Open air museum Lagazuoi - 5 Torri

The Lagazuoi - 5 Torri area is the perfect combination of hiking and history, in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Dolomites. The mountains of the Lagazuoi - 5 Torri, bear, the indelible marks of one of the most tragic events of the twentieth century, the First World War and, in particular, of the bloody battles in the Alps. The sites where Italians and Austro-Hungarians fought, have been restored thanks to international collaboration becoming a vast open air museum.

Mount Lagazuoi was the scene of fierce fighting between the Italian and the Austro-Hungarian Alpine troops.

The Italian positions on the ledges underneath the peak of the mountain were held for two years as a key point of the first order on the Dolomite front. The same ledges took the name of the sector commander, Captain Martini.

The mountaintops were tightly guarded by the Austrians. To conquer the Austrian positions, the Italian troups built a tunnel inside Mt. Lagazuoi starting near the "Martini Ledge."

The peak positions of the Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops were restored over the last years and one of the largest First World War museums was launched with three open-air locations: the Museum at Lagazuoi / Lagació, the Museum 5 Torri and the museum at Sas de stria. In the war fortress at the Valparola Pass, built in 1897 to defend the southern borders of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a museum has been arranged: The Museum Forte Tre Sassi.