The "White War", among the trenches

Up in the sky, with the snow, to defend lands and houses. The battles on the western Alpine peaks of the Italian-Habsburg front, the line with highest conflicts during the  '15 -18 war, are known as the White War. A portion of trenches, walkways and assaults so rough to be distinct, even in the name, from the bloodiest and different front, along the eastern line of the Carso and Isonzo.

Since May 24th, 1915, the date of Italy's entry into the war, until November 4th, 1918, on the mountains of Valtellina and Val Camonica the soldiers fought at altitudes even higher than three thousand meters.

The goal was to dominate the Tonale and Stelvio mountain passes, with the opening of passages towards the Po Valley or on the other front of Tyrol.

Today, 1,500 objects recovered from the trenches and from the melting glaciers tell terrible and epic days. Remains of mess tins, uniforms, photographs, letters, weapons and guns carried by the soldiers, forced to climb the rock walls.

They are all displayed in the White War Museum opened in Temù, a mountain village of Alta Val Camonica (Brescia), a few kilometers downstream of the Tonale mountain pass.

Founded on the initiative of a group of volunteers coordinated by Sperandio Zani, a former soldier, the museum now is a permanent center for study and documentation of the Great War in Lombardy, as well as a Research Institute for the protection and enhancement of historic and military heritage .

To commemorate the centenary of the war, also in collaboration with the Stelvio National Park are organized excursions to the fighting places, to discovery what the White War represented.

To mark on the calendar:

- Sunday, August 2nd a climb on the Western Mount Tonale. On August 3rd, a walk in the area of the Stelvio Pass, between Scorluzzo and the military village of  Filon del Mot.

- Sunday, August 23th a walk is scheduled on the paths of the Prà dell’Orto, to commemorate the battle of August 25th, 1915, marked by the Italian attack on the crest of Castellaccio-Lagoscuro.

- On August 24th it is the turn of the trek to Bocchetta Val Massa; the 25th to the third and fourth Cantoniera passing through Bocchetta Forcola, August 27th we will go on the trail of the Monte Gavia.

INFO:

www.museoguerrabianca.it
www.stelviopark.it
www.adamelloski.com