Snowy Alpine Village • Mountain Lake
Christmas 1951 • U.S. Army Correspondence
Offered here is an original vintage Italian Christmas postcard featuring a picturesque, snow-covered Alpine village nestled beside a tranquil blue mountain lake.
The beautifully illustrated scene shows a charming European village with colorful cottages, warmly lit windows, and a prominent church with a tall bell tower.
Beyond the village are magnificent snow-covered mountain peaks beneath a deep blue, star-filled winter sky. Bare snow-covered tree branches frame the right side of the scene.
The lower-left foreground features festive evergreen branches decorated with colorful Christmas ornaments, small wrapped presents, and ribbons.
Across the upper portion is the traditional Italian holiday greeting "BUON NATALE", meaning "Merry Christmas."
Delicate gold-colored accents highlight the winter landscape and decorative Christmas details.
Merry Christmas
A Peaceful Alpine Village
A Snow-Covered Church
Christmas Greetings from Italy
One particularly interesting feature of this postcard is the original handwritten Christmas greeting dated 1951.
The card was signed "Bob" and includes a United States Army military mailing address for a private identified by initials R. J.
The military address references 7106 AU, Engineer Service Company, APO 209, with mail routed through the New York Army Post Office.
The Italian printing and the sender's identification of the card as an Italian Christmas card provide a fascinating connection between European Christmas traditions and American military correspondence during the early Cold War period.
The exact military assignment and location of the sender have not been independently verified.
The reverse retains the original Christmas greeting, written in English by the sender.
Merry Xmas &
Happy New Year.
Bob
This is an Italian
Xmas Card.
An additional handwritten military return address identifies the sender approximately as:
Transcription note: The personal greeting and 1951 date are clearly readable. Some characters in the soldier's surname and service number are difficult to distinguish. Please refer to the reverse photograph for the original handwriting.
The lower portion of the reverse features the printed Italian publisher trademark "Cecami" and the identification number 4371.
The center dividing line includes the wording "Stampato in Italia", translated as "Printed in Italy."
The card is an attractive example of mid-twentieth-century European Christmas illustration, with colorful lithographic-style artwork and gold-colored accents.
| Title | Buon Natale |
| English Translation | Merry Christmas |
| Publisher / Trademark | Cecami |
| Catalog Number | 4371 |
| Country of Printing | Italy |
| Date in Message | Christmas 1951 |
| Scene | Alpine village, church, lake and snowy mountains |
| Military Connection | U.S. Army Engineer Service Company, APO 209 |
| Format | Divided-back postcard |
| Postal Status | Handwritten, without stamp or postmark |
| Orientation | Vertical / Portrait |
Original vintage postcard showing age-related toning, scattered spotting, minor surface marks, and general corner and edge wear.
The colorful illustrated front remains attractive, with its blue mountain scenery, snowy village, Christmas decorations, and gold-colored details clearly visible.
Minor corner wear and small surface imperfections are visible, including light wear around the upper and lower edges.
The reverse displays scattered age spotting, light toning, and original handwritten correspondence in ink.
There is no postage stamp or postal cancellation on this example.
Please carefully examine all photographs before purchasing. Both sides of the actual postcard are shown and form an important part of the condition description.
This attractive postcard will appeal to collectors of:
The richly colored Italian Christmas illustration, identified publisher and catalog number, and surviving 1951 military correspondence combine to make this an interesting piece of holiday and social history.
This original vintage Italian Christmas postcard will be carefully protected and securely packaged to help ensure its safe arrival.
Prompt shipping and careful handling of vintage paper collectibles.