Museo Forte Tre Sassi

Forte Tre Sassi is an Austro-Hungarian fortress built at Passo Valparola to defend access to Val Badia. Bombarded in 1915, it now houses a collection of objects recovered from the surrounding First World War battlefield.

Why it matters

Built between 1897 and 1901 as the fort known as In Tra i Sass, it was modernised in 1910. The fort's concrete bears the marks of bombardment by Italian artillery in July 1915. The museum combines this damaged structure with a collection assembled from the surrounding terrain, presenting the material history of the mountain front through military equipment and soldiers' everyday objects.

What to notice

The roof and upper casemates preserve the impact damage from 210 mm shells, which pierced the unreinforced concrete. The armoured caponier held two 6 cm guns, while embrasures and an observation post formed part of the fort's defensive design. The collection includes weapons, uniforms, mess tins, tools, letters and photographs recovered around Valparola and Sass de Stria.

Context and history

The fortress was built to block the likely Italian approach into Val Badia. Its armament included 8 cm M 98 cannons, two caponier guns and four machine guns, with a garrison of about fifty. On 5 July 1915, Italian batteries on Monte Pore and nearby ridges bombarded the fort. The garrison withdrew toward the saddle below Sass de Stria, and the fort was abandoned as a fighting position. After the war, the site passed to the Regole d'Ampezzo. A restoration preceded the museum's opening in 2003.