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Excursion to "Forte Dossaccio"

Predazzo
Category
Difficulty
Intermediate
Duration
2:30
in hours
Distance
8.3
in km
Suggested period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
An Austrian WWI fort designed for long-range combat. This fortification was intended to block a possible Italian invasion through the Travignolo Valley and the nearby San Pellegrino Pass.
An excursion that offers the opportunity to spend a day combining history and nature. The building, evidence of the period of the late nineteenth-century Austrian fortifications, is located in a particularly panoramic position with an extraordinary view of the Lagorai Chain and the Pale di San Martino. The itinerary, although a bit long, has little difference in altitude and is therefore also suitable for families with children. The inside part of the fort is currently not open to visitors, some walkways allow you to go around the mighty walls. Forte Dossaccio can also be reached on the forest road that goes up from Paneveggio. There you can also find the "Visitor Center of Paneveggio Natural Park", which we highly recommend to visit.
Further information and useful links

APT Val di Fiemme - Tel. +39 0462 241111 - info@visitfiemme.it - www.visitfiemme.it 

www.parcopan.org 

Route data
Intermediate
Distance
8,3 km
Duration
2 h 30 min
Ascent
330 m
Decent
330 m
Physical condition
Scenary
Highest point
1.827 m
Lowest point
1.504 m
Suggestions
The building was built by the Austrian command between 1886 and 1900, as can still be read on a carved stone placed inside the large moat.
Safety guidelines

THE 10 RULES FOR HIKERS 

  1. Prepare your itinerary beforehand
  2. Choose an itinerary that suits your physical abilities
  3. Choose suitable clothes and equipment
  4. Check the weather forecast
  5. Hiking by yourself is more risky; if this is the case, take a mobile phone with you
  6. Leave information about your itinerary and your expected return time
  7. If you are not sure about your itinerary, contact an Alpine Guide
  8. Pay attention to signposts and directions that you find along your way
  9. Do not hesitate in going back if you feel too tired
  10. In case of emergency call 112

Please note that the practicability of the itineraries in a mountain environment is strictly linked to the contingent conditions and is therefore influenced by natural phenomena, environmental changes and weather conditions. For this reason, the information contained in this page may have changed. Before leaving for a tour, make sure the path you will approach is still accessible by contacting the owner of the mountain hut, the alpine guides or the visitor centres of the nature parks, the info offices of the local tourist board.

Starting point
Castelir
Directions

From Castelir, follow the signs for Forte Dossaccio. The path winds completely on a dirt road; the first section crosses green mountain meadows with some isolated huts. Then you enter the wood that bears traces of the Vaia storm (October 2018).

You reach Forte Dossaccio from which you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Pale di San Martino and the peaks of the Lagorai chain.

Return back on the same path.


This Austrian fortified complex was built at the same time as the access road to Forte Buso, between 1886 and 1900, and was modernised prior to the war itself (1912). The fort was excavated out of the rock of Dossaccio and built of porphyry blocks.

Next to the fort is a basin for the collection of rainwater (there are obviously no springs here on the summit), a walkway to the lookout tower, tunnels and trenches.

Forte Dossaccio was designed to permit long-range operations from a secure position and allow firing in all directions (towards the Passo Valles, Rolle - Colbricon, Bocche - Juribrutto and possibly also towards Predazzo, if the Lagorai line should have been overrun). The front ditch was provided with a cement covering and a machine gun emplacement.

The fort was armed with four 120 mm cannons in a casemate with minimal embrasures, four 100 mm Howitzers equipped with steel revolving domes and twelve 8 mm machineguns. The fort was also equipped with a tower for signalling and lookout purposes.

During the war the cannons were moved outside the fort and into the woods, partly in subterranean passages connected by tunnels and trenches. The domes of the Howitzers were refashioned in concrete and covered with tree trunks in order to camouflage the new emplacements. In 1915 and 1916 the cannons of the fort played a significant role in the defence of the Passo Rolle and Colbricon line. It was repeatedly bombarded but the large porphyry blocks held up well even when exposed to the 280 mm shells of the Italian artillery.

public transportation
The public busses "Trentino Trasporti" from Predazzo to San Martino di Castrozza stop in Castelir.
How to get there
From Predazzo drive direction Passo Rolle. After Bellamonte drive left to the litfs of Castelir. Park after the first bend on the left.
Where to park
Parking area on your left side.
Hiking shoes, rain-jacket, hiking poles, water, sun cream
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