Walking amid the forts

Starting point: Port San Nicolò
Destination: Port San Nicolò
Time: 4 hours
Difference in altitude: 300 m
Difficulty: easy
Season: all year
Monte Brione (368 metres), located in the centre of the Altogardesana Plain near the northern shore of Lake Garda, had always been of interest to the Austro-Hungarian Army Corps of Engineers. The visit to the wartime structures on this small but strategically important mountain begins at Port San Nicolò and its namesake fort. This limestone structure primarily served as a "roadblock" for the coastal Riva-Torbole: to close the road there was an iron gate with a rifleman and a machine-gun emplacement facing Torbole.

ITINERARY
A military road from the port of San Nicolò leads up to Brione and other structures: this will be the return path of the itinerary. Instead, start by going up the trail that runs along the ridge, where you can admire spectacular views of the lake. From the port, along the crest of Brione, you reach Villa Favancourt. Its courtyard contained the Felsbatterie San Nicolò, a structure in a cave which replaced the South Battery (of which only the ruins of some ancillary structures remain), which was also used during the Second World War. You will soon reach Fort Garda, which could accommodate a garrison of 150-200 men. Inside, you can still see the tiled flooring, the dovecote (where the bodies of the fallen could temporarily be placed in the event of a conflict) and other details that made it the principle fort of Brione. To hide itself from enemy artillery and to camouflage against the profile of the mountain, Fort Garda was carved into the rock. Furthermore, the part facing the lake was built lower than the rear, where the entrance is found. The roof and exposed parts were protected by a three-metre-thick layer of concrete. The fort was equipped with a vast underground system, consisting of a long and complex tunnel which started from the entrance (not open today).

Going further up, you can see the ruins of the plots for the 15 cm mortars; almost on the top of Brione is the Mezzo Battery, a fortification built in ashlar stone with a concrete roof, which could accommodate a garrison of 70-80 men. It was armed with cannons on rails and its main purpose was to control the valley of Loppio. From the Mezzo Battery, continue along the path that runs along the mountain's ridge, past the antennas and coming out at the trail for Fort Sant’Alessandro (North Battery, also known as Fort Campedel). This structure was built at the northern end of the mountain.

Today only ruins immersed in vegetation remain of the fort, but at the time it was used as a support for the optical signals to other forts. The powder magazine below, with two anti-aircraft guns, was used until after the Second World War. Between the two structures, there is a small storage cave and an observation post facing the plain of Linfano. From the powder magazine, return to the road of Mount Brione, along which you descend until the port of San Nicolò, visiting the structures that that you meet along the way. Among these there is a tunnel with a plaque at its entrance, which opens onto the wall overlooking the lake and which probably housed a searchlight to control the Linfano-Torbole area. Alternatively, from the powder magazine, you can continue along the path that leads to the village of Sant’Alessandro and from there return on the paved road to the port.
To learn more about the area of Alto Garda a visit to the MAG, Museum of Alto Garda, located inside the fort of Rocca di Riva del Garda, is recommended: its history section features a special section devoted to the fortification of the area and exhibits artefacts from the First World War. 

Source: www.trentinograndeguerra.it

8,00 Euro | booking compulsory until the day before the excursion (until 5 p.m.): tel. Ingarda Trentino : 0464.554444, 0464.532255, 0464.505177