In the heart of the Friulian hills, three forts were built to complement other military installations of the central section of the Tagliamento River. The forts of Col Roncone, Fagagna and Santa Margherita, in fact, were located between the defensive system near the Torre creek (Mt. Bernadia and Adorgnano) and the batteries on the Tagliamento (Ragogna Bassa, Ragogna Alta and Col Colàt). Today, unfortunately, only Fort of Col Roncone can be visited while those of Fagagna and Santa Margherita cannot be accessed; the former does not have a passage across the moat and the latter is located in a restricted military area.
The visit to the Fort of Col Roncone is highly recommended as it is one of the best preserved remains of the Great War in Friuli Venezia Giulia and, thanks to a recent restoration, is now an ideal venue for cultural events and exhibitions. The ground floor is totally accessible, unlike the first floor, as stairs have collapsed. To enter it, you need to cross the moat around it (some artificial steps make it easy) and reach the main entrance. Inside the fort, on the left of the corridor, you can see a staircase descending to the four slits overlooking the moat.
The upper part instead used to accommodate the four 149 mm steel guns that, along with six 75 mm guns, allowed to guard each side. During the restoration, some fibreglass domes were placed in the space once hosting these firearms until 1915. Just like other forts in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Col Roncone too was dismissed for military reasons right before the war broke out and, therefore, it never fulfilled the defensive function for which it had been designed.
How to get there: from Highway A23, take exit Udine nord (north) and follow directions for Martignacco/San Daniele on the ring road around Udine. Take the third exit and then regional road SR464, "Spilimbergo's", towards Martignacco/Spilimbergo continuing until the intersection with a light of Fagagna. Turn right to Rive d'Arcano/San Daniele on provincial road SP5 and follow indications for Rive d'Arcano. Once you reach this village, follow indications for Arcano Superiore and, after 200 metres, turn right to Via Roncon, continuing then for 1.7 kilometres.
Difficulty level: suitable for tourists
Duration: about 1 hour
Equipment: trekking shoes (dirt road), long trousers
