus, the topic moment of the festival. An eggs massacre for the joy of people.

And here a close-up on my slice of omelet. A great day, fun with friends and some dices rolled around. Later, after the greetings to the wargamers, we reorganised the place and the materials. After we take the dinner with some Narciso’s friends, again asparagus, but on pizza this time.