Gallerie del Lagazuoi

The Gallerie del Lagazuoi are First World War tunnels carved into Monte Lagazuoi by Italian soldiers as part of a mining operation against Austro-Hungarian positions.

Why it matters

Both armies excavated shelter and military works inside the mountain, turning the Lagazuoi ridge into an underground battlefield. The Italian Galleria dell'Anticima was cut from the Cengia Martini toward the summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi and detonated on 20 June 1917. Nearly a kilometre of tunnel preserves the scale of the mining campaign and the conflict at altitude.

What to notice

Hand-cut galleries, stairways and openings toward the valley reveal how the tunnels served as both protected passages and military positions. Restored trenches and machine-gun posts remain on the surrounding ledges. The rock scars and openings also frame the Falzarego basin, showing how the terrain shaped observation and defence.

Context and history

The mine campaign took place in 1916 and 1917, when the front between Italy and Austria-Hungary became fixed along the mountain crests. The Italian gallery system reached the Anticima and was detonated on 20 June 1917, permanently changing the summit's shape. After decades of deterioration, volunteers and local institutions restored the tunnels and associated military works as an open-air memorial to the Great War.