Forte Montecchio Nord is the best-preserved fortress from the First World War in Europe.

It is an armoured battery of the Rocchi type with four 149S canons of French manufacture (Schneider), an armour-plated tower, now the only one left in the world.
Built between 1912 and 1914 Forte Montecchio was part of the Northern Defence Line (better known, even if inappropriately as Linea Cadorna) however, although it was war ready, it was never actually functioning during the World War.

It played a role in the Liberazione, when it shot five cannon shots at the Mussolini Column as it retreated towards Switzerland on 28 April 1945, when the Duce had already been killed (in Giulino di Mezzegra).

With this intervention, the fortress stopped the Column and forced them to surrender. The guided tour shows all the rooms in the fortress: the map room, dormitory, infirmary, armoury in the mountain, cannons and their swinging and elevating movements, and the rooftop with its view over Valtellina and Valchiavenna.

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PHOTO: @mgbadamello