Fort Montecchio-Lusardi, Colico, Italy

Fort Montecchio-Lusardi is a military fort situated in Colico, built between 1911 and 1914. It is the only Italian fort from World War I which has been preserved intact with its original weapons. The main function of the fort was to control the roads of Spluga, Maloja and Stelvio, in case the Central Powers decided to invade northern Italy, violating the neutrality of Switzerland.

The fort was one of the strongholds in a complex barrier system which extended up to Monte Legnone, though it remained inactive throughout the World War. During the World War II the fort also never entered a major action: the only gunshots were fired after the fort was occupied by the partisans, at a German column that marched along the opposite bank of the lake. The fort was later used as a weapons depot and eventually transferred to the state property.

Attractions in fort are four French 149 mm guns, with a range of 14 km, each rotating inside a cast-iron dome. The fort is divided into two parts: the lower area contains housing and powder magazines and the upper part contains guns. The two areas are linked by a curved gallery.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Italy

User Reviews

Yossi Meiri (2 years ago)
Very good place! Well preserved and interesting Torre Nice view from the top, good story line of history!

William Leeman (2 years ago)
Great place and worth a visit only open for weekend. Check timings. Very helpful people

Tessa Thompson (2 years ago)
They do guided tours every hour on the hour. She speaks English and Italian It takes about 55 mins. You get to see inside and out. Even a display of the cannons and how they work. You get to go on the roof to see the cannons as well and the beautiful lake and town. Its 7€ an adult and kids under 6 are free.

Balint Pokoly (2 years ago)
It was only open for groups whereas the place was seemingly quiet and had no sign of other visitors. Otherwise it looked promising from the outside, over the wall

Adam Sparrowhawk (2 years ago)
Remarkably well preserved fort with excellent views from the gun platform, only a short walk from Colico station. It has an interesting history and the wider conflict around a lesser well front (to me at least) of the First World War compared to the more widely known battles of the Western Front was also an eye opener. Our guide was very knowledgeable, impressively conducting the tour in multiple languages whilst still finding time to accommodate each set of guests and answer questions. When we visited you couldn't just roam the site freely, you had to join a tour, so check what times the tours run to avoid disappointment. A wholly unexpected discovery in this region, definitely worth a visit.

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Kalozha Church

The Kalozha church of Saints Boris and Gleb is the oldest extant structure in Hrodna. It is the only surviving monument of ancient Black Ruthenian architecture, distinguished from other Orthodox churches by prolific use of polychrome faceted stones of blue, green or red tint which could be arranged to form crosses or other figures on the wall.

The church is a cross-domed building supported by six circular pillars. The outside is articulated with projecting pilasters, which have rounded corners, as does the building itself. The ante-nave contains the choir loft, accessed by a narrow gradatory in the western wall. Two other stairs were discovered in the walls of the side apses; their purpose is not clear. The floor is lined with ceramic tiles forming decorative patterns. The interior was lined with innumerable built-in pitchers, which usually serve in Eastern Orthodox churches as resonators but in this case were scored to produce decorative effects. For this reason, the central nave has never been painted.

The church was built before 1183 and survived intact, depicted in the 1840s by Michał Kulesza, until 1853, when the south wall collapsed, due to its perilous location on the high bank of the Neman. During restoration works, some fragments of 12th-century frescoes were discovered in the apses. Remains of four other churches in the same style, decorated with pitchers and coloured stones instead of frescoes, were discovered in Hrodna and Vaŭkavysk. They all date back to the turn of the 13th century, as do remains of the first stone palace in the Old Hrodna Castle.

In 2004, the church was included in the Tentative List of UNESCO"s World Heritage Sites.

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