One of the most fought-over areas of the "Carnic Zone" during the Great War was the border near Pass of Mt. Croce Carnico, in the But Upper Valley. Just like on the Julian Alps, here too, armies quickly seized the surrounding heights and most strategic points soon after war was declared.
Throughout the summer of 1915 (but also later, such as at the end of March 1916), the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies engaged in a series of furious battles on Mt. Pal Grande, Mt. Freikofel and Mt. Pal Piccolo, transforming these wonderful peaks into an extraordinary war theatre.
THE MACHINE GUN POST, A STRETCH OF THE AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN DEFENSIVE SYSTEM WHICH TODAY HAS BEEN RESTORED AND IS VISIBLE ALONG THE PATH TO THE PEAK.
An open-air Museum has been created on Mt. Pal Piccolo, whose summit accommodates some Italian and Austro-Hungarian military installations. To discover them, you need to park your car near the Pass of Mt. Croce Carnico (1360 metres ASL) and walk towards the former border with Austria. After a few metres, on your right, you can see the sign "Kleiner Pal - MG Nase" signalling the start of the trail leading to the mountain top. Past a clearing with a wind turbine, the trail goes through a pristine natural area, where you can see some caves used by soldiers, barracks, a sheltered trench and, finally, a military post called "Machine guns nose".
Continue walking in the woods, the trail here is quite steep but not particularly difficult. Past some tunnels on the right, you reach the top of the mountain at 1866 metres ASL, which is an irregular false slope. Here, you can admire and walk through the maze of Austro-Hungarian trenches and walkways, while a little further on, on the Italian side, you can see the so-called "Italian large trench" (1860 metres ASL). This is the ideal location to understand how close the two front lines were and the how fierce must have been the clashes between the two sides.
THE ITALIAN TRENCH ON THE PEAK OF PAL PICCOLO
You can walk back to the Pass either via the same trail or CAI trail No. 401. Along the latter, more remains of the Great War (Italian remains in this case) can be found.
Just like the route of Mt. Freikofel, here too we recommend taking road SS52bis again and make a stop at the small village of Timau. Here, you can visit the Ossuary of Timau (which accommodates the remains of the soldiers who fell in this area), the Monument dedicated to the Carnic porters and the beautiful Museum "The Carnic area in the Great War 1915 - 1918", cured with passion by the volunteer group "Friends of the Carnic Alps".
