Lagazuoi and Passo Falzarego Historical Timeline

Origins

The pass was a route between the Ampezzo valley and Badia long before it was anything else, and its name is old enough that its meaning is disputed.

Turning points

From 1915 the Italian-Austrian front ran directly over the Lagazuoi. Neither side could dislodge the other by assault at this altitude, so the war went underground: each army dug galleries towards the other's positions and packed them with explosive.

Influential people

Italian troops held the Cengia Martini, a ledge partway up the south face, in conditions that are hard to credit -- supplied by rope, exposed to fire from directly above, and living in the rock.

Cultural evolution

Several mines were detonated between 1916 and 1917, each blowing away part of the mountain. The scars are still the most obvious feature of the face.

Present-day significance

From the 1990s the tunnels and positions were cleared, stabilised and opened as an open-air museum, part of a wider network of restored front-line sites across these mountains.