Beneath the watchful eye of Brindisi’s towering stone memorial to lost first world war mariners, a lone rower skims across the still waters of the city’s harbour. It’s a beautiful day and tourists stroll the palm-lined quayside in the late summer’s afternoon sun. But the rower isn’t the only one on the water. Also in harbour is an Italian warship, the 133m-long ITS San Giorgio. Inside, waiting to launch, is an amphibious assault vehicle, and inside her, like a Russian doll, I find myself crammed shoulder to shoulder with my fellow mates. The vehicle’s rear door is closed and we are plunged into total darkness. The engine starts and for a moment the only thing to permeate the black is the roar of its 525hp engine and escaping diesel fumes.
在布林迪西高聳的一戰陣亡將士紀念石碑的注視下，一個孤獨的划船者滑過該市港口的平靜水面。這是一個美麗的日子，遊客們在夏末午後的陽光下漫步在棕櫚樹林立的碼頭上。但划船者並不是水面上唯一的人。港口裏還有一艘義大利軍艦，133米長的聖喬治號(ITS San Giorgio)。裏面有一輛等待下水的兩棲攻擊車，在它裏面，我發現自己像一個俄羅斯娃娃一樣，和我的同伴們肩並肩地擠在一起。車輛的後門被關閉，我們陷入了一片黑暗之中。發動機啓動了，在那一瞬間，只有525馬力的發動機的轟鳴聲和逸出的柴油煙氣瀰漫在黑色中。