Monte Grappa

Monte Grappa is a mountain of the Venetian Prealps in Veneto, Italy. Some of the events of World War I and World War II took place on Monte Grappa, and a memorial monument, the statue of the Madonna del Grappa (ruined during World War II but restored in the following years), and a World War Museum lie on the mountain. The remains of Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers who died in war are kept here.

During World War I, after the Italian Caporetto defeat, Mount Grappa became the most important pillar of Italian defence, and Austrians tried many times to conquer the peak to spread on the Venetian plain from November 11, 1917, to October 24, 1918. The Italians made caves in the rock and built fixed emplacements for the artillery so that they could keep control from the Valderoa Mount to Caprile hill. The most important military work is the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery, which is equipped with water tanks, infirmaries and beds.

During World War II, the Partisans sought refuge on Monte Grappa. Here the Nazis killed a huge number of soldiers, and those who had not been killed in battle were publicly hanged at Bassano del Grappa.

On the summit of Monte Grappa there is a military memorial monument, designed by the architect Giovanni Greppi in collaboration with the sculptor Giannino Castiglioni. It was inaugurated on 22 September 1935. In the central body lie the remains of 12,615 soldiers, of these the identities of 10,332 are unknown. The monument is composed of five concentric circles laid on top of each other to form a pyramid. On the top there is the little sanctuary of the Madonnina del Grappa.

Near the monument, there is cave where some people believe that some Partisans had been burnt alive by the Nazi-fascists. Since 1974 there has been a statue called Al Partigiano in that cave, made by the sculptor Augusto Murer.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Pieve del Grappa, Italy

Details

Founded: 1935
Category: Cemeteries, mausoleums and burial places in Italy