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The path of peace
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A true open air 'museum' dedicated to the Great War: that is the Path of Peace in the Asiago Plateau zone. Thanks to the restoration works, this extraordinary collection of historic testimonies has been returned to the present. The Path of Peace, with a historic heritage disseminated in a route of about 68 km, runs from 1000 m of the basin up to 2300 m of the heap of stones of Peak Twelve (Cima Dodici).
This is a natural environment which, although it is not very hospitable to man, has however made it possible to preserve, almost intact, the signs of the war. The zone experienced the events of the First World War in the historical period stretching from the end of June 1916 to November 1917. The writer Mario Rigoni Stern is the exceptional narrator and interpreter of the testimonies of this period. He gave voice to the vestige of these battles, through the recollections of not only the plateau path, but also of the testimonies scattered in many European countries. To read the history of this theatre of the past is possible through the exceptional richness of roads, trenches, caverns, observatories, military camps and cemeteries, which have resisted natural wear and the passing of generations in over 80 years.
A historical heritage which intersects with the characteristic aspects of the area: precious woods of fir, silver fir, and Norwegian spruce, larch, pine, and mountain pine have become the ideal habitat for numerous species of animals, to the extent that the path has become the vital artery of a 'park', where roe deer, chamois, marmots and partridges still live.
The entire path was studied so that it could be travelled over by an average excursionist without any special athletic attributes or any particular equipment. The Region's Forestry Service, which handled the restoration works, made it possible to furnish the route with sign posts, equipped stay areas, and tables explaining places and works. The plateau path of peace is part of a 350 km route, which follows the First World War front from Stelvio, passing along the peaks of the Ortles and Adamello, the crests of Pasubio and, the plateaux between Trento and Vicenza, where the decisive battle were fought.
The whole path is conceived as a series of rings, which can be transited on horseback, on foot, or on a mountain bike. There are various itineraries, with different levels of difficulty, and transiting time. Use of the path is recommended during the period from May to October. |
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