Austro-Hungarian artillery emplacement from World War I, dug into the rock.
With the great Spring Offensive of 1916—nicknamed the 'Strafexpedition,' or Punitive Expedition—the Imperial Army aimed to break through the Italian barrier and invade the Po Valley through the valleys of the Vicenza Prealps. Obviously, the first prerequisite for this plan to be feasible was to dominate the surrounding peaks that controlled the access routes below, driving out the enemy. On May 21, 1916, Austro-Hungarian troops passed through an empty and desolate Tonezza: the inhabitants, faced with imminent danger, had quickly abandoned the town and its surrounding countryside to take refuge in the plains, facing exile lasting only a few weeks, but which lasted until the end of the conflict due to the escalation of hostilities. The Italian army, in disadvantaged and indefensible positions, had retreated, barricading itself on Mount Cimone, the last and indispensable bastion of resistance.
To defend and maintain the positions they had conquered on the Tonezza Plateau, the Austro-Hungarian units built trenches, walkways, cave shelters, and artillery emplacements everywhere, like this fort: dug into a natural rock formation, it housed a 105 mm gun to dominate the Rio Freddo Valley below. The trees, now dense, were gone over a hundred years ago, having been felled by soldiers who needed a clear line of sight. Not far away, continuing along the steep path that descends to the valley toward the climbing wall, there is a second fort, dug into a cave, which housed another 105 mm gun.
Translated by Google •
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