Monte Piana is a tall mountain in the
Sexten Dolomites
The Sexten Dolomites (; ) is a mountain range and a nature reserve in South Tyrol, Italy. The nature park was renamed in 2010 to Naturpark Drei Zinnen – Parco Naturale Tre Cime.
Peaks
References
External links
Civic network of South ...
and located on the border between the provinces of
South Tyrol
South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...
and
Belluno
Belluno (; ; ) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the Capital (political), capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region. W ...
. The smaller Northern summit of the mountain is named ''Monte Piano'' (2,305m).
During the so-called "
White War
The White War (, , ) is the name given to the fighting in the high-altitude Alpine sector of the Italian front during the First World War, principally in the Dolomites, the Ortles-Cevedale Alps and the Adamello-Presanella Alps. More than two ...
" in
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 mountain was hotly contested between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian Armies. The Austrians had occupied the Northern summit ''Monte Piano'', while the Southern summit ''Monte Piana'' was in Italian hands. Today many remnants of the fierce fighting can still be found on both summits.
History
When Italy declared war on Austria-Hungary on 24 May 1915, seven / eight battalions of the thirty-five
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 ...
battalions stationed between
Innichen
Innichen (; ; , all tied to Saint Candidus) is a municipality and a village in South Tyrol in northern Italy.
It is located in the Puster Valley on the Drava River, on Italy's border with Austria. It hosts Italy’s International Snow Sculptur ...
and the
Stelvio Pass
The Stelvio Pass ( or ; ) is a mountain pass in northern Italy bordering Switzerland at an elevation of above sea level. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, below France's Col de l ...
were sent to Monte Piana and its valleys. Monte Piana was part of the operational sector of the IV Army commanded by Lieutenant General Luigi Nava, whose units were divided into two sectors, Cordevole and Cadore, the first belonging to the IX Corps and the second, of which part of the sector of Monte Piana, under the jurisdiction of the 1st Army Corps commanded by Lieutenant General Ottavio Ragni. On 24 May the Piana was occupied by two platoons of
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 ...
troops of the 96th company,
Alpini Battalion "Pieve di Cadore", of the
7th Alpini Regiment
The 7th Alpini Regiment () is a mountain warfare regiment of the Italian Army based in Belluno in Veneto. The regiment belongs to the Italian Army's Alpini infantry speciality and is assigned to the Alpine Brigade "Julia". On 1 August 1887, the R ...
. Other Alpini troops of the 67th company around 08:30 were hit by an artillery shell fired from Monte Rudo while they were working on the road from Misurina to Monte Piana; they were the first Italians to fall on a mountain that in less than two years made about 14,000 victims from both sides. Here, on 7 June 1915, second lieutenant Antonio De Toni (7th regiment, 268th company, batt. Val Piave) was fatally wounded, the first to be killed in the Padua university community.
At the end of the day, the two years of war on Mount Piana essentially led to nothing; the two contenders fought for two long years on a patch of land, without ever being able to subvert the enemy forces, and on 3 November 1917 the positions on the plain were abandoned by the Italian units to retreat and take sides on the Grappa line in an attempt to resist the Austro-Hungarian offensive in Caporetto.
Between 1977 and 1981, on the initiative of the Austrian Colonel Walther Schaumann, the "Open-air Historical Museum of Monte Piana" was established and can be visited by all, free of charge. The works for the rearrangement of the trenches were carried out by the group "Friends of the Dolomites" (Dolomitenfreunde) with the reconstruction of the walkways, trenches, tunnels and stairways of the time. Every year since 1983, the restoration work of the trenches has been carried out during the first fifteen days of August, by the "Monte Piana Foundation" and the "Friends of the Dolomites" (who for the occasion formed the "Gruppo Volontari Amici del Piana" ")
In 1981, during the usual meeting on the first Sunday of September, dedicated to the commemoration of the fallen of Monte Piana, the "Friends of the Dolomites" handed over the open-air Historical Museum to the "Monte Piana Foundation", which then work area. In 1983, the newly established "Gruppo Volontari Amici del Piana" began its patient work of intervention on those elements that are damaged every year by bad weather and thaw.
Since that year, the volunteers are committed to faithfully reconstructing the sections of dry stone wall that collapsed during the winter; they recover what remains of the old shelters, restore the wooden structure and carry out a radical cleaning of the mountain from waste, in respect of the fact that this site has become a protected area. In addition, the access paths from the surrounding valleys are maintained and the relative signs are taken care of, currently assisted by retired colonel Elio Scarpa.
In 1986 the Group dedicated its name to the recently deceased vice president of the "Monte Piana Foundation", Elio Scarpa, who was thus given the credit for having made possible the launch of this initiative. But support for the work also came from the Italian army at the hands of the Alpine Troops Command, so the group of volunteers can use, during the work, an off-road vehicle, tents and various materials, in addition to valid help. of the military personnel placed at its disposal, for a collaboration that continues today
File:MontePiana trench.jpg, Italian 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 ...
trenches on Monte Piana; view towards the Tre Cime di Lavaredo
The ; ), also called the ; ), are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy. They are one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks, from east to west, are:
*Cima Piccola / Klein ...
File:Tre cime di Lavaredo 1.jpg, View of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo from Mount Piana.
File:Kreuz - Monte Piana 1.jpg
External links
* http://www.worldwarone.it/2015/06/first-world-war-one-day-itineraries.html
* Photos Monte Piana
un
Monte Piana on www.cimeetrincee.it(Italian)
(Italian)
(Italian)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piana, Monte
Mountains of the Alps
Mountains of Italy
Dolomites
Sexten Dolomites