The Lagazuoi – Five Towers area is a perfect combination of natural beauty and historical heritage. The surrounding mountains bear indelible marks of one of the most tragic events of the 20th century – the First World War, and in particular of the bloody battles in the Alps. During the First World War, the area around the Cinque Torri peak was occupied by the Italian army, which established its artillery headquarters there. To avoid the Austrian counter attacks, the Italians built a defensive line around the so-called Five towers. The area around the towers became the arena of fierce battles, from the time of which many traces remained and especially the fortifications erected by the Italian soldiers, recently restored according to a project resulting from international cooperation and turned into an interesting open-air museum.
Description: Lagazuoi /picture source: Shutterstock/;
The museum dedicated to the Great War covers several separate museums, namely:
- Open air museum in Lagazuoi
The mountain Lagazuoi was turned by the warring armies into a real fortress. They excavated the rock to create shelter for the men and weapons depots. Today you can visit the restored tunnels, trenches and machine gun emplacements. The museum can be reached on foot or by the fast cable car.
- Five Towers Open Air Museum
The area of the Five Towers became the command center of the mountain artillery group. The gun emplacements aimed at the Austrian positions of Lagazuoi and Fort Tre Sassi were located here. This area can also be reached by cable car.
- Sasso di Stria
The Austrians made Sasso di Stria their defense zone at the Valparola pass, which is opposite the Vonbank station, located at the foot of Lagazuoi. In 1916 a tunnel was dug from Fort Tre Sassi to the south-east, through which provisions were delivered. Visiting a gallery can be a truly exciting experience.
- Fort Tre Sassi Museum – pass from Valparola
It was built in 1897 to protect the southern borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the beginning of the war, the towers were destroyed by bombing and the fort was evacuated. Many sites can be seen today that bear witness to the conflict.
- The area of Punta Serauta – Marmolada
The Italian stations and fortifications at Punta Sarauta have been restored to remember and honor the men who fought at Marmolada between 1915-1917. The area consists of a fortress that includes command stations, observation posts, stations, shelters and paths made by Italian soldiers. The museum is at the cable car station in the center of the Zone, near the Italian and Austro-Hungarian war positions.
Detailed information on how to reach the museum and the cots of the tickets can be found here.