The Natisone Valleys (Benečija or Nediske Doline in local Slovenian dialect) lie on the easternmost part of Friuli Venezia Giulia and connect Cividale del Friuli and the Roman Forum Julii with the Isonzo Valley in Slovenia.
This fascinating mountain area include pristine forests and several charming hamlets; it endured the hardship of WW I almost a century ago, in particular witnessing one of its most significant events: the defeat of Caporetto.
VIEW OF THE ZAGRADAN PASS AND THE PEAK OF KLABUK. THE TRENCHES THAT RUN ALONG THE SLOPES OF THE RELIEF ARE CLEARLY VISIBLE
To understand what happened, how the war was fought and what were the positions held by the Italian army in this area, you can visit the open-air Museum of Mt. Kolovrat, "the third Italian defensive line", on the plateau bearing the same name and stretching across the border between Italy and Slovenia. It is reached via Provincial Road SP45 departing from Ponte San Quirino, a village between Cividale and San Pietro al Natisone, up to Drenchia, a village comprising several hamlets located on the slopes of the plateau.
The departure point of this excursion is Solarie Pass, soon after the former border post. You can leave your car near the cabin and visit the memorial to the first Italian soldier who fell during the Great War, Alpine private Riccardo Di Giusto. After 50 metres, a paved road climbs slightly uphill on the left, signalled as CAI trail No. 746, leading to a clearing where you can find an information panel introducing the museum.
Here, leave the paved road and continue along a trail on the right. At a fork, continue straight ahead and, after 10 minutes, you will reach Zagradan Pass, 1042m ASL. Here, you can see the slopes of Mt. Piatto on the left and Mt. Klabuk on the right, where the Foundation "Poti miru v Posočju" of Caporetto (Peace Trails of the Upper Isonzo) restored part of the Italian defensive positions. Following the footsteps on the terrain, visitors can admire these well-preserved remains.
A STAGE OF THE TRENCH REBUILT ON MOUNT KLABUK.
Back to Zagradan Pass, the visit to the third Italian defensive line on Mt. Kolovrat can continue on Mt. Piatto nearby. Walking on the trail along the ridge, visitors can see the remains of a number of machine-gun pits and some military buildings. After this, continue along the same trail until it crosses CAI trail No. 746, where you must turn left. This route leads back to the paved road and the information panel seen before; from there, you can go back to Solarie Pass.
On the way back, instead of descending to Drenchia again, we suggest a short detour towards Clabuzzaro up to the small hamlet of San Volfango, where you can visit a large memorial, located on the site of a former military cemetery.
