Cima Grappa Memorial

The Shrine was built in 1935, based on a design by architect Giovanni Greppi and sculptor Giannino Castiglioni. The central body of the monument, which houses the remains of 12,615 fallen soldiers, of whom 10,332 are unknown, consists of five concentric rings, each four meters high and circumscribed by a circular platform ten meters wide. The remains of the identified fallen soldiers are arranged alphabetically and housed in individual niches, covered by bronze plates. Those of the 10,332 unknown soldiers are collected in larger common urns, which alternate with the individual tombs. On the summit of the monument stands the chapel called the Sanctuary of the Madonnina del Grappa. From the square of the chapel, the Heroic Way, made of squared local stone, winds for 250 meters up to the Rome Portal, between two rows of stone markers on which are carved the names of the localities linked to the most famous events of the Grappa battles. Between the fourth and fifth rings, in a central position, is the tomb of General Giardino. The Madonnina del Grappa, blessed by Cardinal Sarto, later Pope Pius X, is a pilgrimage destination on the first Sunday of August. The Rome Portal, which stands at the end of the Heroic Way, was designed and built by architect Alessandro Limongelli. Above the Rome Portal, an observatory has been created from which it is possible to admire the wide surrounding panorama and the points of greatest historical interest. In the northeast sector of the Rome Portal, the remains of 10,295 Austro-Hungarian fallen soldiers have been gathered.

The Cima Grappa Military Memorial is located on Monte Grappa, within the monumental area that bears the same name.
Designed by architect Giovanni Greppi and sculptor Giannino Castiglioni, the memorial stretches from south to north along the ridge of Cima Grappa, at an altitude of 1,776 meters. This monumental complex houses the remains of over 12.600 Italian soldiers and more than 10.200 Austro-Hungarian soldiers, resting in two distinct but perfectly connected structures. These are surrounded by various service buildings for visitors and by commemorative and religious monuments.
The Italian ossuary is linked to the Austro-Hungarian ossuary by the Via Eroica (“Heroic Way”), which begins at the Square of the Madonna del Grappa and ends at the entrance square of the Portale Roma. The path, paved with concrete slabs, is bordered by seven pairs of large stone pillars, each bearing in relief the names of the main battle sites of the Grappa area.
The Cima Grappa Memorial is not only a solemn place of remembrance but also a symbol of reconciliation and peace, offering breathtaking panoramic views over the Venetian plain and the Dolomites.
It is a major historical, cultural and natural site, visited every year by pilgrims, hikers, and history enthusiasts.