Mussolini's monstrous mausoleum

06-10-12

Grappitti

The object for this day's summit involved rather a lot  more driving up and down tornantes than walking. Monte Grappa may be only 1775m high but it does have a prominence of P1456, which makes it a good vantage point. And it seems to have played a big part in the later years of WW1 when the Italians had been pushed back from the Isonzo line.
There is an awful lot of stuff on top of Grappa - including a large bronze battle plan showing where the two sides had ended up entrenched to the north of Grappa on 15 November 1918.  See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Grappa

Grappa wall

At the lower top of the summit ridge, there is a derelict building and mast surrounded by a high fence that just begged to be scaled - so I did, before following the ridge back to the higher top. All along the ridge there were trenches cut into it on each side.

Grappa trench

 The main top is covered by an enormous monstrous mausoleum opened by Benito Mussolini in May 1934.

Where the original natural top was, is difficult to tell. There is a flag near the highest point of the grass within this monstrosity.

Grappa summit - with anyGOML's dream deterrent

Tunnel under the summit

Underneath the mausoleum there are the Italian headquarters left over from the battle of Mount Grappa. I explored some of the tunnels that riddle the hill and there were several cannons still in their original emplacements.

One wasted life - the closest name I could find to mine

Glorious, my arse.