Cortina Inverno

48
In the
footsteps
of the past
Snowshoes have become a phenomenon,
they are so much appreciated because
they are easy to use without any
particular technical or physical preparation
and, with their simplicity – which
is nothing more than the primordial walking – they
lead through the most fascinating wilderness which
on Col Gallina is one with the history of the Great
War. A night on the front line, the atmosphere of
bygone times, suitable for children and adults alike,
is what Raniero Campigotto, manager of Rifugio
Col Gallina offers for the winter in cooperation
with historical re-enactors Luca Turchetto, Alex
Zanghelini, Franz Brunner and the Alpine guides
of Cortina. Snowshoes will let you discover the hidden
emotions in the enchanted mountain universe
in winter, at the right pace, the slow pace of walking.
Leave your car. In the sunset light, the tales of
the re-enactors and a guide for your safety will lead
you on a quiet climb up to Punta Gallina at 2,330
mt. The tracks on the immaculate snow blanket
are delicate, gentle: just the print of the snowshoes
and the hole of the sticks. Walking, floating without
sinking: almost a miracle. Punta Gallina is the last
spur of a rocky ridge named after the officer who
was on duty here during the Great War. From its
top, our sight wanders and gets lost: over the highest
mountains, passes, valleys, forests as far as the
smallest villages. For its dominant position, Punta
Gallina was an important strategic site for the Italian
artillery. In the period between May 1915 and
October 1917, this summit was completely fortified
with lots of works: a tunnel dug in the rock led to a
slit whence a mountain cannon would hit Lagazuoi
and Sas de Stria. Next to it the U shaped ammunition
depot, protected by a robust wall of sandbags.
Today, thanks to Campigotto’s efforts, together
with the Bellona naturalistic group and the municipalities
of Cortina d’Ampezzo and Livinallongo,
the stronghold is living again within a project to
recover and promote the area and create an emotional
and educational route, also suitable to chil-
l’altra cortina
dren. Part of the works have already been accomplished
with the restoration of the officers’ hut, the
observation post, and the cannon gallery.
In the observation post, participants are immersed
in the war history to remember the past
and enhance the value of peace. Snow-shoers stand
before a gallery excavated into the bowels of the
mountain, from where they can see a cannon emplacement
and sense the strain of the soldiers. Farther
above, up a ladder, you enter the officers’ hut
with the observation post, the telephone post and a
burning stove: listen to the wood burning and you
nearly get the feeling that time has stopped. A magic
that becomes real in the voice of Luca, Alex, and
Franz. But in the hut of Punta Gallina there are
also refreshments and body and soul will warm up
with a glass of wine or hot tea, with bread and salami,
speck, and cheese produced in the Veneto area.
In the meanwhile, you listen to the lives of the soldiers
of the past, of those men who were husbands,
fathers, and sons, before being soldiers. Common
people. So, among anecdotes and teachings, history
lives again and you discover that wine arrived
up there on slabs of ice, and that the stronghold
hosted a robin in a cage, used as a sentry: no chirping
meant danger due to gas.
Full of emotions, refreshed by the alpine snack,
and heartened by the warmth of the stronghold,
the hikers start their way down when the sun has
already set. In the sky, the moon and the stars
are shining, and when the moon is full you do not
need artificial lights. The snow muffles the slow
walk. Hikers come back in the footsteps of the past,
moved, but gratified, immersed in the wonderful
landscape, in history and in the awesomeness of
the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage.
Step after step to explore the
sites of the Great War, guided
by historical re-enactors and by
the perfumes and colours of a
territory that preserves the traces
– although painful – of its history,
now symbols of peace. “Floating”
on the snow, that’s how you will
discover the other side of Cortina.