these mountains. well saycan very thatSaintDionysius isagainthelawful lord andguardian of we thisisso, if and, Cadore thatprovides excellent andabove peaceful all views; army apeerlessterrace thisdaring over positionisagain the however, In ourtime, laying outpathsandsetting uppositionsat2,000metres! went upthere too, the because Alpine troops andtheEngineers but thiswould alsohave beenvain, Croda pass, Castellone andthePiria toto theCrode climbhigher diSanPietro, would have preferred sandbags, enemy aeroplanes andsurrounded by ahostof the of inthesights amongsomuch dinandclamour, The goodSaintDionysius, theCadore-Maè scattered over fortifications theBoite valley. of tro-Hungarian ontheItalian raids aerodromes atTai installations andthevarious theever discouraging more harassing Aus- tempt to solve theawkward problem of inanat- and trenches inPieve, andalsoatelephone lineto theCalmibarracks amachine-gun a fewyards with away from thechurch theGreat during War, postwasplaced ananti-aircraft observation At tranquillity! spot, thisvery search of thatSaintDionysius hadcome here in however, It wasaparadoxical irony, di. Archdeacon Bernar- ready to beblessedandopenedforworship inthepresence of waslaidon18July thatyear andon31 August itwas which istheonewe seenow, thenewbuilding, Thefirststone of and rebuild it. todition thatitwasabsolutely pullitdown necessary thechurch wasinsuch apoorcon- however, In 1910, ers thathadbeenespeciallysetupforher. andflow- branches meal underamajesticpavilion of themountainto consume a to thetop of in alitter, theway onfootandtheotherpart of apart zale, on23 nitaries August 1882andclimbedfrom Poz- dig- from Villa inPerarolo Lazzaris ahostof with Shesetoff QueenMargherita’s excursion. a result of More recently well as known itbecamevery ments. docu- sixteenth century it ismentionedinvarious beamandthat asthisdate onaroof wasfoundcarved was firsterected in1508, we know thatthechurch from But thesepleasantlegends, apart and Val Longiarù. Val Costede Costa Nuda, thehaymaking ontheslopesof the noiseandbustleof below hehadsettledinthevalley butcould notstand from allhuman distractions; SaintDionysius camehere far lookingforahermitage According to tradition, allmountainhikers. of tures theheart SanDionisioiscompletely andcap- striking thelittleChurch of around it, visible round Mounts winding tracks Tranego andPradonego andCol Maò completely thePiave with ValleyIn itspositionopposite allthe below lying andwith Antelao, S A to getthetopofMountZucco,wherethereareexposedandfriablestretches. sons withpoormobility. Asurestep,however, isnecessaryifyoudecidewant None: asfartheentrancetofort,excursionisalsosuitableforper- DEGREE OFDIFFICULTY Zucco (1,197m),wherethereareremainsofanarmyshelter. Ciaupa. AdiversionofaboutanhourwillenableyoutoclimbthetopMount oughly youwishtoexaminethefortifiedperimeterandnearbypositionsat From threetofourhours.Thetimeyouspendintheareadependsonhowthor- DURATION About 150metres. DIFFERENCE INALTITUDE in frontoftheformerrailwaystation(839m). quite asecludedandsilentarea.Rendezvous:atTai diCadore,inthebigsquare along aroadthatisopentotraffic.Theroutealmostentirelyintheshade The fortcanbereachedeasilyafterapleasantwalkinthewoodsofTai diCadore, DESCRIPTION OFTHEROUTE 15.1 isio and the Antelao refuge; tourist pathfrom Mount Tranego to Pozzale. Tourist path asfarCostapiana; hiking routeasfar theChurchof San Dion- DEGREE OFDIFFICULY to Pozzale from6to6,30 hours. To Costapianafrom 2,30to3hours;theAntelao refugefrom4to4,30hours; DURATION Nearly 1,000metres. DIFFERENCE INALTITUDE Valle diCadore,localityofSanRocco(857m). reached bycaronthepartially tarmacvehicularroadfromValle. Rendezvous: 250, whichoffersclear, panoramicviews.TheCostapiana refugecanalsobe You cangoonasfarthecentreofPozzale (1,054m)afterwardsonroute m) onroute252. (1,697 m)fromwhichyoucanalsoheadforthetopofMount Tranego (1,849 refuge (1,796m)onthePradonegosaddle,orgothrough Antracisapass Mount SanDionisio(1,946m),fromwhichyoucangodirect totheAntelao (1,470 m)andtheCostapiana refuge(1,570 m).Goonbyroute251 towards Take theroadtowardsPravalanandLuoida;lookoutfor Naités haybarns DESCRIPTION OFTHEROUTE 15.2 I N T

D I MONTE TRANEGO FORTE COL VACCHER O N Y S I U S ’ S

C H U R C H

I N

W m 992) (m. A R

A N D

P The ChurchofSanDionisio. E A C E This wasconsidered aring roadwhose objective wasto protect theunderlying 8% to10%. with asolidsurface, from3to3.5metreswide andacontinuousgradientof from The section1.8kilometres longfromPozzale toPievediCadore wasvehicularagain, tain cartsandeven byfieldartilleryaftersome easyimprovisation. bridges. Therearenogradients ofmorethan15%,anditcouldbeusedbymoun- tween CostapianaandSanDionisio itcrossestwogulliesoversmallsafewooden Most oftherouteisverysteep, theslopeseitherverythinlywoodedorstony. Be- track onanaturalbutfirmsurface, 2.20to2.50metreswideincludingtheditch. The sectionfromCostapianato Pozzale, ontheotherhand,wasdesigned asamule sible forittobeusedbyfieldartillery. trees, andhasaminimumradiusof6metresonitscurves,which alsomadeitpos- tre,. Itrunswithnumerousbendsroundsteepslopesmostlythinly coveredwithfir two shortstretchesabout400metreslongataroundthethird andsixthkilome- originally 3metreswideexcludingtheditches,withamaximum gradientof15%on The sectionfromValle toCostapiana,7.2kilometreslong,with asolidsurface,was ian Engineersin1890. then toPozzale (1,054m)andPievediCadore(880m),wascompletedbytheItal- then continuingbytheAntracisapass(1,697m)andMountTranego (1,849m)and The militaryroadthatconnectsValle diCadore(840m)toCostapiana(1,560m), THE MOUNTTRANEGOMILITARY ROAD A rampledfromthenarrowinnercourtyardtoroof,whichoccu- the hollowtraversesandwalkwayconstructedbehindparapet. communicated witheachotherandthecasematesinfront,asalso passageway protectedbyaparapet.Alltheroomsinsidesandgorge in thegorge,whilefrontandonrightgarrisoncouldoperatea cial defences,butthefortcouldbedefendedonleftandfromcasemates tillery. Thetwosides werenotparalleltoeachother, withroofsthathadnospe- der wasequippedtobedefendedbyinfantryandallowedtheuseoffieldar- traverses, whilethepartbetweenlasttraversetorightandshoul- nas. Two medium-calibregunscouldbeplacedontheplatformsseparatedby into foursectionsbyfivehollowtraverses,itsmainaxisdirectedtowardsVe- It hadastraightfaçadewithterrepleinandan8-metrehighparapetdivided the Castellobattery. nineteenth century, withastructuresimilartothoseoftheMountRiccofortand It wasthebiggestofallworkscompletedinCadorebeforeend and controllingtheroadsleadingtocriticalTai junction. fortifications, itsgunfiretrainedonenemymovementsfromtheCortinabasin ence oftheBoiteandPiave,wassouthernextremityPievediCadore 992 metreshighonaribofMountZuccoabovetheTai saddleandtheconflu- The imposingconstructionbuiltbytheItalianEngineersbetween1883and1895, of thefort. emplacements wereenvisagedat1,000metres,andthentotheleft-handside 870 metresthatcanbetakenleadingtotheslopesofCiaupa,wheretwogun taken bythecarttrackiscentralone,butthereaforkatanaltitudeof north slopesofMountZucco,andhasanumbervariations.Theoriginalpath The finealmostentirelytarmacroadgoesthroughtheManzagowoodon THE FORTONCOLVACCHER camouflaged forsecurity. Guns onaplatformatColVaccher, thebackground

Teza Costapiana refuge,formerlyU.Ugolini. Musizza W. Antelao refugeatSellaPradònego. Cercenà. from Casera Mount Antelao South sideof the Crode diSanPietro(2,260 m)andthe areabetweenPian deiCavalli and Piandel- position atSanDionisio controlledthe southandwest slopesofMount Antelao, of SanDionisio, onMountColandneartheCostapiana andNantéshaybarns. The commanded by the gunsonMountRicco.There wereotherpositionsattheChurch and theslopesaround CalalzoandGrea,covered thespacesthatcouldnot be controlled thepointatwhich PiaveValley widenednearthemouthofVal d’Oten dominated thepositionsof troopsbelow. Specifically, thetwolowerpositions and twoonMountTranego. TheyallhadanextensiveviewoftheVal d’Otenand were intheareaofCimaCiaupa, atheightsofbetween1,354and1,577metres, at asuperficiallooktheroad: fouronthenorthandwestslope.Two could beplaced.Therewereeight mainartillerypositions,whicharerecognisableeven continual shortbranchesthatservedthevariousnaturalpositions inwhichagun cover andthatinthesectionbetweenMountTranego andSan Dionisiotherewere Important featuresallthewayalongroadwerethatitalways ascendedunder need. struction, whichwastoallowthecarriagewaybewidened promptlyincaseof number ofscarpsandcounterscarpsowingtotheveryconcept behinditscon- ration oftheAustrians,aboveallowingtoitssolidity, whichwasachievedbyalarge cially inthePozzale toMountTranego section,itearned theunconditionaladmi- field artillerytobequicklydeployedspecificallyprepared emplacements. Espe- Pieve diCadorefortificationsystem,providingseveralobservation postsandenabling ing northfromthetopofMountZucco(1,196m). Vissa withtheTai saddle,whiletheleft-handwallcoveredslopesdescend- wall coveredtheareasurroundingRioSeccoandslopesofNebbiù the RioVallesina andtheplainwithPianodiSottobarns.Theright-hand barns, whileontherightitcoveredrockyslopesoppositeconfluencewith left bankoftheBoiteitcoveredslopesandaccessroadstoCostapiana ing theBoitevalleyandroadfromValle totheLaPassage narrows.Onthe The fort’s characteristicwasthatitveryeffectivefromthefront,enfilad- the helpofmines. of thegorgecaponier, whichhadbeenexcavatedoutoftheliving rockwith cess tothecourtyardandmainammunitionstore,whichwasright openings inalldirections.Theditchwascrossedbyadrawbridgeprovidingac- the steeprockface,whilegorgewasdefendedbyatwo-storeycaponierwith At theshoulderdefendingrightwallwascornersemi-caponier, builton of thewall. six openingsintheformofmachicolationstohelpdefencebase the ditchinfrontandtoleftwasdefendedbyareverse-firecaponierwith wall andtherightofgorgewaspreventedbyamasonrycounterscarp,while as manymetresdeepwithamasonrycounterscarp.Accesstotheright-hand cluding thecoveredcaponier, therewasadefenceditchfivemetres wideand In frontoftheleft-handsidefort,asalsohalfwayalonggorge,in- its highestpoint. (45% gradient)walledintotheright-handpartandabout30metreshighat north inawallperpendicularlyabovesteephillside,withaninclinedscarp There wasaditchinfrontofthefort8to10 metreswide,whichendedtothe the fortorcrossanarmouredbridgethatwentpastcourtyardtoright. pants couldgettotheterrepleinandcrossroofofleft-handside

Musizza W. in front. tiny graveyard Damos witha Small churchof P

Istituto Geografico Militare - Aut. n. 6109 del 12.10.2005 who diedon Mount Pelmo in 1954. closed and unguarded)was dedicatedin 1974toTita Panciera, a mountainguide Near thepassa hutownedbythePievediCadore ItalianAlpineClub(which is steel pipeline. pass, betweenSan DionisioandMountTranego which heldwaterconveyedby a to buildalargecementtankwith acapacityof130cubicmetresattheAntracisa To obviatetheshortageofwater inthisarea,1911 theItalian Engineersbegan m) hadacapacityof35. in caseofneed,whileasmallarmy shelterinmasonryonMountTranego (1,849 with theCalvibarracksatTai di Cadore;thechurchcouldaccommodate12men There wasatelephonepostatthe littleChurchofSanDionisioincommunication ana and4to6onanaturalsurfaceattheNaitéshaybarns. pieces onanaturalsurfaceMountCol,4to6 surface atCostapi- to 16piecesoffieldartilleryonpartiallylevelledlandMount Tranego, 8to12 tillery positionsconsideredmostsuitable.TheAustriansplanned toputfrom12 event inaveryshorttime,andconstructsectionsofroad leadingtothear- sidering thatitwaseasytotowgunsthisroadovertheterrain quickly, orinany In theeventofwaradditionotherpositionstothesewas notruledout,con- (1 to 1,30hours). through thewood fromly paththatwinds theRualan under bridge Valle diCadore orgoupthelove- justbefore the thebigviaduct, to theright Alemagna off that turns towards godown Perarolo from Pieve diCadore andtake theroadTo getto Damos, lence andwonderful views. where there isnow onlysi- ion alsodescended forgoodover thisCadore belvedere, silence Then andobliv- in November 1917andthe Austrian rout year. thefollowing theItalian retreat bothintheconvulsive fighting stagesof of Damos wasattheheart war. onlyintheevent of to bearmouredbut wasdesigned andgarrisoned for6to 8fieldguns, positionwasbigenough The from the state highway. Alemagna off thatbranched a vehicular an8%gradient road with 1,250metres longand4metres wide It by wasserved Caralte. ontheriver’sand thesidevalleys leftbankandtheterrace of Piave the gorge theTai road, Mount Zucco, itcovered thesouthslopeof and 30wide, 80metres long Perarolo andCaralte: dominatingthewholearea of 801 metres high, positionwassetuphere, An artillery the pointatwhich theBoite flows into thePiave. thelargeopenspace thatov place becauseof thisrestful with to concern wasbeginning itself strategy military however, that time, At Queen Margherita’s walkswhenshewasonholiday inPerarolo in1881and1882. It wasrestored in1619andbecameafavourite spoton paintings. nineteenth century and andothereighteenth probably from theTolmezzo school, exquisitewith frescoes, Thepresent goesbackto structure andisdecorated thesixteenth century churches. oilto thisandto otherCadore a poundof to thelegacyof thatyear bearswitness ment of since adocu- cated to Saint Andrew in1348, Damos must already have hadachurch dedi- itsconvulsivewith hurly-burly. labour anddevotion thatisoutsidetheworld of aheritage a singularandtouching nucleus, theGreatdied during War) make upawhole, tower andthegraveyard itssoldierthat (with thebell Thechurch, caresupreme stilldevoted andtheevident to thetiny graveyard. thanksto stillliving thetidinessthatreigns welcomes andpride, usinallitsneatness it High uponahill, houses thatbelongedto acommunity thatdissolved lastcentury. ancient Sant’Andrea isleftto watch over thenumerous wallsof Only theChurch of When warbrokeout,itaccommodatedthe7 artillery, andwasthus mainlyusedasastorehouseandprisonduringthewar. tance andbecauseitsmasonryconstructionwasvulnerabletocontemporary low altitutude,becauseitsconspicuoustraverseswereveryvisiblefromadis- The fortwasalreadyobsoleteintheearlytwentiethcenturybecauseita tres. gunners andtherewasabigwaterreservoirwithcapacityof550cubicme- the garrisonconsistedhalfacompanyofFortressInfantryandfrom60to70 and from6to11 small-calibrepiecesflankingtheditch.Ineventofwar, The artilleryconsistedof8medium-and3small-calibrepiecesontheright space infrontoftheentranceuptoaheight800metres. road tothefortfromTai, whichcontinuedtoascendeastwardsfromtheopen inally, thegorgecoveredsameslopesandalso3-metrewide access D and theribdescendingfromCrodaCastellone(2,156m)toCol Maò(1,470 m). sive viewoverVal MaissimaandRioVallesina, dominatingtheslopesbeforethese la Regolettawiththeirnetworkoftracks.Theremainingpositions hadanexten- A the shouldertowersoversheerrockbeneath. diaeval hillcastle,especiallyatthepointwherecornersemi-caponier primacy overothercontemporarystructures,eventhrillingvisitorslikeame- trees, thestructurestillpreservesitstheatricalsizeintactandfullyshows earthwork ofthefaçadeandevenroofareobscuredbyadensecurtain with theremainsoftraversesandemplacements.Althoughmassive around theperimeternearwallsandstoptolookatgorgearea and almostburiedbyvegetation.Nevertheless,itisveryinterestingtowalk was usedforhomesandartworkshops,butnowitiscompletelyabandoned particularly thefront,byAustrianbombsinOctober1918. Formanyyearsit Abandoned bytheItaliansafterbeingonlypartiallyscuttled,itwasdamaged, nons andtwo1886Gardnermachine-guns. Company oftheVGroup9thFortressRegiment.Ithadfour149Gcan- bile Militia)VGroupHQandwasgarrisonedbyabout200menofthe13th M O S , T H E

V I L L A G E

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N O rokdtebo ftherocky spurabove erlooked thebrow of

th M Fortress ArtilleryRegiment(Mo- O Interior ofthechurchwithfinemosaics. R E eyseiltae nteesosa euto theGreat War. inthesespotsasaresult specialtraces very of love butare ableto beauty themountainsfortheirnatural pe andenthusiasts visitors whonotonly We find alargenumber of will opportunity andcultural hopethatthisnewhistorical interest historical access to andnearness othersites of easeof such significance, ashistorical ing somebasicfeatures inmind, T reduced peoplewith mobility. considering theneedsof able fully have difficulty been lengthsanddegrees of various of Itineraries know andlearn. ing usto observe, teach- thelandscape, of timeenhance thefascinationandbeauty thathave thepassingof struggle survived less monthsof end- 29seemingly events involvedthe backdrop andtragic to theterrible of Thetraces intheGreat War ontheDolomite front. thisproject thesplendidandenchanting isto places acquaint with thatwere thenewgenerations The fundamentalintention of Entrance andgorgeoftheColVaccher fort. Gino Frontali, This isto remember thatthewarisnotsomethinghasbeenfo theopposingarmies. thesoldiersof metres of more than theexistence atanaltitudeof realising thedifficultiesof andexperience lifeonthefrontaries lineatfirsthand, theCommittee's laboursare theguidesandleafletsthatgive everyone thechance to tackleeasyitiner- Theresults of Park". theareas intheMemorial Preservation andpromotion of Belluno. reg III A project "Great called War sites intheProvince of theItaly-Austria Inter- thework doneby theTechnical andScientificCommittee of of thepurpose asitstillis, This hasbeen, peace. warforpathsof Memories of venture. ad- to know butextraordinary thementhatlived thistragic notto forget, recordA historical to re-discover theMountains, war..." theneedsof fire enemy upunder tomeet opened routes are even theyoungest but even bythemostexpert, featsperformed see but individuals, of notonlyonthepart “…the Alps prodigies, see

Musizza W. "...it is not a parenthesis that we can hasten to close to go back to what wewere before..." togobackwhat saying toclose "...it isnotaparenthesis thatwecanhasten Improvised anti- Improvised aircraft position with a 75 mm gun. recruits soon turn into accomplished climbers. Some new mountain Somenew intoaccomplishedclimbers. turn soon recruits cieterltosi ewe a n aue which hasleft rceive therelationship between manandnature, loo i arl,paon n hl opne.And notdowe companies. platoonsandwhole bigpatrols, of also gte n ht ntewrso Surgeon Second-Lieutenant inthewords of rgotten andthat, rpsdfrvstn hs ie,sm fthemfullyrealis- of some thesesites, proposed for visiting he itineraries thatare suggestedhe itineraries have beenselected bear- C A Berti). (A. o o r d i n a t O i o r n g

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f i o n m a n m c i i t n t g e eral M. N. di Robilant). So a steady trickle of requisitions began that ended by weak- eral M. N. di Robilant). So a steady trickle of requisitions began that of General G. Ven- ening the entire structure, which was first under the command well as of strategic turini, reducing it to a bad condition of material efficiency as and tactical readiness. Commanded in the frantic days after Caporetto by General A. Marocco, the for- tified area was never given a clear and unequivocal function, and was aban- doned prematurely with limited damage to its structures, without having the chance to engage in any worthwhile artillery action before or during the desper- ate and spasmodic defence put up by the Italian troops in central Cadore and the Boite valley.

e b 2,000 o d i e s . Cover: MountTranego withthepeaksonothersideofPiaveseenfromSanDionisio. oriain OUIËMNAAAODN - COMUNITËVia IVNovembre, 2-32021Agordo(BL)Italia MONTANA AGORDINA Coordination: 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 LIST OFITINERARIES 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Zona monumentale dellaMarmolada Malga Ciapèla-OmbrettadiMarmolada aSerauta -Marmolada Museo storico Col DaDaut- Toront Cima Lana-AgaiePalla Cima Lana-CostoneCastelloSellaSief Variante ColdelaRoda Ciadinéi -SellaSief Da CimaLanaaiCiadiniéi Cima Sief-ColdiLana Sella Sief-Cima -SelladelSief Posizione “Edelweiss” Valle delleBaracche diMisurina Cristallino BosieMontePiana A. Rif. -MontePiana Misurina Giro delColdiMezzo Croda dell’Arghena aiPianidiLavaredo Quota “2385” Forcella Lavaredo MARMOLADA 18 17 20 19 e.0039043762390-Fax [email protected]. Eingriffe der Wiederinstandsetzung und Valorisierung in den Gebieten des Erinnerungsparks des Gebieten den in Valorisierung und Wiederinstandsetzung der Eingriffe The fort after it The fort after by was regained the Italians in 1918. 14 9 12 10 15 I LUOGHIDELLAGRANDEGUERRAINPROVINCIA DIBELLUNO 13 Interventi direcuperoInterventi evalorizzazione neiterritoridelParco dellaMemoria DIE ORTE DES ERSTEN WELTKRIEGES IN DER PROVINZ BELLUNO PROVINZ DER IN WELTKRIEGES ERSTEN DES ORTE DIE 11 16 40 Von derE.U.UnterstützesProjektMittelsEuropäischerWärungsfondszurRegionalenEntwicklung Project co-financedbytheEuropeanUnionthroughFoundforRegionalDevelopmen Gemeinschaftsinitiative InterregIIIAItalien-Österreich2000-2006-Projekt(Cod.VEN222001) AGORDO Progetto cofinanziatodall’UnioneEuropeamedianteFondoEuropeodiSviluppoRegionale Iniziativa ComunitariaInterregIIIAItalia-Austria2000-2006-Progetto(Cod.VEN222001) 39 Community InitiativeInterregIIIAItalia-Austria2000-2006-Project(Cod.VEN222001) GREAT WAR SITES IN THE PROVINCE OF BELLUNO OF PROVINCE THE IN SITES WAR GREAT Preservation and promotion of the areas in the Memorial Park Memorial the in areas the of promotion and Preservation CORTINA D’AMPEZZO 38 ZOLDO 37 36 34 8 33 7 PIEVE DICADORE 35 6 5 2 4 31 3 32 1 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 30 29 AURONZO DICADORE Batteria Listolade Batteria Tagliata diSanMartino Col deSaléra -MontePunta Spiz Zuel Col Pradamio Monte Rite Vodo -BeccodiCuzze (AccessoB) Vodo -BeccodiCuzze (AccessoA) Anna-LaGlories Col S. Piandell’Antro Forte Monte Tranego Col Forte Vaccher Castello Batteria MonteRicco Forte Anello deiColli Col Vidal P.so -ColAudoi Mauria Miaron P.so -M. Mauria Monte Tudaio Col Ciampon 27 28 25 26 22 21 23 24 direct the action of the guns of the fort at Mount Tudaio against forces coming from direct the action of the guns of the fort at Mount Tudaio Pradamio, chosen Carnia using the telephone and visual signalling, and one on Col The name adopt- for the construction of a position above the Longarone-Zoldo road. to indicate this defence system ed and usually employed throughout the First War Maè was the Cadore- and the direct control it exercised above all over Cadore and Val Maè fortifications. this defence system, with all its 73 officers, 4,000 When war broke out, however, troops and 92 guns and a substantial amount of reserves and munitions, proved use- less and incapable of favourably affecting the operations conducted on the front line by the Italian IV Army (commanded first by General L. Nava and then by Gen- DISTRIBUTED FREE OF CHARGE 10

A. Fornari 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 GREAT WAR SITESIN THE PROVINCE OFBELLUNO Preservation and promotion of the areas in the Memorial Park andpromotionoftheareasinMemorial Preservation The fort as it was The fort as it found by the Austrians in November 1917. History anddescriptionoftheGreatWar sites 15.2 15.1 SECONDA LINEAFORTI DELCENTRO CADORE MONTE TRANEGO FORTE COL VACCHER m 992) (m.

Musizza W. 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 of Engineers, but also of civilian contractors and labourers, the forts were designed of Engineers, but also of civilian contractors and labourers, the nickel steel cupo- to hold concrete batteries fitted with Armstrong model revolving and were virtual- las for 149 A guns, able to hit targets up to 14 kilometres away, ly resistant to any enemy attack. The garrisons of 300 to 500 men also had shel- ters, wells, equipment and provisions for months, so that they could operate even under completely adverse weather conditions. A complex and unusual system of fortifications thus came into being, including the old installations of Pieve, soon downgraded to serve as stores and prisons, and the new high-level forts, with two distant outposts: one was established on Mount Miaron, above the Mauria pass, where a sighting post was constructed that could cial resourcesthatwouldhavebeenneededtoupdateandrebuildthem. after the pletion coincidedwiththeprofoundmoralandeconomiccrisisthatafflictedItaly siege warfarethatweremadeinEuropeattheendofcentury, andtheircom- ended byverysoonbecomingobsoleteinthelightofsubstantialadvances cording toalmostmediaevalcriteria(ditch,drawbridge,machicolations,etc.),they out inthewoods,toprovideaproperprotectionforguns.Constructedac- ing heightsandunable,withtheirhollowtraversesthatcouldeasilybepicked The works,however, wereinordinarymasonry, easilydominatedfromthesurround- towards Verona. have beenfatallyexposedtoanoutflankingmanoeuvreafteranyAustrianadvance some impedimenttoanyItalianoffensiveinFriuliandontheIsonzo,whichwould cut offthewedgeofTrento territorythat,since1866,hadconstitutedatrouble- (Fortezza). Theideawastocarryoutarapidbreakthroughthewestinorder of Pieve,inwhichanarmycorpscouldeasilygetreadytoheadforFranzenfeste counter-offensive, asitwasdevotedtothesafeguardingofaprotectedarea,that The maintaskofthissystemwasnotsolelydefensive;italsointendedtobe gin whohadfledtoItalyfromPola in1882. Ivanoff (1851-1917), asingularfigure,patriotandanengineerofRussianori- valley. Thegreaterpart ofthissystemwascompletedunderthedirectionsG. vast andcomplex,turnedthemouthsofitsfourtoeightcannonstowardsBoite against DomeggeandthefurtherbankofPiave,fortonColVaccher, very the fortsofBatteriaCastelloandMountRiccopointedtheirmedium-calibreguns wards, servedbythefineVenas-Col Sant’Anna-Col Pecolines militaryroad.While Pecolines (1,449m)andColVidal(1,459m),wastheextremedefencelinewest- in thedirectionofLaPassage, whosemainsummitsareColMaò(1,470 m),Col The ribextendingfurthersouthfromthesouthernfoothillsofAntelaogroup wards towardstheMolinaandPiavesouthwardsBoite. San Dionisio(1,946m),whichenclosedalongsaddleslopingdownnorth-east- fortifications. Thisbastion’s culminatingpointsareMountTranego (1,849m)and of theeastslopesMountAntelao,laiddowntoassistinprotection ana-San DionisioandSant’Anna-Col Maò)infunctionofthestrategicimportance with awholeseriesofaccessandringroads(Pozzale-Mount Tranego, Costapi- ColVaccher nearPieveandTai diCadore, and forts ofBatteriaCastello,MountRicco system knownasthePievediCadorefortificationswascompleted,including through towardsLongaroneandBelluno.Between18821896,accordingly, the from thecentreofCadoreandVal Ansieibeforetheycouldeasilybreakthrough near PievediCadoreandTai diCadore,inordertocontainenemypenetrationsboth Afterwards, inaround1880,itwasdecidedtodesignthebarrierfurtherback, ments convergedfromVal AnsieiandComelico. to controlthecrucialjunctionofTreponti, onwhichallsupposedenemymove- emplacements wereconstructed,withanaccessroadtothefortgorge,trained Cadore (ColPiccolo,ColTagliardo, ColRiveandCiampon),wherefieldgun The firstareaselectedtohaltanenemyadvancewasthatofthehillsVigodi was borneoutbytheheroicstandorganisedP.F. Calviin1848. allowing centralCadoreanditsmaintown,Pieve,toresistanenemyoffensive.This ered theVenas andLozzopassagesastwodefencebulwarksthatwerecapableof tion, becauseinpreviouscenturiestheMostSereneRepublicofVenice consid- the Austrians.Thedefenceconceptwasessentiallybasedonamediaevaltradi- of GeneralsPianellandCosenz,intensiveworkstartedonfortifyingCadoreagainst After theannexationofVenice totheKingdomofItaly, mainly ontheinitiative THE PIEVEDICADOREFORTIFICATIONS GENERAL INFORMATION débacle Austrian the drawing of fort on Col from Vaccher the north. at Aduain1896;theinstallationsweredeprivedoffinan- (higher works) on Mount Tudaio, Col Vidal and (higher works) on Mount Tudaio, CONTINUE opere alte (lower works) on Col Piccolo near Vigo and on Pian dell’Antro opere basse It was not until 1904, when more funds arrived and new strategic studies flour- It was not until 1904, when more funds arrived and new strategic defence con- strategic ished, that Cadore again came to the foreground in Italy’s some posi- cept. After long technical diatribes among the top army commands, tions that were of particular importance for the control of the communications be- low them were selected. Some strong armoured forts were thus constructed, specif- ically two and three near Venas, Mount Rite. These constructions complied with the theory of armoured forts that then held sway in Europe, supported in Italy by General E. Rocchi; often served by boldly conceived and costly access roads, the fruit of the labours of thousands