06Apr 2018 by Jauko
Monte San Michele (part 3 of 3)

Monte San Michele (part 3 of 3)

News, Blog
  The final chapter Click here for part 1. Click here for part 2. In the last part of this triptych about the San Michele the Italian attack is resumed with a considerable bombardment of the Austrian positions. It is now the end of October 1915. Some of the newly performed repairs are canceled and again the Italians invade the Austrian positions. It is terrible. After all the battles and bombing of the last few days, there are torn parts of the body in the trenches, the drinking water is completely up and the rats are bursting. Wounds can not be helped and in some places even the bodies of killed comrades are used as cover against the enemy fire. Even now it seems as if the Italians have decided…
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05Mar 2018 by Jauko
Monte San Michele (part 2 of 3)

Monte San Michele (part 2 of 3)

News, Blog
  The battle for the hill begins (part 2 of 3) Click here for part 1. Click here for part 3. In the previous blog it was discussed why the hill at San Michele was so important for the Italian and the Austro-Hungarian army. But also that the Italians needed tide to get their troops this way, giving the Austrians extra time to get their defense in order. Ingredients that promised a laborious struggle. In part two of this triptych about San Michele, the battle is written. Although several small villages were occupied at the end of May and the beginning of June, and the Italians occupied important positions, especially in the northern part of the Isonzo basin, the first battle in the series of the Isonzo battles began on…
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01Feb 2018 by Jauko
Monte San Michele (part 1 of 3)

Monte San Michele (part 1 of 3)

News, Blog
  Monte San Michele (part 1 of 3) Click here for part 2.  Click here for part 3. In the story describing the bitter battle the Italians had with Austrians to capture the city of Gorizia, the hill San Michele occupies an important place. In the first six Isonzo battles, this place is synonymous with smoke, grenades and unbearable thirst until, after a long struggle, the hill was no longer sustainable for the Austrian units. This is the first part of a triptych that describes this struggle. In this part we mainly discuss the importance of this hill. The other parts describe the battle and the outcome. The hill of San Michele is about ten kilometers from the accommodation in Sela na Krasu.   Gorizia is the key to success…
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16Jan 2018 by Jauko
Our First Journey

Our First Journey

News
  Our First Journey Dear reader, We are proud to announce that the first trip with Isonzo Battlefields Travel is a fact. Between the 28th of April and the 5th of May, our carefully selected program will be followed. In 8 days time our guests will visit the main locations and museums along the entire front line from Bovec to Monfalcone, accompanied by local, experienced guides, while staying in a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in the former war zone on the Karst plateau. If you are still interested? There are still places available, so feel free to contact us.
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31Dec 2017 by Jauko
The first victim at the Isonzo

The first victim at the Isonzo

News, Blog
  The first victim at the Isonzo Although the war on the Isonzo front erupts only in the spring of 1915, the first war victim in this border region between Austria-Hungary and Italy falls ten months earlier. This event is only a very small footnote in the history of this region, but is therefore no less special. The victim is a lady of Austrian nobility and the circumstances are suspect. Who drives north through the Julian Alps to the south, follows the road that largely passes the Isonzo. The Isonzo which is called Soča by the Slovenians. Between Bovec and Kobarid is a small, white monument along the side of the road. It is not very noticeable and many people drive by with a speed, in the delusion that it…
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27Nov 2017 by Jauko
A one-legged war hero

A one-legged war hero

News, Blog
  A one-legged war hero It remains a difficult story with those Italian war heroes. First, after the First World War, the fascists blow all the stories about the Italian heroes to mythical proportions, so that they can no longer be taken seriously, (for which thanks Benito and your friends). And after the Second World War, with Italy as losing and wrong party, there was no motivation anymore to put the Italian soldiers on a pedestal. But nevertheless, there are special stories to tell about a few people who speak to the imagination. Although fascist propaganda remains lurking in it. This is the story of a one-legged soldier who fought on the Italian front. Now, one-legged soldiers were more common in the war, but Enrico Toti, the protagonist of this…
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20Nov 2017 by Jauko
Program research

Program research

News
  Program research From the 9th of November until the 14th of November we have been to Slovenia for a short visit to confirm all agreements about the program accommodation and the guides. We also to the liberty to visit a few locations like Kremenjak, beautifully colored in autumn red and Kolovrat, amazingly covered in snow. Below a short impression: Kremenjak [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="1" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails" override_thumbnail_settings="0" thumbnail_width="240" thumbnail_height="160" thumbnail_crop="1" images_per_page="20" number_of_columns="0" ajax_pagination="0" show_all_in_lightbox="0" use_imagebrowser_effect="0" show_slideshow_link="0" slideshow_link_text="[Show slideshow]" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]   https://www.facebook.com/IsonzoBattlefields/videos/357380078023102/   Kobarid [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="2" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails" override_thumbnail_settings="0" thumbnail_width="240" thumbnail_height="160" thumbnail_crop="1" images_per_page="20" number_of_columns="0" ajax_pagination="0" show_all_in_lightbox="0" use_imagebrowser_effect="0" show_slideshow_link="0" slideshow_link_text="[Show slideshow]" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]   Kolovrat [ngg_images source="galleries" container_ids="3" display_type="photocrati-nextgen_basic_thumbnails" override_thumbnail_settings="0" thumbnail_width="240" thumbnail_height="160" thumbnail_crop="1" images_per_page="20" number_of_columns="0" ajax_pagination="0" show_all_in_lightbox="0" use_imagebrowser_effect="0" show_slideshow_link="0" slideshow_link_text="[Show slideshow]" order_by="sortorder" order_direction="ASC" returns="included" maximum_entity_count="500"]   https://www.facebook.com/IsonzoBattlefields/videos/358817134546063/
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05Nov 2017 by Jauko
The “Great Wall” of Karst

The “Great Wall” of Karst

News
  40 - COASTLAND TRENCH PARK IN CONTOVELLO A new itinerary of the Great War is active from this summer in Contovello. In the area of Contovello, in the well-known and popular wood extending parallel to the Vicentina, or better Napoleonica road (Alpe Adria Trail), between the Sanctuary of Monte Grisa and the Obelisk, in the collective property of Contovello is located the Coastland Trench Park, taking its name from the finding in the area of a large number of ornamental brooches of the 40th regiment. The Coastland Trench is a complex, which extended from Duino (Trieste, ITALY) to Novigrad (Istra, CROATIA) built in order to defend the city of Trieste and the Austro-Hungarian Coastland but never used. The “Great Wall” of Karst is a structure of impressive dimensions. Length…
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22Oct 2017 by Jauko
Tunnel Vision: The Babinrub Tunnels

Tunnel Vision: The Babinrub Tunnels

News, Blog
  Tunnel Vision: The Babinrub Tunnels On a sunny day during my first visit to Isonzofront was a day trip to Gorizia on the agenda. After an early breakfast in Tolmin we rode on Monday morning to this former Austrian city, then called Görz. The road from Tolmin to Gorizia extends largely along the Isonzo and by the morning peak, the total lack of it - enjoying the landscape and the sun. After a short hour, we approached Gorizia's surroundings. In the valley in which we drive, the Isonzo slowly flows on our right to the Adriatic Sea. It is extremely peaceful and it is hard to imagine that the Italian soldiers were on our side hundred years ago. On the left of the road lies the hill where the…
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