The Great War and the Dolomites - cultural holidays in Val di Fassa

For all lovers of not only sports, but also culture, Val di Fassa contains a lot of history, mostly linked to the time of the Great War, the First World War.

August 1914: Val di Fassa, at the time part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, experienced the beginning of one of the most dramatic experiences in its history and which would forever mark its territory, culture and daily life. Starting in 1915, in fact, the valley became a real theater of clashes between the Austro-Hungarian Army and the Royal Italian Army, which concentrated their troops especially on the Marmolada, Costabella and Cima Bocche, mountains that became front lines in some points separated by only a few dozen meters between the two armies.

For all those who love history, many relics found in the trenches dug into the rock or the ground, many remains of the barracks as well as war relics, are exhibited in museums curated by enthusiasts and local historians.

Some of the war sites, such as the historic rings of the San Pellegrino area, can be visited and are constantly cared for by the historical association "Sul fronte dei Ricordi", while others are currently being restored but can still be visited. Other sites, however, as in the case of the legendary "City of Ice", have been erased forever by the inexorable action of nature and, as in this specific case, of the Marmolada glacier that preserves them in its bowels as a perpetual memory of those who spent moments of life, action and human heroism in that daring outpost.

Below we list some paths and points where historical finds are collected:

• Museum, "Finestrola" and Someda fort
• Alta via creste di Costabella
• Mud and Ricoleta tunnel
• Ciampac, San Nicolò pass and Contrin valley
• Col Magherita - Mariota high route
• Pian Trevisan, Ciamorciaa, Col di Bousc and Fedaia
• Pian dei Fiacconi, Forcella Marmolada
• Alba, Contrin refuge and Ombretta pass
• Padon pass and trenches via ferrata
• Pian Trevisan, Fedaia, War Museum and Nido trench
• Lusia, Gronton and Bocche peak
• San Nicolò, "Strada dei Rusci" and Paschè pass
• Pian dei Fiacconi, Serauta