The Julia Brigade in Action: the 2nd Alpine Engineers Regiment Clears Explosives in Rabbi

On the morning of Monday, August 11, 2025, the community of Rabbi, in Val di Sole, experienced hours of apprehension due to the discovery of some explosive sticks dating back to the 1950s-60s, stored in an old suitcase in the attic of a house under renovation, in locality Zanon, San Bernardo hamlet. These were civilian-use explosive materials, based on stabilized gelatinous substance but still capable of detonating.

The owners, realizing the danger, immediately alerted the Carabinieri of the Rabbi Station, who activated safety procedures. The bomb disposal technicians of the 2nd Alpine Engineers Regiment of the Julia Brigade, coordinated by the Government Commissariat of Trento and Bolzano and the Alpine Troops Command of the Army, intervened on the scene.

To ensure safety, the mayor of Rabbi, Lorenzo Cicolini, had already issued an ordinance ordering the evacuation of the affected area within a radius of 160 meters, as well as the closure of the forest road connecting Zanon with Ceresé from 9:00 AM until the end of operations. About 30 people were evacuated from homes and surrounding lands, along with animals.

The operations were conducted with the support of the State Police, Carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza, Municipal Police, Volunteer Firefighters of Rabbi, Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps – present with an ambulance from the Provincial Health Services Agency – and in the presence of Deputy Prefect Vincenzo Russo, chief of staff of the Government Commissariat.

The operational phase involved the creation of an excavation of three meters by three, four meters deep, inside which a box containing the sticks sprinkled with sawdust was built, then covered with sand and earth. The excavation and covering work was entrusted to Bonetti Renzo S.r.l. of Pracorno, commissioned by the Municipality of Rabbi.

At 1:10 PM the controlled detonation took place, while around 1:30 PM safety conditions were restored, allowing all residents to return to their homes. A delicate operation, conducted successfully and without consequences, which restored calm to the community.

Remnants of the Past and Present Safety

The Rabbi episode is not an isolated case, but fits into the context of frequent explosive ordnance disposal that still affects Italy today. In our country, marked by two world wars and decades of civilian use of explosives in construction and mining, it is far from rare to come across ordnance or dangerous materials hidden in attics, cellars, fields, or woods.

In this specific case, the sticks dated back to the post-war period, when the use of explosives for quarry and construction work was common practice in mountainous areas. Abandoned or forgotten, these materials can become a silent threat: over time, their chemical composition degrades, becoming unstable and unpredictable.

The work of the Army bomb disposal experts thus has a dual value: on one hand, it eliminates concrete and immediate dangers, and on the other, it represents an act of “memory clearance,” as it neutralizes fragments of a past that resurface in the form of ordnance. Each intervention of this kind is a technical and human challenge. The specialists of the 2nd Alpine Engineers Regiment are trained to recognize and neutralize different types of explosives, operating with scientific rigor and composure.

The intervention in Rabbi also highlighted the importance of collaboration between civil and military institutions. Without the timely notice from the owners, the promptness of the Carabinieri, the municipal ordinance, and the synergy of the various forces involved, the situation could have degenerated. This demonstrates how collective safety is the result of an integrated protection system, where each actor has a specific and complementary role.

An Army at the Service of the Community

Beyond the technical dimension, the clearance in Rabbi emphasized the value of the relationship between the Armed Forces and local communities. In a context like that of Val di Sole, characterized by small inhabited centers, the presence of the Army translates into concrete and reassuring support.

The Julia Alpine Brigade, always rooted in the regions of Northern Italy, represents an operational and human reference point. The action of its units demonstrates that military service in peacetime is not only training or international missions, but also daily protection of the territory and people.

The prompt intervention, the ability to manage the emergency, and the collaboration with local authorities have strengthened the population's trust in the institutions. Every controlled detonation, every clearance operation, is not just a technical gesture but an act of civil protection, reaffirming the bond between the Army and citizens.

Finally, the episode reminds us of the importance of keeping historical memory alive: war remnants and forgotten explosive materials are testimonies of a past that, if neglected, can threaten the present. The neutralization of the sticks in Rabbi thus becomes a symbol of a country that chooses safety, prevention, and peace, relying on the silent but essential professionalism of its bomb disposal experts.