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| Monte Grappa | |
|---|---|
 Southern Flank of Monte Grappa | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,775 m (5,823 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,456 m (4,777 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 45°52′24″N11°47′57″E / 45.87333°N 11.79917°E /45.87333; 11.79917 |
| Geography | |
  Monte Grappa Location in the Alps | |
| Location | Veneto,Italy |
| Parent range | Venetian Prealps |
Monte Grappa (Venetian:Mónte Grapa) (1,775 m) is a mountain of theVenetian Prealps inVeneto, Italy. It lies between theVenetian plain to the south and the central alpine areas to the north. To the west, it is parted from the Asiago upland by theBrenta river, and to the east it is separated from the Cesen-Visentin massif by thePiave river. To the north lie Corlo lake and Feltre valley. In the past, the mountain was calledAlpe Madre (Mother Alp), and is currently divided among three provinces:Vicenza to the west,Treviso to the south andBelluno to the northeast. It is the highest peak of a smallmassif, which also includes many other peaks such as Col Moschin, Colle della Berretta, Monte Asolone, Monte Pertica, Prassolan, Monti Solaroli, Fontana Secca, Monte Peurna, Monte Santo, Monte Tomatico, Meatte, Monte Pallon, and Monte Tomba.
In September 2021,UNESCO announced that Monte Grappa would become one of 20 new biosphere reserves[2] as part of theirMan and the Biosphere Programme.
The Grappa Massif was formed almost ten million years ago. It was created by the collision between theAfrican and Europeanlithospheric plates. Over the millennia, these sediments have been interested by acementification and then they were lifted up by pressures that caused theAlpine mountain range to rise. Nowadays, the main types of rocks found on the Grappa are:
Furthermore, over the centuries, different external atmospheric pressures have modified the morphological structure of the Grappa Massif.
Due to its geographic position near theVenetian plain, the Monte Grappa area is very rich in both flowers and plants. In fact, its climatic conditions has favoured the prevalence of small Mediterranean scrub bushes andalpine vegetation that is composed mostly ofconifers[clarification needed] in the snowy areas. Typical trees and bushes on Monte Grappa include maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) and lime (Tilia platyphyllos), the fir tree (Abies concolor), thespruce fir and thebeech tree, with various geophytes underneath.[3] Typical forest flowers include: dandelions (Leontodon tenuiflorus),Knautia persicina,Globularia nudicaulis, peony (Paeonia officinalis), the rare iris (Iris cengialti),Soldanella andClematis.[3] Typical pasture grasses include:Festuca paniculata andHelictotrichon parlatorei, and on the cliffsMinuartia graminifolia can be found.[3]
The Grappa Massif is also rich in fauna. Common species includeroe deer,mouflon, andchamois; there are birds of prey such as thebuzzard, theperegrine falcon, thegolden eagle and theeagle owl, andsquirrels, foxes,badgers, and lizards can all be found on its slopes.
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DuringWorld War I andWorld War II some important events took place on Monte Grappa, and a memorial monument, the statue of theMadonna del Grappa (ruined during World War II but restored in the following years), and a World War Museum lie on the mountain. The remains of Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers who died in war are kept here.
During World War I, after the ItalianCaporetto defeat, Monte Grappa became themost important pillar of Italian defence, andAustrianstried many times to conquer the peak to spread on the Venetian plain from November 11, 1917, to October 24, 1918. The Italians made caves in the rock and built fixed emplacements for the artillery so that they could keep control from the Valderoa Mount to Caprile hill. During the 3rd Battle of Monte Grappa the Austro-Hungarian forces would be defeated and would collapse (Battle of Vittorio Veneto).
During World War II,Italy signed theArmistice of Cassibile withUSA and UK on 3 September 1943. Some days later,Wehrmacht troops invaded Italy (Operation Achse). AnItalian resistance movement came up, and the Nazisfought them and civilists cruelly. Groups of Partisans sought refuge on Monte Grappa. There theNazis killed a large number of them, and those who had not been killed in battle were publicly hanged atBassano del Grappa.
Post war,NATO built a radar missile base on Monte Grappa for American anti-aircraft defense. It was demolished in the 1970s.
On the summit of Monte Grappa there is amilitary memorial monument and ossaruary, designed by the architect Giovanni Greppi in collaboration with the sculptorGiannino Castiglioni. It was inaugurated on 22 September 1935.In the central body lie the remains of 12,615 soldiers, of these the identities of 10,332 are unknown. The monument is composed of five concentric circles laid on top of each other to form a pyramid. On the top there is the little sanctuary of theMadonnina del Grappa.
Near the monument, there is a cave where some people[4] believe that some Partisans had been burnt alive by the Nazi-fascists. Since 1974 there has been a statue calledAl Partigiano in that cave, made by the sculptorAugusto Murer.
Monte Grappa is depicted in the video gameBattlefield 1 in the multiplayer map Monte Grappa and in the single player campaign story "Avanti Savoia" which both take place during theBattle of Monte Grappa.
In the video gameIsonzo, one of the multiplayer maps takes place on the mountain during the Battle of Monte Grappa.
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