The Jôf di Montasio (

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, , , ) is a mountain located in the

Province of Udine The province of Udine (; ; ; ; ) was a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria and Slovenia, with the capital in the city of Udine. Abolished on 30 September 2017, it was reestablished in 2019 as the Re ...

, in the

Friuli-Venezia Giulia Friuli-Venezia Giulia () is one of the 20 regions of Italy and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The regional capital is Trieste on the Gulf of Trieste, a bay of the Adriatic Sea. Friuli-Venezia Giulia has an area of and a ...

region of northeastern

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 ...

. With its elevation of , it is the second highest mountain of the

Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , , , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at Mount Triglav, the highest peak in Slovenia. A large part of the Julian Alps is inclu ...

, surpassed only by

Triglav Triglav (; ; ), with an elevation of , is the highest mountain in Slovenia and the highest peak of the Julian Alps. The mountain is the pre-eminent symbol of the Slovene nation, appearing on the Coat of arms of Slovenia, coat of arms and Flag ...

. The Julian Alps are part of the

Southern Limestone Alps The Southern Limestone Alps (, ), also called the Southern Calcareous Alps, are the mountain range, ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent lands of Austria and Slovenia. The ...

System.

Etymology

Four languages are spoken in the valleys surrounding the mountain - Italian, Friulian, Slovene, and German. The historical German name for the mountain was ''Bramkofel'', while its former Slovene name was ''Špik nad Policami'' or ''Poliški Špik'' ("''Špik above / of the Terraces,''" the addition serving to distinguish the mountain from a different

Špik Špik is a mountain in Slovenia, the fourteenth-highest peak in the Julian Alps The Julian Alps (, , , , ) are a mountain range of the Southern Limestone Alps that stretches from northeastern Italy to Slovenia, where they rise to 2,864 m at ...

30 km to the east.) In modern usage, German and Slovene speakers use ''Montasch'' and ''Montaž'', both borrowings from the Friulian ''Montâs''.

History

The steep Montasio massif, extending about in an east–west direction, has since medieval times formed a natural border between the Imperial

Duchy of Carinthia The Duchy of Carinthia (; ; ) was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, and was the first newly created Imperial State after the original German stem duchies. Car ...

in the north and the Venetian ''

Domini di Terraferma The () or () was the hinterland territories of the Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime ...

'' in the south. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the area from the mountains to the Sella Nevea pass was permanently manned by the

Alpini The Alpini are the Italian Army's specialist mountain infantry. Part of the army's infantry corps, the speciality distinguished itself in combat during World War I and World War II. Currently the active Alpini units are organized in two operati ...

as part of the Italian Front. However, no hostility actions occurred, as the northern face of the mountain was too steep for the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

. The top of the mountain is marked by a cross and bell in memory of Riccardo Deffar.

Climbing routes

There are many climbing routes from all sides. Many of them are hard rock climbing routes and ferratas, in particular from the north-east side. The normal mountaineering route is from the south side. It passes the Rifugio Brazza, at round 1650 m above the sea level. Afterward, climbers can choose from two directions: towards the Pipan Ladder, or towards Findenegg

Couloir A couloir (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. . Geology A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissure, o ...

and the Suringar bivouac at 2400 m above the sea level. The Pipan Ladder is a 60 m steel structure which requires ferrata equipment. Some sections in the Findenegg Couloir route are a bit exposed, and there are some simple scrambles at several places above the Suringar bivouac.

References

External links

Jôf di Montasio/Montaž
at Hribi.net
"Jôf di Montasio, Italy" on Peakbagger

Jof di Montasio (Montaz) - Route description
on Mountains for Everybody Mountains of the Julian Alps Mountains of Friuli-Venezia Giulia Province of Udine Two-thousanders of Italy {{Italy-geo-stub

Etymology

History

Climbing routes

See also

References

External links