Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa - The World War I Mountain Memorial.

In honor of Memorial Day, we drove the long, windy narrow road up Monte Grappa from Bassano del Grappa to visit the largest memorial to World War I in Italy - Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa a tribute and ossuary commemorating both Italian and Austro-Hungarian fallen soldiers.

Sacrario Militare del Monte Grappa is composed of five concentric circles laid on top of each other. Each level hugs the landscape seamlessly, integrating into the curve of the mountain. It is a memorial designed neither to be concealed nor to be resplendent. It is built to be harmonious and respectful to the integrity of its surroundings where so many lost their lives . Both poignant and beautiful with its subtle tactful design, it is to be commended for its thoughtful, dignified, respectful composition.

The memorial was inaugurated in September 1935. The Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers are buried in separate sections connected by a passageway named Strada Eroica (Heroic Way). The white carpet of stone carved from the Grappa mountain, leads the way from the Rome Portal between two rows of stone blocks, each engraved with the names of the locations where the most notable battles took place. All of which are in the surrounding area between two rivers (the Brenta and the Piave), making the mountain a stronghold and strategic position with the ever-changing face of the front lines, and  a key location for the counteroffensive. The conquest of Grappa Mountain, would have allowed the Austro-Hungarians to spread across the Venetian plain.

As you stop and acknowledge each battle along the solemn walk (250m (273yds) in length), the mountainous view framing each stone reveals the tale of how difficult it must have been for the soldiers. We arrived in late May and even though the weather was warm and sunny at the bottom of the mountain,  at the memorial the air was bitterly cold. Snow remained in the shady areas, mist and rain rolled in and out on the peak, providing an eerie, bleak canvas to the white stone.  When the mist cleared the rocky, rugged terrain with little cover must have been a treacherous ascent which certainly was the reason why so many perished.

Notably, this is the second Italian memorial we have visited this year, which was designed to honor both sides of a conflict.  The blended design shows generosity, forgiveness and outreach. Without judgement it seamlessly blends loss- reminding us that every service member who dies in service of their country, leaves behind a life unfulfilled regardless of their side in the battle. The nationalities divided in conflict but united in death and mourning.

At the end of the Strada Eroica, lays a small round sanctuary of the Madonnina del Grappa which has a story of its own.

Views of the chapel before and after we entered - here you can see how quickly the weather changes. 

The remains of the 22,950 identified and unidentified soldiers, all of whom died in the battles mentioned on the stones of the Heroic Way are kept in 'niches'; spaces in the stone for the urn to lay. Here on Monte Grappa, each niche is covered with a bronze plate, identifying the deceased whenever possible.

The most frequently visited niche is one of an Austro Hungarian soldier named Peter Pan, who died at the age of 21, in September 1918. Flowers, stones or small toys can often be seen left by the plaque bearing his name. The many gift-bearers and pilgrims to Peter Pan's resting place undoubtedly see the irony of his name. The fairytale name signifies a young life lost prematurely; the boy who would never grow up. Peter Pan's plaque is surrounded by boys who will never grow up. His name is a metaphor for each of the 22,950 soldiers who all ended their lives too soon. Lost boys - memorialized on the mountain.

Peter Pan's grave and the other Austro Hungarian soldiers lie to the right of the Rome portal .

The area is smaller.  Only 295 fallen Austro Hungarian soldiers could be identified - their remains lay in niches on two overlapping shelves, identical to those beyond the chapel which hold the fallen Italian soldiers. 10,000 unknown Austro- Hungarian soldiers rest  in the two urns, either side of the cross.

Scattered around both areas are graves and dedications to the soldiers and Generals of the battle. One grave belongs to a General who did not perish during the battle but according to his wishes he was returned to lie with his former soldiers after his death many years later. 

We were a little baffled by the fort like building at the far side of the memorial pictured below. Later investigation informed us that the ruins had been a US NATO site; a missile launching pad during the cold war (for more details see the footnotes, below) . Though the missiles are long gone the remaining building is in bad condition. There has been interest in converting it into a museum to compliment the memorial, but neither the funds or permission have been forthcoming to date.

The Monte Grappa memorial is a beautiful dedication, a masterpiece of design, following the contours of the mountain, strangely both complimenting its surroundings and looking fort-like with its tiered-build. It is not easy to get to. The athletic bike or climb, others drive the windy road. It is a destination made by choice, not stumbled upon. It is a visit made because it is important to remember, important to walk past the many names - important to keep the candles in the chapel burning. Like the Mother in Peter Pan who kept the children's window open night after night hoping for their return and the many parents, siblings, friends and spouses of men and women lost in battle work to keep their loved ones memories alive. It is our duty to remember, even if we have never directly lost a loved one. It is our duty to continue remembering even after the first generation of mourners die. In the words of J.M Barrie the author of Peter Pan - we should never completely say farewell, we should never erase the past with the words goodbye;

Monte Grappa Memorial is here to stay and it does not allow us to forget. It fulfills more than that one role though, as every war memorial should. It serves to allow us never to forget the lives lost to battle in the past and it also serves as a warning for the future . It is situated on a  mountain where battles were fought both in World War I and World War II. In World War II Italian soldiers were allegedly burnt alive by German troops while hiding in a cave on the mountain.  A bleak reminder of the repetition of war.

Therefore it is also a memorial built to try to prevent the premonition in Peter Pan.

It seems only fitting that one of the soldiers should be named Peter Pan.  But these 22,950 lives were lost, were not in Neverland, it was not a fairytale. The names known and unknown are names of real people, real lives lost from both sides of a battle, united in the permanence of death and their final location. The names should be read as individuals, real lost boys, reminders that we should do all we can to prevent real lives being stopped short again.