8. Forte Tesoro
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This itinerary leads us in Lessinia, on the trails of World War I, which involved over 20000 soldiers and 5000 worker in the defending lines, between 1915 and 1918.
The ancient defending line is today still visible.
Departing from Consorzio Pro Loco Valpolicella, in San Pietro in Cariano, we proceed in direction Negrar and then Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo. Arrived at the village Corrubbio di Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo, we encounter a little road on the right which conduct to Forte Monte Tesoro, constructed upon a hill called Tesoro, which is located between two Valleys, that of Prun and Val Pantena.
We can park the car along the road and we proceed on the Military Road towards the fence which indicates the entrance of the Fort (now the building is closed because the Common Council of Sant’Anna d’Alfaedo invested a large sum o money to restore it. I twill open again on March 2017).
We pass upon the ditch and we immediately find the entrance of the fort. The building is constructed on three levels and it was considered a modern and powerful structure during the war and has been considered a model for the further buildings constructed in the Alpine Region for several years.
It was constructed by the Italian Army between 1905 and 1911 and it has many rooms used as deposit, dormitory and laboratories for the packaging of munitions and hand granades.
From the aisle at the first floor, the stairs conduct to the second floor, reserved for the batteries, where the buttles arrived from the first floor and then charged on some carriages.
Outside was constructed a sort of foxhole, which had three calottes for machine guns. This was connected with the building by some galleries, which are still visible. Moreover other galleries excavated inside the rocks connect some rooms which were located underground and functions as armouries, while on the north side of the fort were located the barracks, today still present.
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9. Malga Pidocchio - Foxholes
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We now proceed along the road which leads us to the village of Erbezzo. Before reaching the village we turn left following the indications “Malga Lessinia”. Arrived at this place we park the car and we proceed by foot on the road that goes towards Rifugio Castelberto. We immediately see a landscape framed by foxholes. In few minutes we reach the site called “Malga Pidocchio” a huge foxholes excavated by the soldiers inside the rocks and restored in 2014 by some associations of the territory. The site is enclosed by a wood fence, but there is a little entrance exactly in front of the place, so that it is easy to go inside it and explore the tunnels, excavated by the soldiers who were in Lessinia during the World War I. In reality the Foxholes of Malga Pidocchio are just one of the many defensive lines present in Lessinia, but it is one of the most beautiful because it is partially natural and formed by the typical rocks which can be found in
this territory.
The complex is 4 tousand metres large and it is formed by several narrow tunnels which sometimes fall inside some moats, used by the soldiers to defend themselves from the enemies and to have a rest. This site witnesses the tragic conditions of the soldiers during the War. This is a sort of labyrinth where soldiers restored themselves and which were used as deposit from 1915.
Today it is visited by many people and families and it is considered one of the best foxholes conserved in Lessinia.
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