19.1 Spiz Zuel 19.2 Col De Salèra

mule trackwith steep sections. Aminimum degree of physical fitness isrequired. The section inthewood iseasy, firstalonga road,thenfrom Lariet(1,300m) upa Torrani refuge (2,984m)onMount Civetta. from which you canwalk to the (1,784m), sadora heading towards SpizZuel butalsoforCol dellaBe- you are It isanideal place from to notonlyif start a narrow butexcellent through thewoods. track cart It isaccessible by carfrom Chiesaalong cellent cheese. foritsex- inthesummerandisknown iday services cottage hol- (1,627m)offersfarm This beautifuldairy the1900s. of thegreatest warphotographers ered oneof hecanbeconsid- war, of works andhuman butalsothecivilian aspects gineering which herecorded theenthusiasm andskillwith en- notonlymilitary of By virtue studies. andurban archaeology works onhistory, portant andmonuments over buildings all Italy andwrote im- churches, he alsodesigned Piacenza andTripoli), Belluno, town plans(Pisa, upanumberBesides drawing of architects. Milan urban an associationof isti Milanesi, Urban- foundedtheClubdegli and fined asNeo-Classical Lombardy architecture, takinghisplace inaschool de- ing onmany Ottavio Cabiati, hisfriend projects with work- thegreatest Italian architects, hemadehisnameasoneof Discharged in1919, on the atNervesa.Villa bridge Berti moted to Captainin1918andworked onMontello and hewaspro- After theretreat thatfollowed Caporetto, lao-Forcella Grande-Forcella Piccola front line. the Ante- theCuzze-Cancia-Falde sectionof of ration fice atSan Vito role intheprepa- andhadanimportant works of- to theengineering In 1917hewastransferred Mount Punta. SpizZuel and road andonthecavern emplacements of on theForno diZoldo- Cibiana pass Col Baionroad, on theForno diZoldo- vehicularChiesa Duran road, He worked ontheDont- Cadore-Maè fortifications. the May HQof 1916andwasposted to theEngineering hewasappointed Lieutenant in typhoid, an attackof Afterfrom recovering to Mount Digonera Toppa. from theroad working ontheconstruction of HQ, Engineers From the9th with Army 1916heserved January Corps roads in military Val Boite and Val Maè. anumber of of fice atBell responsible forfortifications ond Lieutenant intheItalian inMarch Engineers to theof- 1915andwasassigned He wasappointed Sec- and received adiplomafrom the Accademia diBrera in1913. theMilan Polytechnic graduated in1912 1889, classof Alberto Alpago Novello, C A L A when visitingthetunnelsandsearchingfortrenchesobservationposts. The walkalongthemilitarytrackuptotopiseasy. Somecare is required DEGREE OFDIFFICULTY the tunnelsattop. 5-6 hours,dependingonhowlongyouwishtospendvisitingtheblockhouseand DURATION About 400metres DIFFERENCE INHEIGHT cially ofMountsPelmo andCivetta.Rendezvous:CaseradellaGrava(1,627m). positions onthelongridge.TheviewofDolomitesistrulyspectacular, espe- to ColdellaBissa(1,897m),thenSpizZuel(2,033m)withthetunnelsand tinue onfootalongthemilitarycarttrackmarkedroute584,whichfirstgoesup do area.FromChiesayoucangettotheGravadairycottagebycar;thencon- defence thatconnectedthemilitaryinstallationsinCadorewiththoseAgor- This itinerarywillletyouseeaninterestingsectionoftheItalian“yellowline” DESCRIPTION OFTHEROUTE 19.1 DEGREE OFDIFFICULTY 3-4 hourstoM.Punta dependinghowmuchtimeyou wanttodevotevisitingthesites. DURATION About 600metrestoColdeSalera, about900mtoM.Punta. DIFFERENCE INHEIGHT (1,464 m).Rendezvous:Casal(1,026 m)orColdiAstragal(1,069m). sadaz. FromColdeSalèrayoucan alsodescendtoCostadirectlyviaMasdiSabe m), fromwhereyoucangodown toLaForzèla(1,723m)andalsoCostaBru- m). Fromhereyoucanproceedalonganeasypath(route499)toMount Punta(1,952 same numberontheeasternsideofVal Visia,untilyougettoColdeSalera(1,629 along theroadthatmeetsroute492,whichrisesfromColandcontinues withthe di SerlaintheBoitevalley. FromCasal (1,050m)youcarryontowardsthewest er bankoftheMaè,connectedSpizZueltodefencesBeccodi CuzzeandCrepe do valleythat,togetherwithColBaion,situatedmoretowardsthe southontheoth- This visitgivesyoutheopportunityofseeingonefortified worksoftheZol- DESCRIPTION OFTHEROUTE 19.2 P S A E G R O A

COL DESALéRA-MONTEPUNTA SPIZ ZUEL D N E O L V L E A L

G L O R A V A n,where heworked ontheconstruction uno, in Cancia,September1917. Lieutenant AlpagoNovello THE SPIZZUELDEFENCES Tight bends ataconstant gradient takeyou upalong the ridge ofColde Salera marked the roadverge. Amid the treerootsyou willbeableto makeoutthe patternofthe blocksthat itary road.Half-hidden intheundergrowth are skilfullybuiltdry-stonewalls. Club route492) thatentersthewood,occupying anarrowstripoftheold mil- Before reaching thetopofhill,road becomes afootpath(ItalianAlpine surface youwillseeareasof pavingstonesthatwerethemilitaryroad-bed. Val deVisiatoclimbtowardsColLariet(1,304m),and ifyoulookattheroad Outside thehamletofCasal pathreachesawhiteroadthatpassesthrough tation. supporting stonework,andbeeches liningthewayinterspersedwithlushvege- The path,whichisbroadandfollowsthebankofElGaf stream,hasmuch village ofCasal. to connectthehamletsofCalcheraandCella,youreach the outskirtsof itaniato, whichistodaytheCiòdomuseum.Following oldroadthatused Col deSalerastartsinthecentreofFornodiZoldonear old Palazzo del Cap- The routeleadinguptothepeakofMountPuntaalong ridgeofLariétand COL DESALERAANDMOUNTPUNTA natural completionofthemilitaryroad.Itwastoservepositionsin the southernslope,whichisreverseoffortifiedposition,constituting wards towardsFusine.Acommunicationmuletrackgoesalongtheridgeon shown tohaveaheightof1,984onsomemapsandisslightlyfurthereast- 2,038 m)andconstitutetheSpizdel’Agnelessa proper, whereasSpizZuelis larches. Two humpsbreaktheuniformityoftop(altitudes2,035mand at rightanglestothevalleybelow, andiscoveredbySwissmountain pinesand The summitofthemountainconsistsaridgeabout500metreslong,almost basin, cattleusethefountainregularlyasatrough. the largefountainataltitudeof1,930metresisstillinplace.Asithasa gradient of10%. Theentireroadisperfectlypavedwithcobblestonesandeven of LieutenantAlbertoAlpagoNovellowithawidth2metresandanaverage cal originalcharacteristicsofamilitaryroad,builtin1916 underthesupervision The roadleadingtotheCaseradellaGravaatpeakhaspreservedtypi- Nord diSanSebastianoandSpizMezzodìtothesouth. panoramic viewextendingtoCivettaandPelmo tothenorthandtowardsCima docile herdsofcowsandhorses.Withitsheight2,033metresitoffersa right oftheMaè,tonorthwestFornodiZoldo.Today itisstillhometo Spiz Zuel(orColdel’Agnelessa) isasingularandisolatedhillthatrisestothe on theroadtoSpizZuel,1916. Workers andbearersattheGravegrazinghut 29 November1916. tunnel onSpizZuel, Entrance tothefirst Spiz Zuel,thefirsthairpinbendsonmilitaryroad. what works toconstruct. Accordingly, inJuly 1916 aplan (onwhich Lieutenant ered, together withpanoramic views, sothatadecision couldbe takenasto After the firstinspections in1915, allthephotographs ofthe siteweregath- Italian “yellow line” betweenthefortifications inCadoreandtheAgordo area. albeit belatedly, whentherewere concerns aboutthelackofcontinuity inthe the Staulanzapassandindeed itwastheobjectofItalianstrategicinterest, the timebecausefromhereCol diLanaandMontePore couldbeseen through Mount Punta(1,629m),located betweenDontandZoppé,wasimportantat among thepeaksofVal di Zoldopeaks. and anobservationpostthat affordsstunningviewsfromacentralposition the peakofMountPunta,where therearestillfurrowsfromvarioustrenches while thevegetationbeginstothinout(route499).Nowyou willsoongetto After thetunnelentranceascenttowardsbecomessteeper andmoreexposed ing theGreatWar. trance totheColdeSaleratunnel,whichwasduginto stonehillsidedur- posts. Andinfactontheleftafewmetresafteronesuch clearingistheen- level clearingsonthesidesofpath,whichwereonce used asobservation (1,629 m)amidfirsandlarches.Thickervegetationoccasionally thinsinto 30-metre excavation. and 1,970 metres.Abouthalfwayalong,thetwotunnelswereconnectedbya 35 metrestowardsthewestandthenbenteasttotwoothercavernsat1,976 1,979 metresabovesealevel.Thesecondtunnel,whichcurvesmore,headed es thatledtoemplacementsformedium-calibrecannonsat1,983metresand east forabout60metres,bendingleftandseparatingintotwodifferentbranch- The firsttunnel(tothewest)wentstraightintorockandheadednorth- nizable. construction designedtohousethegeneratorusedfordrillsarestillrecog- titude of1,981 metresandtheotherat1,977metres.Thefoundationsof ly reachedfromthemuletrackthathasalreadybeenmentioned,oneatanal- the ridgewithanoveralllengthof340metres,whosetwoentrancesareeasi- Lieutenant AlpagoNovellodesignedandbuiltacomplexsystemoftunnelson di SopraandSottobelow. embarks onthedescenttoColCampioi(1,804m)andchaletsofCanazze termination oftheterracebeforepath,nearremainsablockhouse, looking moreancientandbearingadramaticallysufferingChrist,areperfect cifixes atheightof1,984m,notveryfarfromeachother, the westernone counterscarp wallsthatwerejuststartedornotevenbuilt.Two beautifulcru- tunnel butappearsonlytohavebeenroughlyoutlined,withmanyscarpand Salera toMountPunta. the roadfromColde Foundation wallfor background. massif inthe with theCivetta Towards Punta of MountPunta. from thesummit Col DuroandRite Small blockhouse,SpizZuel1916. in acavernonthetopofmountain. Alberto AlpagoNovelloworked)waspreparedtosetupan artilleryposition Istituto Geografico Militare - Aut. n. 6109 del 12.10.2005 back downthe way youcame by route 492. Mas di Sabe, withits typicalZoldo valley barn;from ColdeSalera yougo an unsurfaced track, partly alongroute 492,passes throughthe hamletof following aloop thattakesyoubacktoCol de Salera:thisroute,partlyalong Zoldo Alto; ing north-easttoreachZoppè diCadoreorwesttothehamletofCosta carrying onalongthecrestof PuntatoLaForzèla(1,723m),andthenhead- retracing yoursteps; There arevariousoptionsfor the returnjourneytovalleyfloor: altitude was1,592m. The emplacementswereintended tobe4.5mbyand3.5high,the The ColdeSaleratunnelswereabout170 mlong,3-3.5wideand3high. and west-north-west,namelydirectedagainstmovementsfrom Staulanza.. dimensions, thesecavernsprobablyhoused149mmcannons trained north-west sections eachabout70 m long leadingtothetwoemplacements.Giventheir There isoneentrancetothetunnel,which,afterabout30m, branchesintotwo roads forFornesighe andtheCibiana pass. Forno diZoldo andthecross- thecentre of also controlled thePasso road, Duran Thethree 149 A cannons 1915. placements ontheothersideinautumnof thearmoured tunnelthatwent through to thegunem- there atallof isnosign but thehillcanbarely bemadeout, Now positionsontop thethree of original Col Cerver. used by populationof thesmall which is now road wasalsobuiltto thebattery, serve Amilitary Staulanza pass. thesedefences wasto counter enemy movements from the The objective of which wasintended to operate incombinatio Forno diZoldo) to thenorth, Col (ahamletof Cerver mands thesettlementof positionwassetuponthelow hill(1,358m)thatcom- A medium-calibre artillery beautifulhay thatseemto barns befrozen intime. and above a group of all family,almost patrician an the ancientresidence of and boastsasmallchurch, however, itsown, of charm It hasa sparsely inhabited. andisvery Forno diZoldo, south-west of Pralongo, metres isaccessible from 1,221 lage atanaltitudeof This picturesque littlevil- the smallerblockhouse. the road,secondisabout50metreswestoffountain,overlookedby workers andmaterials.Thefirstisabout100 metresbeforethefountainabove Also stillvisibletodayaretwoclearingswheretherewerehutsforsoldiers, sea level. fence trenchesonthesummitridgebetween1,990and1,984metresabove and counterscarpwallsservedemplacementsformedium-calibregunsde- way, severalmetresofwhichcanstillbeexplored.Various pathswithdryscarp was builtfromlargeassembledtree-trunks,therearservedbyacoveredwalk- 1,985 metres,risesapinnacleofrockonwhichanother, smallerblockhouse walls) ofablockhouse/observationpost.Notveryfaraway, atanaltitudeof la BissaanddominatingtheentireZoldovalley, thereremaintraces(dried At analtitudeofabout1,980metres,onanaturalledgeoverlookingColde come upagainstablockagecausedbyfallenrocks. collapse oftheroof,about25metressecondcanbeexploredbeforeyou While onlythefirstfewmetresoftunnelareaccessibleowingto movements fromCadorethroughPiandiRitornoandtheChiandoladapass. the roadfromStaulanzapasstoPecol diZoldo.Thefourthcommanded on theColdaiandAlleghepasses,whilesecondthirdpointedtowards The firstcavernemplacementwasdesignedforamedium-calibrecannontrained C C O O L L

B C A E R I O V N E R Alberto AlpagoNovello. Spiz Zueltunnelmapdrawnbyarchitect n with the positionsonCol deSalèra. n with 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 Fountain builtbysoldiersin1917 alongtheroadtoSpizZuel. 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

De Donà G. "...it is not a parenthesis that we can hasten to close to go back to what wewere before..." togobackwhat saying toclose "...it isnotaparenthesis thatwecanhasten 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 pass road, which had in fact been postponed for many years for strategic reasons, pass road, which had in fact been postponed for many years for authorities. but was finally approved in 1906 at the insistence of the civilian g e Women bearers on the Spiz Zuel road, 18 April 1917. Women as was borne out by the The line was still far from completed by October 1917, frantic works that were in full progress on Spiz Zuel and Col Baion when the first signs appeared that the Italian front on the Isonzo was giving way. In any event, the whole system of the Cadore-Maè fortifications and the Cordevole barrier was never given a clear and unequivocal function, and was prematurely aban- doned without being able to provide adequate support to the frantic defensive ef- forts made by the Italian troops retreating along the Boite, Cordevole and Maè.

e b 2,000 o d i e s . Cover: Pelmo fromMonte Punta. 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 Entrance to the Entrance to Col de Salera tunnel on the road for Mount Punta. 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 Alfarè I. Alfarè 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 firmation of the great importance of the Cadore and Zoldo roads, which passed firmation of the great importance of the Cadore and Zoldo in fact, were thor- through the Cibiana and Chiandolada passes. These two routes, oughly investigated by Austrian intelligence well before the war began, because they provided an opportunity easily to outflank the Italian defences in the Pieve di Cadore entrenchments in preparation for an attack against Zoldo. Hence the decision to fortify Spiz Zuel, Col di Salèra and Col Baion, with positions and blockhouses conceived to act in combination above all with the fort on Mount Rite, cutting off any outflanking movements that the enemy might consider and to some extent reducing the uncertainty caused by the opening of the new Staulanza 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 Fork for the first Fork for the and second cavern, first tunnel. 28 March 1917, labourers at work. History anddescriptionoftheGreatWar sites

19.2 19.1 SECONDA LINEAMONTERITE-VALLE IMPERINA Alpago Novello Alpago COL DESALéRA-MONTEPUNTA SPIZ ZUEL 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 Early on and until about 1910, acting on the assumption that the positions at the Early on and until about 1910, (3,168 Mount Pelmo head of the valley between the Coldai massif (2,396 m) and m) had been cho- Col Pradamo (1,117 m) did not constitute a very effective barrier, because it commanded the vehicular road be- sen as the site of a strong battery, low and it was considered that guns placed here could close off the Forno di Zoldo basin from below: it was here that all movements from the Boite, Fiorentina and Cordevole valleys converged. The construction of the massive armoured fortifica- made it necessary however, tion on the Cibiana pass (2,183 m), completed in 1915, for other complementary defences to be built on the nearby summits: this was con- up to14kilometresawayandwerevirtuallyresistantanyenemyattack. Armstrong modelrevolvingnickelsteelcupolasfor149Aguns,abletohittargets tractors andlabourers,theyweredesignedtoholdconcretebatteriesfittedwith roads, thefruitoflaboursthousandsEngineers,butalsociviliancon- in ItalybyGeneralE.Rocchi;oftenservedboldlyconceivedandcostlyaccess plied withthetheoryofarmouredfortsthatthenheldswayinEurope,supported (higher works)onMountTudaio, ColVidalandMountRite.Theseconstructionscom- on ColPiccolonearVigoandPiandell’Antro nearVenas, andthree Cuzze, aboveVodo diCadore,supportedbyroads,observationpostsandshelters, On theeasternbankofBoite,positionsCrepediSerlaandBecco was tohaveensuredthattheentireItaliandefencestructureimpregnable. mo, andnaturallysupportedbyotherworksinthesefortifications,thissystem namely thelineoflastresistance.StretchingfromMountAntelaotoPel- es, positionsandroadswasconstructed,onthebasisof“yellowline”theory, or tothewar, andthenwhileitwasbeingwaged,animposingsystemoftrench- aimed atZoldoandtheMaèvalley. Particularly duringtheyearsimmediatelypri- might attemptattheVenas passagethroughtheCibianaorChiandoladapasses Italian defencesfromanyoutflankingmovementsenemycolumnsCortina porting worksandringroads,hadthepurpose,amongothers,ofprotecting In theBoitevalley, thefortsofPiandell’Antro andMountRite,withalltheirsup- moured positionswerethusconstructed,specificallytwo for thecontrolofcommunicationsbelowthemwereselected.Somestrongar- and EngineeringInspectorates,somepositionsthatwereofparticularimportance War Spingardi,ChiefofStaffPollio, theEasternMilitaryTheatreand theArtillery cept. AfterlongtechnicaldiatribesamongH.R.H.theDukeofAosta,Minister ished, thatCadoreagaincametotheforegroundinItaly’s strategicdefencecon- It wasnotuntil1904,whenmorefundsarrivedandnewstrategicstudiesflour- ing heights,theysoonbecameobsolete. (moats, drawbridges,machicolations,etc.)and,beingoverlookedfromthesurround- The works,however, wereinordinarymasonry, builtalmosttomediaevalstandards an advancetowardsVerona andLakeGarda. have beenfatallyexposedtoanobviousoutflankingmanoeuvreafteranyAustri- some impedimenttoanyItalianoffensiveinFriuliandontheIsonzo,whichwould cut offthewedgeofTrento territorythat,since1866,hadconstitutedatrouble- (Fortezza). Theideawastocarryoutarapidbreakthroughthewestinorder of Pieve,inwhichanarmycorpscouldeasilygetreadytoheadforFranzenfeste counter-offensive, asitwasdevotedtothesafeguardingofaprotectedarea,that The maintaskofthissystemwasnotsolelydefensive;italsointendedtobe cannons towardstheBoitevalley. on ColVaccher, veryvastandcomplex,turnedthemouthsofitsfourtoeight medium-calibre gunsagainstDomeggeandthefurtherbankofPiave,fort zo dairyfarm.WhilethefortsofBatteriaCastelloandMountRiccopointedtheir and themountainrefugesonPiandeiBuoiVal Inferna,neartheCaseraRaz- roads (Pozzale-Mount Tranego, Costapiana-SanDionisioandSant’Anna-Col Maò) Col Vaccher nearPieveandTai diCadore,withawholeseriesofaccessandring and tifications wascompleted,includingthefortsofBatteriaCastello,MountRicco Between 1882and1896,accordingly, thesystemknownasPievediCadorefor- easily breakthroughtowardsLongaroneandBelluno. etrations bothfromcentralCadoreandtheBoiteValley beforetheycould fence strategistsconceivedamightysystemoffortificationstocounterenemypen- At theendofnineteenthcentury, nearPieveandTai diCadore,Italiande- THE GENERAL INFORMATION CADORE-MAÈ Crucifix at the small blockhouse with in the Pelmo background. FORTIFICATIONS ANDTHEZOLDOAREA opere basse CONTINUE (lower works)

opere alte De Donà G. Donà De were mainly intended to connect the fortifications on Mount Rite, Col Vidal, Pi- were mainly intended to connect the fortifications on Mount particularly Spiz Zuel with those in the Zoldo area, and Mount Tudaio an dell’Antro (or Agnelessa, 2,033 m), Col de Salèra (1,629 m) and Col Baion (1,358 m). With further works on the Col dei Ciot saddle, the Moschesin pass, the Folega pass, Mount Celo and Col Pradamo, the Italians tried to create a kind of defensive ax- is between the Boite valley and Zoldo to connect the military installations in Cadore with those in the Agordo area (the San Martino roadblock and the Listolade battery in the Cordevole valley and the Col Piagher battery north-east of the Cere- da pass).