Monte Grappa and the Great War

Route details Recommended period Spring, Summer, Autumn Phone+39 348 3427074

Useful advice: Travelling by car or, for the fittest, by mountain or road bike

Monte Grappa, the highest peak of the massif that bears its name in the Alpine foothills of Veneto, is divided between the provinces of Vicenza, Treviso and Belluno and rises between the Brenta and Piave river valleys.

In collective memory, this mountain is linked with the events of the two world wars. Especially during the First World War, after the disastrous defeat at Caporetto, the peak became one of the main Italian defensive points and remained impregnable until final victory in October 1918.

A classic path of discovery of that last, tragic year of war is on the Cadorna Road, named after the general who ordered its construction in 1916. From Romano d'Ezzelino, five kilometres from Bassano del Grappa, the road leads to the summit of the massif. Atop the Grappa there is convenient parking for visits to the Historical Museum of the 1915-1918 War, housed in the former Milano Army Base. It holds documents, photos, weapons and memorabilia from the war. Alongside the museum is the entrance to the "Vittorio Emanuele" tunnel, built in 1917. The ambitious fortification comprises more than one kilometer (but, considering the ramifications, actually includes five) built into the rock below the ridge of Cima Grappa.

Continuing along the Cadorna Road you come across the imposing and severe form of the Cima Grappa Shrine which houses the remains of tens of thousands of Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers who fell in battle on this mountain.

 


Do not miss the Observatory built on top of the Portale Roma. Access is via an internal stairway; you can observe the vast surrounding panorama and identify the points of greatest historical interest using the bronze planimetry.