The Buso del Sojo (in Venetian dialect) or Buco del Soglio (in Italian) is a spectacular cave that extends into the bowels of the mountain of the same name, piercing it from side to side, with a main branch that is almost straight and horizontal. You descend into the tunnel via a metal ladder and some steps carved into the rock: the tunnel extends for almost 500 meters, in total darkness, wide enough to be walked through standing up, until the opening on the steep opposite side of the large rocky spur. About halfway along the route, a pair of lateral branches intersect with opposite directions: one leads to a slit that looks towards Monte di Malo, the other continues towards the inside of Monte Soglio, becoming increasingly narrower. To exit, you have to retrace your steps. According to speleologists, this cave is probably connected to the famous and underlying Buso della Rana, but the passages are blocked by landslides: after all, the entire area above Monte di Malo is a Gruyere of karst cavities.
During the First World War, after the Strafexpedition of 1916, the cavity was used and profoundly modified by the Italians for military needs, like many natural inlets present on the Faedo-Casaron plateau: it was part of the defensive complex of the Ortogonale 1, the long fortified line that started from Campogrosso and reached Vicenza, along the ridge watershed between the Agno and Leogra Valleys, to defend the Po Valley. The main gallery was enlarged, as evidenced by the holes of the pneumatic hammers, and several slits were opened as observation posts and positions for light weapons, to control the possible enemy advance in the lower Val Leogra.
The Buso del Sojo is truly impressive and anxiety-inducing, but electrifying and fascinating! Despite the easy access and easy walkability, it is still a cave, that is, an environment to be approached with due caution and awareness. Not recommended for those who are afraid of the dark, narrow spaces and creatures of the darkness: on the walls, in the first few meters you will encounter spiders and crickets, annoyed and agitated by the light, while proceeding you will find numerous bats hanging from the ceiling.
Emotional and explanatory video on the path to be taken (with the kind permission of the author Giuliano Benetti):
Translated by Google •
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