Cima Palon, also called Monte Pasubio, is the highest peak of the Pasubio group of Little Dolomites in

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It has an elevation of 2,239 metres. The Pasubio plateau is one of the most relevant Little Dolomites massifs, and it held a high strategic role during

the Great War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

(1914-1918), since it represented the last defensive position of the

Venetian Plain The Venetian Plain, or Venetian-Friulian Plain ( or ) is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately from the River Adige to the River Isonzo, in a southwest-to-northeast direction, including almost all the flatlands of Veneto ...

. It was the site of fierce mine warfare on the Italian Front. In May 1916, after the Austro-Hungarian ''Strafexpedition'', an Italian contingent was urgently transferred from the

Isonzo Front The Battles of the Isonzo (also known as the Isonzo Front by historians, or the Soča Front - ) were a series of twelve battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I mostly on the territory of present-day Slovenia, and ...

and under the command of General Achille Papa, they stopped the Austro-Hungarian Army at Cima Palon. In 1917, a team of Italian miners built the

Strada delle 52 Gallerie The Strada delle 52 Gallerie ("Road of 52 tunnels"), also known as the 52 Tunnel Road, or Strada della Prima Armata ("Road of the First Army") is a military mule road built during World War I on the Pasubio massif in Veneto, Italy Italy ...

, the route of 52 tunnels, which leads from the base to the summit area of Monte Pasubio.

References

{{reflist Mountains of Veneto Vicentine Alps Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Italy Military history of Italy during World War I