Fogliano Redipúglia: Memorials, Museums and Karst Trails

Fogliano Redipúglia can be explored through the various traces of the First World War: the monumental Sacrario di Redipuglia, collections and memorial spaces, former defensive installations in the Karst, and other places of remembrance. Churches add sacred art and architecture to the picture. To help plan your visit, it is useful to group the destinations by type: the monumental staircase defines the experience at the Sacrario, museum rooms focus on images and personal mementos, while traces of former fortifications form part of the landscape outdoors.

The Sacrario and the memorial sites at Colle Sant’Elia

The Sacrario di Redipuglia is located on the western slope of Monte Sei Busi. Its monumental staircase consists of 22 steps and contains the remains of more than 39,800 fallen soldiers whose names are known. Behind the 22nd step are two symmetrically arranged museum rooms: one is dedicated to gold medals and works by the painter Giuseppe Ciotti, and the other to personal belongings and small mementos of the fallen. In this way, the site combines a large-scale monument with personal keepsakes.

At Colle Sant’Elia, the Parco delle Rimembranze includes memorials, Austro-Hungarian fortifications, trenches and tunnels. It also features 30 artillery guns, many of which are considered rare. The Sacrario Militare and the Parco delle Rimembranze at Colle Sant’Elia are open permanently.

The hill was chosen as the site of the Cimitero Militare di Redipuglia “Invitti 3^ Armata.” About 30,000 war dead were buried there; the identities of 5,860 were preserved. Along the staircase and around the summit square, memorial stones, inscriptions and bronze replicas of military objects recall the cemetery’s original design. One kilometre from the Sacrario di Redipuglia is the Cimitero austro-ungarico di Fogliano Redipuglia. It contains the remains of 14,550 soldiers who fell in this area. Hungarian, Bosnian, Slavic and Romanian surnames are a reminder of the multi-ethnic dimension of the Habsburg Empire, which fought its final battle in the Karst, the Alps and along the Piave.

Museums and churches offer further perspectives

Since 2014, the Museo Multimediale della Grande Guerra has been housed in the former railway station of Fogliano Redipúglia. Three touchscreen stations provide self-guided access to a photo collection of more than 1,200 images. The collection and technology can be expanded or updated.

Different forms of sacred art come together in the Chiesa di Santa Elisabetta: the church has a wooden statue of the Madonna from the 14th century, as well as interior furnishings and decorations by local painters Corrado Zimolo, Carlo Mauri and Giulio Justolin. The Chiesetta di Santa Maria in Monte was built at the centre of a Venetian military installation. Its garden is still surrounded by a star-shaped wall, parts of which are original. Commander Antonio Priuli had it built during the Guerre Gradiscane between Venice and the Empire.

Karst landscape, trails and historic traces

The Museo all’aperto della Dolina del XV Bersaglieri is located on the battlefields of the Karst plateau of Monte Sei Busi, between Fogliano Redipúglia and Ronchi dei Legionari. Marked trails lead to trenches, tunnels and military positions. You can reach the open-air museum by car after travelling about two and a half kilometres along the road from Redipuglia to Doberdò del Lago. A footpath then leads to Monte Sei Busi, at 118 metres above sea level. From there, the view extends across the entire former Isonzo Front, from Monte Krn, or Nero, to the Gulf of Trieste, which is bounded by Monte Hermada.

The Trincea delle Frasche was one of the early, seemingly impregnable Austro-Hungarian defensive systems dug into the hard rock of the Karst. Some of its original sections have been partly filled in and are now only faintly visible among the surrounding vegetation. Nearby, easy, marked trails lead to the memorial stone for Filippo Corridoni and the pyramid commemorating the infantrymen of the Brigata Sassari. A section of the so-called Trincerone italiano, also known as the Trincea Mazzoldi, is also visible around the summit of Monte Sei Busi. As markers and trail conditions can change, check them before setting out.

The Sentieri di Pace project organises excursions throughout the year, led by guides who specialise in the First World War. If you are considering a guided excursion, check the specific dates in advance.

Getting to the Sacrario di Redipuglia

By car, the route to the Sacrario di Redipuglia follows the Venice–Trieste motorway to the Redipuglia exit, then continues for two kilometres towards Fogliano Redipúglia. By train, use Redipuglia station on the Udine–Gorizia–Trieste line. Ronchi dei Legionari Airport is five kilometres away, and the port of Trieste is about 45 kilometres away. Check the current timetable for your train journey.

Discover more destinations: Monfalcone, Gorizia, Savogna D'isonzo, Farra D'isonzo, Capriva Del Friuli, Polazzo, Staranzano, Peci.

Back to the parent travel guide: Gorizia.