Trascrizione
With the outbreak of hostilities between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy, in May 1915, the population of the Highlands found itself in the middle of a war zone. With a general evacuation order issued by the military authorities, the entire local population – by this point mainly women, elderly and children - was forced to hastily gather food, clothing and the few personal belongings they could carry and were then transported to Upper Austria and Bohemia by train. These families were then sorted into refugee camps built for the occasion, as in the case of the Braunau Camp built specifically for the inhabitants of Lavarone. In spite of attempts to normalize life in these so-called "wooden towns" – the refugee camps were provided with churches, schools, hospitals and even modest stores - hunger, cold and disease, in the years of exile were rampant and caused several victims especially among children and the elderly. The evacuees of Lavarone were able to return to their homes only in December of 1918, at the end of the war.
“From Magrè, in those days, bombs could be seen falling on Fort Belvedere. In the evening you couldn’t sleep in the house, but instead you were forced to sleep in basements and vaults, for fear that the bombs could hit the houses and collapse them. After a few days the military arrived, with orders to evacuate the population and so we left, trying to take with us what we needed and reluctantly leaving our homes. But none of us knew what was waiting for us”
This was the testimony of Quarto Penner of Lavarone, then a child, describing the start of the War in the Astico Valley. The audio guide will continue at the entrance of the fort’s kitchen located at the end of the main corridor, always on your left.