Monte Cengio is a mountain in the

Asiago plateau Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) with the title of ciin the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Sette Comuni, Altopiano dei Se ...

, within the

Vicentine Alps The Vicentine Alps (; , ''Vicentiner Alpen'' or ''Vizentiner Voralpen'') are a mountain range of the Eastern Alps in Trentino and the provinces of Province of Verona, Verona and Province of Vicenza, Vicenza. The mountains were named after the ci ...

, 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 ...

, 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 ...

. It has an elevation of 1,354 metres and is located on the southwestern edge of the plateau, in the territory of Cogollo del Cengio. The mountain was heavily contested during the

Battle of Asiago The Südtirol Offensive, also known as the Battle of Asiago or Battle of the Plateaux (in Italian: Battaglia degli Altipiani), wrongly nicknamed ''Strafexpedition'' "Punitive expedition" (this name has no reference in official Austrian document ...

in the

First World War 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

Royal Italian Army The Royal Italian Army () (RE) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfredo Fanti signed a decree c ...

's Brigade "Granatieri di Sardegna" distinguished itself in the fighting, suffering heavy losses. Over 10,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing on Monte Cengio between May and June 1916. A rocky spur overlooking a ravine, near the top of the mountain, became known as ''salto del granatiere'' ("grenadier's jump") after some grenadiers, who had been surrounded there and had run out of ammunition, grabbed some of the Austro-Hungarian attackers and jumped off the cliff along with them. In 1967 Monte Cengio was declared "sacred to the Fatherland" and proclaimed a monumental area. Wartime galleries and roads are part of the monumental area and are visited by hikers.Comune di Cogollo del Cengio
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References

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