The Great War: a tour in history

To remind the Centenary of the First World War, the regions of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy and the autonomous provinces of Trento and Bolzano are engaged in the recovery of places involved by the terrible conflict.

The goal is to promote and value the many military paths, transforming them in itineraries for trekking of peace, opened also to mountain bikers.

This cultural project - that involves mountain communities, cities and Great War’s museums - as well as keeping historical memory alive, it invites to discover unusual and amazing landscapes, surrounded by pinnacles, defense lines and communication trenches among valleys and mountains. 

The calendar of the Centenary is already full of appointments; however, is also scheduled a big list of itineraries and tours to visit this ancient theater of history.

The sceneries are those of the Northeast of Italy: from Veneto to Friuli Venezia Giulia, from Lombardy to Alto Adige, until the Austrian border with a passage in Slovenia.

To have an idea, there are paths in Veneto, along the Piave river and on the Asiago Plateau, that bear the scar of the biggest battle of the Italian front. You cannot lose the ‘Ecomuseum’ of Monte Zebio with trenches, cannons and tunnels - to reach in one hour walk - along a white dirt road, among fir and beech forests.

From Asiago, the itinerary continues among mountain pastures, historical areas and breathtaking views.

In addition, the itineraries of Trentino can give great emotions on the plateaus of Folgaria, Lavarone and Luserna that, during those years, were the Austrian frontline.

The Austro-Hungarian front of Gschwent-Belvedere, in Lavarone, is the only one in this area that remained intact, that’s why almost all the others have been demolished to recover the iron.

Instead, many are the mountain communication trenches made available to excursionists and mountain bikers. Do not forget to put in your agenda a visit into the Rovereto castle, with its war museum, one of the richest in evidences in Italy.

Great is also the offer of Alto Adige, where the memory is combined with trekking at altitude and spectacular via ferratas. Here, if you want to live a breathtaking adventure, there are the tunnels of ‘Lagazuoi’, that have been built by Italian ‘Alpini’ inside the mountain with the aim to fill them up with explosive and smite the enemy.

In Friuli Venezia Giulia took place the highest number of battles: a sad record. Today, you can discover the many trenches dug into the Carso plateau, on the ridges of Giulie Pre-Alps, among the peaks of Giulie Alps and Carniche Alps and above the Ermada, San Michele, Calvario and Sabotino mountains.

If you choose to do a via ferrata, you can always find small forts and military shelters.

In Gorizia, which became an Italian city in 1916, is located the ‘Museum of the Great War’, the most complete in evidences and documents. In addition, there is the memorial monument of ‘Redipuglia’ and, between Castelnuovo and Sagrado villages, the battlefields of many Italian soldiers, such as the poet Giuseppe Ungaretti, who reminded the war and his life at the front in many poems.

For nature and history enthusiasts, during the Centenary of the Great War there will be a lot of interesting events and organized tours that you will find on the official website. All together with maps, tour packages and special offers.

INFO:
www.itinerarigrandeguerra.it