Born in 1966. Eighteen years old in 1984. The draft card for the “naja” (the compulsory military service) for the boys still arrived back then.

Our get-together in Ponte in Valtellina lasted a full week. Every day.

We went around town putting up banners. We collected the gadgets for the evening: a tricolour neckerchief and a matching little hat. A service was held. Snacks and aperitifs, plus all sorts of good-natured antics. The rule was simple: laugh.

Then there were the grandfathers and grandmothers.

They were the ones who reached their birthday first. They had the job of holding on to the class flag and keeping it safe for the reunions in the following years. (Eighteen years old, and already grandparents. Quite a responsibility.)

And that’s how it went.

Most of us were still at school at the time, so the whole group was there. Everyone within easy reach, and we managed to organise everything without WhatsApp… just think about it.

The party ended at the town restaurant. A strategic choice: that way you walked home. A bit merry, yes—but on foot.

Where the conscripts’ party comes from

Flags, scarves, grandfathers and grandmothers of eighteen years old. Where does all this come from? From a list. “Conscritto” means “written together”: they were entered on the conscription lists that the council compiled every year, with the names of the town’s young men aged between 17 and 20.

The first person to be called up for compulsory service in our area was Napoleon, in August 1802. And the Valtellina was already in it: in 1797 it had chosen to join the Cisalpine Republic. So people from Valtellina were among the first conscripts in Italy. (They cared an awful lot, I guess.)

After Italian unification, conscription became compulsory for all young men, set by law in 1875. The draft card arrived, there was a medical exam, and then—if you were judged fit—off you went. Months away from home.

And before leaving? You celebrated. Lunches, dinners, musicians, going around town. A send-off all together, with a bit of fear hidden in it and a huge desire to feel grown-up.

The girls arrive later. In many towns in the north, the party begins for them from the 1950s onwards: in Schignano, in the Como area, the first documented occasion is with the 1933 class.

The last call-up for the naja was in December 2004. Since then, the conscripts’ party has lost its military purpose and kept everything else: the town, the class, the flag.

Conscripts in Valtellina: photos, practice sessions and Coscrittiadi

Every town has its own version. And the practice activities vary from valley to valley, sometimes even from one hamlet to another.

In Upper Valtellina, the party has become a competition. In Sondalo there are the Coscrittiadi Sondaline, organised by the Associazione Giovani Sondalo Li Simenza: classes compete for the title of Class Queen. 

In Valdidentro, the Coscrittiadi take place at the beginning of May, with sports competitions between teams.

In Valchiavenna, the party for the eighteen-year-olds happens in autumn. 

After 18: the recalls

Eighteen years old is only the beginning. Then come the recalls. Every five years, usually. The closest-knit classes carry on doing it every year too.

And everything changes.

At eighteen, a new outfit and a spritz of perfume were enough. After a few decades, you need a hairdresser, a beautician, an outfit that forgives a few extra pounds and comfortable shoes—because you’ll be dancing. (I’m talking for the women’s group. The men can sort themselves out.)

The hardest part is finding everyone again. Who moved away, who emigrated, who has been “adopted” by the conscripts from another town. The hunt for addresses starts among relatives, friends and acquaintances.

Sometimes you meet at a restaurant; sometimes at someone’s lodge or tavern. The important thing is getting together.

And it runs late. Wives, husbands, partners and companions know this: at the conscripts’ party, the time you’re supposed to be back home is suspended. That’s the rule.

Then the strange thing happens. You sit next to someone you haven’t seen in twenty years, and it feels like you only said goodbye yesterday. Old photos come out, the same jokes get repeated, and you tell—yet again—the very same old gag.

Today you’ve got all the photos on your phone. One click and it’s done.

But it was nicer in our day, when you had to go looking for them first.

Where to celebrate the conscripts

If you’re the one who has to organise (or if you feel like something is brewing), here are two places where the conscripts feel right at home.

At Ristorante al Crap in Tresivio there’s the Serata Coscritti 2026: Saturday 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th November. Dinner at 7:30pm with a menu dedicated to the conscripts, from the aperitif to coffee (and there’s also the conscripts’ cake). From 11pm to 2am: music and dancing. A reserved room for the classes, even with several years together, and a large car park in front. €60 everything included. Info and bookings: 0342 430197.

Also La Torre in Piateda celebrates the conscripts on every Saturday from 14 November to 5 December. On the SS38 state road, at Via Guicciardi 6, with ample parking, more rooms on the ground floor and upstairs, plus heated terraces that you can use even in winter. On Saturday evening there’s a DJ set. And here’s a detail we ‘66 lot only dreamed of: the free shuttle service. We walked home. You can have a ride back instead. Info and bookings: 0342 370230.

Four Saturdays per venue, and lots of different classes: better to move early.

You bring the comfortable shoes.

Frequently asked questions about the conscripts’ party

Where does the word “conscripts” come from? From Latin: “written together”. They were the boys entered on the same council conscription list.

What age do you celebrate the conscripts at? The big celebration is at 18. Then the classes usually get together again every five years—some do it every year.

Do the girls count as conscripts too? Yes. In many towns they join from the 1950s onwards, and today they often end up organising.

What are the Coscrittiadi? A challenge between conscripts’ classes, with games and competitions. In Valtellina they take place in Sondalo in September and in Valdidentro in May.