Great War Route: Prunno, San Sisto Ridge, Kaberlaba, Barenthal - Asiago

Historical itinerary on the sites of the Great War. English: Prunno - San Sisto Ridge - Kaberlaba - Barenthal

INTRODUCTION TO THE ITINERARY

It takes just a few minutes' drive and a few free hours to be able to immerse yourself in nature,combining a relaxing walk suitable for everyone with the visit of some places, which still bear indelible the signs of the history and culture of the Plateau of theSeven Municipalities.

The proposed itinerary will in fact lead us to the discovery of some significant places,linked on the one hand to ancient traditions of thePlateau and that have been in more recent times involved in the war events of the First World War seeing in particular the protagonist of the Britisharmy.

HOW TO GET TO THE STARTING POINT OF THE ROUTE

The starting point of the trail is located at the Prunno resort and is easily accessible by car by road that goes from Asiago to Bassano del Grappa. To reach the locality you can follow the directions to the local namesake that will meet on the left shortly after the junction of theHospital.

THE PATH

Taking the dirt road that enters the woods it is impossible to imagine that this land, now covered by lush forests of Spruce, was, not even 100 years ago, upset by bloody battles and incessant bombardments.

A few hundred meters from the start, after crossing an underpass on the provincial road we will be faced with an intersection, where we will take the road to the right that will lead us to enter the woods. After a few minutes of walking we will face a clearing in which stands a small chapel named after San Sisto and more commonly known by locals as Lazzaretto. As the name suggests, we are faced with a votive church built in Thanksgiving of the end of the plague of 1631, as the sick were placed here.

Almost 300 years later, in 1918 this area (renamed St. Sisto Ridge)was occupied by theBritish Army who installed important military worksthere. Some of these works are still visible. Only since last summer, for example, bunkers on the right have been unearthed (a hundred metres before the chapel on the right) of the bunkers on which there are still inscriptions and regimental friezes.

Similarly, by entering the woods it is possible to intercept the third line of resistance in England,called the Adelphi Trench with the wells for the placement of machine gunsstill clearly visible. Inside the forest with a little attention you can observe a series of dark stripes placed horizontally on the trunk of each individual tree. These signs are the glue residues derived from an intervention to eradicate a parasite (Cephalcia arvensis)that in the 1990s seriously endangered the survival of these forests.

Continuing along the road, after a few hundred meters you will meet a small road that branches to the left and after a short climb comes to a large clearing where we will find Malga Fassa. From this point you can enjoy an enviable panorama on the Asiago conca.
From here you will have to take another lane that going into the woods to the left of the clearing will lead us down a valley called Prinele to the bottom of the Valley of barenthal.

THE ENGLISH CEMETERY OF BARENTHAL AND THE RETURN

Continuing a few hundred meters along this direction we will reach the point of greatest interest of our itinerary, the British cemetery of Barenthal (from the cimbro Valley of the Bear),always dating back to the First World War.