As an extra bonus, we made an extra stop at a local airfield where they display a ton of replicas of historic aircraft, from the very first bombers to more modern fighter jets. If you're not interest in the recap, you can skip ahead to the Jonathan Collection here!
The Montello Cycling Tour was a collaboration with local organizations. We'd like to thank them for helping us out with information about the region, the history and photos they provided. The Prosecco area is a wonderful area to explore with tons of history, great food and beautiful sights. If you're looking for a new holiday destination, be sure to check it out.
These organizations can be a great help to get the most out of your visit, so be sure to reach out to them and tell them we sent you.
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For bike renting and a historic tour with possibility for a meal.Bike Rental Montellohttps://aglizattieri.com/ |
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Looking for your next holiday destination?Visit Prosecco Hillshttps://visitproseccohills.it/en |
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Want to learn more about WW1 and the history of the area?Museo della Battaglia di Vittorio VenetoLocation on Google Maps |
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Montello Cycling Tour Recap
Stop #1: The Piave Crossing
We started the tour where the Austro-Hungarians crossed the river Piave to secure a foothold across the river. The Italians installed bunkers here in anticipation of an attack, as this was a relatively easy area to cross, but it was not enough to push the attackers back. These bunkers still exist to this day as an open-air museum, which can freely be visited. We did as well as part of our research for Isonzo!
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Stop #2: Monumento Ragazzi del '99
Our second stop was at a monument dedicated to the Ragazzi del '99: The Boys of '99. Around 300,000 Italian teenagers were drafted, hastily trained and sent to the front line in 1917, once they turned 18. The fresh soldiers propped up the ranks at the Piave, Grappa and Montello fronts, but they lacked experience. Their numbers were enough to secure a couple of victories and allowed for a large scale counter-offensive, swinging the battles in Italy in the defender's favor.
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Stop #3: Montello Hill
For our third stop, we took a quick break on top of Montello, surrounded by fields and vineyards. We explored the hill's and area's extensive history, which took us back 15,000 years! From cavemen exploiting the region's bounty and the writing of Il Galateo – a book that defined the etiquette many still abide today – to Venice kicking out all the locals and (one of) the strongest tornado ever recorded in Europe. A hill can be more interesting than you think!
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Stop #4: Monumento a Francesco Baracca
The fourth stop took us through the life of Italy's greatest fighter pilot: Francesco Baracca. Starting his career as cavalryman, he took an interest in aviation and joined the air force. Equipped with new fighters, he quickly scored his and Italy's first aerial victory. Many more followed, until his plane was shot down at Montello after 34 victories.
Somehow, his story takes us to the former queen of Belgium and the origin of the iconic Ferrari logo, so be sure to read the full blog!
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Stop #5: Sacrario Ossario Militare del Montello
We arrived at the fifth stop: an Ossuary – comparable to a large-scale mausoleum – that houses the remains of 9,325 soldiers, of which 6,099 were identified and 3,226 were not. While previously spread over 120 small cemeteries, they've been collected and placed here as a dedicated resting place for those who fought here during WW1. There's a shrine inside as well as a small WW1 museum, maintained by volunteers.
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Stop #6: Fontana di Piazza la Piave
The fountain at the village square marked our sixth stop, which you may also recognize from the Montello map! Here, we dive deeper into the history of Nervesa della Battaglia: from the Romans building a fortress here and the Holy Roman Empire documenting Nervisia, to how WW1 razed it to the ground and the residents returned.
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Stop #7: The Nervesa della Battaglia train station
We wrapped up the tour at the seventh stop, the old train station of Nervesa della Battaglia! While no longer in use and abandoned, the rails are still visible in the greenery. The old line was transformed into a ~16km historical walking & cycling trail called "La Tradotta", featuring plenty of history and memorials. We also briefly touched on changes we made while adapting the region into the Montello map in Isonzo.
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Bonus Stop: The Jonathan Collection
When we were talking about the story of Francesco Baracca, some of you requested us to visit the nearby aviation museum. Sadly, we didn't have time to make it a full stop, but we can make some time for it here!
Back at Stop #6, if you take a left instead of a right when looking towards the river, you'll end up at The Jonathan Collection, housing tons of authentic replica aircraft spanning all of aviation's history – if it fits on the airfield, of course – and organizing historic reenactments. From the first strategic bomber Caproni Ca.33Z to a more modern Fiat G.91 jet fighter, there's a lot to explore and the planes do still fly! The collection also includes aircraft from Germany, France and USA. If you'd like to take a break from all the history, they have some other things as well.
I'll leave a couple of pictures from their collection below, but be sure to check out their website as well: https://www.jonathanaereistorici.it/
Replica of Francesco Baracca's Spad XIII R with his emblem
Replica of the Caproni Ca.33Z
Uhh...That's the tour all wrapped up. Again, hopefully you enjoyed it and learned something new. Now, it's full steam ahead for the next map coming to Isonzo: Adamello. You'll learn more about the map next week!
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