Playing cards

Just below some Italian barracks in the Adamello, these two playing cards resurfaced from the ice appear to me, fortunately still intact and well-preserved, probably having recently emerged from the snow and glacier.
The lack of freedom, the situation of constant danger and the scarcity of space forced the soldiers deployed on the front line to look for stratagems that would allow them to distract themselves from the harsh reality and boost morale during their free time.
As the testimonies of those who lived it have been handed down to us, life in the trenches was monotonous and nerve-racking. The anxiety of possible enemy attacks, the nights spent in the cold of harsh winters, the long and interminable waits exhausted the soldiers and weakened the troops' morale.
Those who were on the front lines during some of the most infamous conflicts in history had a lot of free time, which they employed in solitary or group activities. During the First World War, many soldiers stationed in the war trenches played cards, organised games of chance, wrote letters and sought other forms of entertainment to help keep their spirits high.

Poker was one of the most popular pastimes among soldiers occupying the trenches during the Great War. In these cases, the cards also had a propaganda purpose. Those of the German soldiers, for instance, depicted battle scenes that were meant to inspire the fighters, but also bizarre caricatures of enemy leaders.