In Rimini a special edition of the traditional Alpine soldiers'appointment.
First of all, because it will be the 100th anniversary of the first spontaneous gathering of the Alpine troops on Mount Ortigara, in the Vicenza area, the scene of a bloody battle during the 1st World War. And then because, almost seven months from the date chosen for the celebrations, a record participation is expected. Over 1.2 million, according to the organizers of the National Alpine Association (ANA), are the presences estimated in the three days of May 2020.
Every national gathering of the Alpine has its own theme or motto. The one chosen by the national board as the main theme for the 2020 meeting, the 93rd of the series, is  “Pronti per altri 100 anni” ("Ready for another 100 years").
The Rimini gathering will see the participation of about one hundred thousand 'black feathers' in the final parade on May 8th, among them the approximately 350 thousand registered in the Ana, divided into 110 sections, of which 80 in Italy and 30 abroad.
Among them there will also be the 4,500 members of the the "Angelo Manaresi" Bologna-Romagna section, chaired by Vittorio Costa, that also includes citizens of the san Marino Republic. Just in homage to the distant historical roots of the Bologna-Romagna section of the ANA, the 2020 meeting is officially renamed the "National Alpine Gathering Rimini-San Marino".
The Alpine Group of Rimini was established in 1934 and included, among others, Mario Balestrieri, national president of the Ana from 1951 to 1956, and Nelson Cenci, silver medal for military valor, who fought alongside by the writer Mario Rigoni  Stern in the Russian campaign during the Second World War.