One of the most fascinating aspects of the Great War was life inside trenches and in posts that were located high in the mountains. Never before were any battles ever fought at such high altitudes. Between the peaks of the Adamello Mountains (on the border between Lombardy and Alto Adige) Italian troops and Austro-Hungarian forces found themselves facing each other at an altitude of over 3,000 metres. A similar situation also occurred in the area between Trentino and Veneto, close to Marmolada, in the eastern sector of Lagorai, in the whole of the Eastern Dolomites and between the peaks of the Carnic Alps and Val Dogna.
Even if in these places brigades consisting only of infantry (totally unsuited to face similar situations) were not lacking, most of the fighters belonged to the corps of the Alpines. These were youths who were recruited in the mountain regions, used to moving around in this terrain, to withstand the cold temperatures and to obey orders without asking too many questions. For more than two years they remained in this high altitude, transporting materials, weapons, equipment and supplies and building barracks, instillations and lines of trenches that are still capable even now to cause surprise and emotion. In some cases the barracks were built right in the middle of glaciers, especially around Fedaia Pass and San Pellegrino Pass.
Wonder continues to increase upon discovering that the equipment that was distributed to the Alpine Corps was totally unsuitable for life at such high altitudes. Despite the very harsh climate (it was not unheard of to have snowfall in summer), in most barracks the only source of heating consisted of small stoves for the cooking of food. Woolen clothes were few and many of them had to make their own sunglasses (using aluminum) to prevent damage to their eyes by the rays of the sun. Furthermore, throughout the whole of 1915 soldiers fought in their grey and green uniforms which, in the middle of the wide expanse of snow, could easily be seen by the enemy. It was only a year later that the first white overalls were distributed, thus ensuring greater camouflage.
But besides soldiers at the battlefront, the war in the mountains also had other protagonists. These were the so-called porters who enlisted voluntarily to carry from the areas that were behind the front (in heavy baskets) weapons, ammunition, materials and food to soldiers at the top of the mountains. However, since most of the men were engaged in the war, in some cases this role was taken over by women. The best example is that provided by the women porters from Carnia who were active in zone around Carnia and who are nowadays remembered mainly in Timau, the town nearPal Piccolo and Freikofel, where there are the remains of Maria Plozner Mentil who was killed in February 1916 during one of her ascents to the front line.
