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Home STORIA e NATURA EPOCHE STORICO-ARTISTICHE
The Karst of Gorizia, with the 1° World War Memorial of Redipuglia and the Lake of Doberdò
   
   
The Karst of Gorizia is substantially different from the karst of Trieste in the historical-civil level, because of the 1° World War of 1915-18. This dramatic and great event has really involved the disappearance of almost all pre-existent buildings and then the Karst of Gorizia cans not boast the richness of historical buildings which distinguishes the Karst of Trieste.
   For partial compensation you can not give up visiting what is left for the war or in consequence of the war is built and today remains, in its grandness (beginning from the Memorial of Redipuglia, monument with worldwide importance), as a proof and as a honour of the great strength of which the human spirit is capable and as warning for a future of peace among the nations. (for events and commemorations see www.turismofvg.it)
  You can obtain all information about the Karst of Gorizia in the visitor centre ‘Gradina’ (very well made with the area museum, cooking and tasting of typical products, cultural events) near Doberdò upon the bank overlooking the lake (www.riservanaturalegradina.com, tel.0481-784111 333-4056800).
   
 
 To see on the historical level
  The Charnel-house and Memorial of Redipuglia
  Devised as a colossal staircase to reach the Karst, it was built in 1938. Inside the 22 huge steps are kept the remains of 100.000 fallen of the whole of Italy, the third of them the names are engraved in the stone, while the others are ‘unwnown soldiers’.
  On the top there are a chapel and an observatory, from which the look sweeps on whole karstic tableland. At the base some trenches and armoured paths. Is part of the complex also the S.Elia Hill, just in front of the staircase, where among the cypresses are exposed some period pieces of ordnance.

 Other monuments and memorial stones, remembering war actions and persons, are very numerous and scattered everywhere. Some of them have big dimensions and artistic workmanship, as the stones of Corridoni, Marras and Btg Sassari at West of San Martino, of hungarian 4° Rgt Honved just up San Martino, and as the Sacred area with monument at Quota 85 of the Pietrarossa Mount. Also remarkable the more recent monument to the Resistance at East of Gradina Centre of Doberdò.
   
Other civil and religious buildings:
- at Monfalcone: the medieval castle ‘Rocca’ (paleontological museum); the Duomo of 1926 in romanesque style; the S. Polo chapel of 1400; the ruins of some ‘castellieri’ (prehistoric fortified hamlets) along the path which from Selz village (in the municipal area of Sagrado) goes to Pietrarossa Mount.
- at Castelvecchio of Sagrado: neoclassical palace of 1700
- at Fogliano: little Santa Maria in Colle church with frescoes of 1550
- at Doberdò: romanesque church of 1920 and some typical houses; House Cadorna at East of Gradina and the near ‘castelliere’ of Castellazzo.
   
To see: military works and weapons of the 1° World War

  Military museums: guns and other war material, historical uniforms and images are situated in outdoor and indoor museums on the S.Elia hill in front of the memorial of Redipuglia and on the S. Michele Mount.
  The trenches: are scattered everywhere. Here we sign only the largest and in best conditions ones, being generally outdoor works.
  The most interesting works are however derived by conversion and enlargement of natural hollows, reason why they have also an speleological interest.
The main military works are located
- at the base of the same Memorial of Redipuglia
- upon the S. Michele Mount (between the villages of S. Martino and S. Michele), constituted by four hilltops which have been dug and fortified with trenches, forts and even gun emplacements into caverns (down the hilltop n.3, with big galleries and storages hundred metres long): all is signed with signboards and included in a circular path beginning from a little museum and information centre  (tel.0481-92002)(www.itinerarigrandeguerra.it) (Sentieri di pace Fogliano Redipuglia, tel.0481-489139)
- upon the Brestovi Mount at West of S. Michele (galleries, fort, fortified works in hollows, trenches) that you can reach on a nice path among woods and glades from Brezici, suburb of S.Michele;
- at West of S. Martino the trench of ‘Frasche’ (branches);
- upon the Sei Busi Mount, near from the hilltop of Memorial of Redipuglia (emplacements, the fortified dolines ‘Piccola’ and ‘Bersaglieri’ or ‘Cinquecento’, the trenche ‘Mazzoldi’ at South of the mount)
- upon the Pietrarossa Mount at the Quote (altitude u.s.l.) 85 and 121, at South-East of the Rocca of Monfalcone (fort, trenches and the big trench ‘Trincerone’ ).
  A particular mention deserves the Holiday Farm Alture di Polazzo (Crosara locality) which has restored and included in a path with signboards all surrounding military works, among which an interesting cave-hospital.
  Also the town of Monfalcone has connected with paths and signboards all war historical elements of its area (www.museomonfalcone.it).
  An original and interesting presence in this immense war theatre is the Ungaretti Park: 20 poems engraved on as many wood, stone and iron structures scattered in a large complex with an historical villa, closed park, labyrinths at Castelnovo of Sagrado (Amici di Castelnuovo tel.0481-99742 Questo indirizzo e-mail è protetto dallo spam bot. Abilita Javascript per vederlo. )
   

What to see on the naturalistic level

  The Karst is an natural environment with exceptional characteristics, both on the landscape and on the biological planes. The particular type of the karstic ground give to the landscape a very unusual look: it is lightly undulating, scattered with small circular depressions (‘doline’) and drewn with stones and rocks cropping out which present crests, small basins, furrows with strange geometrical patterns.
  The cause is the high solubility of the carbonate rock, inside which the water creates hollows also very deep (until 500 metres) and concretions (stalactites and stalagmites) also huge (until 12 metres high).     On the hydrologic level the Karst of Gorizia has another great rarity: the water is no present upon the surface of this ground except with few ponds and little lakes, the level of which changes continuously along the year until, some times, to disappear according to the flow of underground waters: phenomenon evident also in the lake of Doberdò, when more constant is the level of the smaller Lake of Pietrarossa, at South, which is almost at level of the sea and is fed by near springs.
 Flora
  In the Karst of Friuli region (almost whole natural reserve), with the jointly presence of the continental and maritime environments, the flora is very rich with over 1100 species that, especially in autumn, change the landscape in a pictoresque multicoloured palette.
  On the Karst of Gorizia , the area with the most rich vegetation is around the locality of Crosara , in the western and more level part. All the Karst of Gorizia is crossed by no less than 14 paths managed by Club Alpino Italiano (descriptions and maps in www.gorizia.org )
   
The surface erosive karstic phenomenon
They are present everywhere It is more easy to visit these ones: surfaced rock erosions: furrowed fields at South of Marcottini (path Cai n.72); stone falls at Gradina of Doberdò (path Cai n.77); furrowed fields at West of the Lake of Doberdò (path Cai n.72); dolines: they are wherever, but the historically better known, visible and with signboards are near Sei Busi Mount (Dolina dei 500 or dei Bersaglieri, Dolina Piccola);
   

Natural hollows
  The largest concentration of hollows is in the quadrilateral S.Martino-S.Michele-Devetachi-Marcottini. The most interesting of them are situated along the paths of the Cai.
  All regional hollows have the entrance signed with a red-white metal disk with the number of the regional catalogue (see www.catastogrotte.fvg.it).
  For more information and for visit some hollows see also: Gruppo spelelogico Carso Goriziano di S. Martino wich manages also a little museum (saturday and sunday 10-12/14-17, tel.340-5581378 338- 2626267); Gruppo speleologico Talpe del Carso, Doberdò-S. Michele (tel.0481-784034 338-6178688).
 

 We point out, in particular, because more typical, these following ones. 
Wells and abysses
They are vertical hollows the bottom of which often expands to a cavern or branches in one or more caves; they are very numerous but almost never reachable; the most interesting:
- Samar abyss (n.4709) at South of Marcottini village (controlled access: Gruppo speleogico Talpe del Carso)
- Bonetti abyss (n.393), great and impressive, at South-East of the Bonetti village (path n.75)

Caves (in addition to that ones transformed for military use, above signed)
Caves with controlled entrance:
- Grotta del Proteo (1191) at Sagrado in largo Castelvecchio on the low road to Castelvecchio, with three branches and little river inside (Gruppo Speleologico Talpe del Carso or keys from the owner of the near house)
- Grotta Regina (2328) a little at West of S.Michele, the greatest and rich of concretions (Gruppo Speleologico Talpe del Carso)
- Grotta Duilio (5256) near S.Martino (keys from local Gruppo Speleologico Carsico) Caves with free entrance: 
- Grotta Casali Neri (3841) at S.Martino, on the bottom of doline (path n.71);
- the complex of natural (cavern del Ricovero n.472 and Pozzo in caverna n,5413) and artificial caves and fortifications of the Brestovi Mount at the North of Devetachi along the path Cai n.74 (from S.Michele-Cotici or from km 12 of Road 55 ‘del Vallone’ between Devetachi and Gabria, 200 metres at South of the roadhouse)
- the whole of natural caves and military works at North of Monfalcone along the path n.84 (access near the railway station) including: Grotta dei pipistrelli (128) and Caverna Vergine (404), Grotta 1° on the Monte Pietrarossa (2167) (www.museomonfalcone.it)
   

Where to eat in the Karst of Gorizia and surroundings

Restaurants and Trattorias 

Trattoria Bar Gostilna PERIC BRANCO**°°, DOBERDO' del Lago 34070 GO, loc. Marcottini-Poljane via Gorizia, tel.0481- 78117 / Genuine home cooking repository of the karstic traditions and creator of original variations with area products: over 25 basic dishes with fortnightly change of menu / Regional and karstic Wines / Summer garden; room for groups / Open whole day (wednesday in afternoon and thursday closed).

Lokanda DEVETAK****, Savogna d'Isonzo 34070 GO, loc. S.Michele del Carso Brežici 22, tel.0481-882488  331-9846067  www.devetak.com / In the changing colours of the karstic Altopiano, between ever bright sea and sky, relaxing moments in an historical and extremely pleasant and friendly house, and a recharge of energies with unusual products and dishes of a unique land / Open wednesday and thursday at evening, friday saturday and sunday at noon and evening / Osteria 18-24.00.

Holiday farm cooking

Holiday farm KOVAC*°°° of Ivan Lakovic, Doberdò del Lago 34070 GO, vicolo Draga 3, tel.0481-78125 www.kovac.it / 'Tasty and healthy food'; specialities: karstic raw ham, tastes of first courses, mixed grilled meats, in oil vegetables, malvasia and terrano doc / Open 10-24.00 friday, saturday, sunday, public holidays and on booking ( June July August closed) / Catering / Wine on sale by measure and in bottle; pelinkovec.
In 2019 we are also open in Easter Monday, 25 April, 1 May.

Holiday farm PRI CIRILI**°° of Cirila Marja Lestan , Doberdò del Lago 34070 GO, via Bratuz 6, tel.0481-78268-78262  /  Cold and hot cooking: all Karst typical dishes, whole pork, whole poultry and rabbit, menu changing every week / On sale by measure wine, vegetables, fresh and seasoned cured pork meats / Open: friday 16-24.00, saturday and sunday 10-24.00; July August and September closed (open for groups on booking).

Where to buy typical products in the Karst of Gorizia and surroundings

DEVETAK SARA, SAVOGNA d'Is. 34070 GO, loc.S.Michele del Carso via Brezici 22, tel.338-1395941 Questo indirizzo e-mail è protetto dallo spam bot. Abilita Javascript per vederlo.  / Natural cultivation and production of fruit Jams, vegetable Preserves, sweet-and-sour Vegetables, Sauce, Syrups, various Mustards and Gelatins, officinal Herbs, 7 kinds of Honey / Tasting and direct sale wednesday and thursday 18-22.00, friday saturday and sunday 11.30-22.00 in Lokanda Devetak via Brezici 22.

Holiday farm KOVAC***° of Ivan Lakovic, Doberdò del Lago 34070 GO, vicolo Draga 3, tel.0481-78125 www.kovac.it / 'Tasty and healthy food'; specialities: karstic raw ham, tastes of first courses, mixed grilled meats, in oil vegetables, malvasia and terrano doc / Open 10-24.00 friday, saturday, sunday, public holidays and on booking ( June July August closed) / Catering / Wine on sale by measure and in bottle; pelinkovec.
In 2019 we are also open in Easter Monday, 25 April, 1 may.

Farm LA FERULA, Staranzano, via Martiri della Libertà 24 (in town centre), tel.333-7230677  www.laferula.it  / Open every day (sunday closed) / Vegetables of all seasons, white and green Aspargus; various Fruit (5 types), Apples (5 cultivar) and its Juice, Chips and vinegar; Wines (7 types) by measure and in bottles 

Where to sleep in the Karst of Gorizia and surroundings

Lokanda DEVETAK****, Savogna d'Isonzo 34070 GO, loc. S.Michele del Carso Brežici 22, tel.0481-882488  331-9846067  www.devetak.com / Nei cangianti colori dell'Altopiano Carsico, tra mare e cielo sempre luminosi, 8 rooms in karstic style with every comfort in a ancient house, for some days of great quiet, discovering an unique land and seeing the vestigies of epic historical events / Whole year open
 
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