Territory

The origins of Bassano del Grappa date back to Roman times, although human presence in the area was already documented in prehistoric times. The area where Bassano stands, located in the Brenta Valley, was colonized by the Romans around the 1st century BC, during which small agricultural settlements emerged. The city was situated along important communication routes that connected the Venetian plain with the mountainous Alpine areas, making it strategically significant for trade.

The name "Bassano" may derive from the Latin Bassianus, likely a personal or family name of someone who owned land in the area during Roman times. However, detailed information about the city during late antiquity is scarce, as it, like many other areas, suffered the consequences of barbarian invasions.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Bassano, like the rest of Veneto, was subject to barbarian invasions and later to the domination of the Lombards and Franks. During this period, the city remained a modest agricultural center, but its location along the Brenta River made it increasingly important.

In the 7th century, Bassano became part of the Lombard Duchy of Vicenza. With the arrival of the Franks in the 9th century, under Charlemagne, the city was integrated into the Holy Roman Empire. During this time, the power of the local Church strengthened, religious buildings began to be constructed, and early feudal systems were established.

In the 11th and 12th centuries, Bassano began to emerge as a significant center thanks to flourishing trade and crafts, facilitated by its position along the Brenta River. During this period, the city was under the control of the Ezzelini family, a powerful feudal dynasty. The most notable of them was Ezzelino III da Romano, who dominated much of Veneto and Lombardy in the first half of the 13th century. Known for his cruelty, Ezzelino ruled with an iron fist, but his power collapsed after his death in 1259.

Following the fall of the Ezzelini, Bassano came under various local lordships, including the Scaligeri of Verona and later the Visconti of Milan. However, these phases were marked by political instability.

The decisive event for Bassano's history was its annexation to the Republic of Venice in 1404. Unlike earlier periods characterized by conflict and power changes, Venetian rule marked a long period of peace, economic prosperity, and political stability for Bassano.

Under Venetian control, Bassano became a significant agricultural and artisanal center. The city benefited from Venetian protection and the stability of trade along the Brenta River, facilitating the exchange of goods with Venice and inland cities. During this period, various economic activities flourished, including ceramics production, which became one of the city's main industries.

After being annexed by the Republic of Venice in 1404, Bassano experienced a long period of economic and cultural prosperity. The city became an important agricultural, commercial, and artisanal hub. During the centuries of Venetian rule, Bassano enriched itself with infrastructure and monuments, many of which are still visible today. Its position along the Brenta River facilitated trade with Venice, especially through the export of agricultural and manufactured goods, such as ceramics and textiles.

A key aspect of Bassano's prosperity during this period was the birth and growth of the Remondini printing house. Founded in the 17th century by the Remondini family, the printing house became famous throughout Europe for its production of books, engravings, and decorative prints. This success made Bassano a prominent cultural center, associating it with publishing and graphic arts.

However, the power of the Republic of Venice began to decline in the 18th century, and in 1797, with the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte's French troops, Venetian rule abruptly ended.

With the Treaty of Campoformio in 1797, Napoleon ended the millennial Republic of Venice and ceded its territories, including Bassano, to the Austrian Empire. However, Austrian domination was short-lived, as in 1805, with the creation of the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, Bassano returned to French control.

During this period, the city underwent significant political and administrative transformations. Napoleonic rule brought a series of reforms inspired by the principles of the French Revolution, such as territorial reorganization, the abolition of feudal privileges, and the introduction of the Napoleonic Code. Despite these changes, the people of Bassano suffered due to continuous wars, resource plundering, and the presence of French troops.

With Napoleon's defeat and the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Bassano was reassigned to the Austrian Empire and became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. This period marked a return to political stability but also repression, as Austria ruled the region with a firm hand, imposing strict control over all forms of political dissent.

Nevertheless, in the 19th century, Bassano experienced an economic recovery thanks to agricultural development and artisanal and industrial activities. Agriculture remained at the center of the economy, but ceramics production and printing continued to be pillars of local economic activity. In this context, the city began to participate in the early patriotic stirrings of Italy.

Bassano, like many other cities in Veneto, was involved in the revolutionary movements of 1848, when citizens rose against Austrian rule in an attempt to gain independence and union with the Kingdom of Sardinia. Although the 1848 uprisings were suppressed by the Austrians, the desire for Italian unification grew steadily.

The definitive turning point for Bassano and the whole Veneto came in 1866, with the Third Italian War of Independence. During this phase, the Italian army, allied with Prussia, fought against Austria to liberate Veneto and other northern Italian regions. Although Italy suffered several military defeats, Prussia's victory over Austria forced Austria to cede Veneto to the Kingdom of Italy.

On October 19, 1866, Bassano and the entire Veneto were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after a popular plebiscite. This marked the beginning of a new era for the city, which from that moment became part of the Italian national unification project.

“Monte Grappa, you are my homeland” – With these words, attributed to General De Bono, begins the famous Song of Grappa. After the Battle of Arrest in November 1917, Grappa, the last natural obstacle before the plain, truly became the ultimate bulwark in defense of the homeland. Responsibility for the sector fell to the 4th Army, the "Army of Grappa," initially led by General Mario Nicolis di Robilant and later, from April 1918, by General Gaetano Giardino.

Even before the disaster of Caporetto, General Cadorna, who had grasped the strategic importance of the massif, had ordered the first defensive works on Grappa, which were then rapidly enhanced under the pressure of events. In near-impossible conditions, artillery and machine gun positions, kilometers of trenches, shelters, roads, and mule tracks were built, along with all the infrastructure needed for logistical support.

Of primary importance was the "Vittorio Emanuele" Gallery, a masterpiece of military engineering that extended its main arm for over 1.5 kilometers along the northern slope of Cima Grappa. Branches extended from it with gun emplacements, machine gun posts, observation points, depots, and dormitories, for a total length of over 5 kilometers, complete with lighting and telephone connections.

On June 15, 1918, the Austrians launched a new offensive aimed at breaking through the Piave line. Our command, having learned of the enemy's plans, reacted with a "preemptive counteroperation" on the Plateau and Grappa, making extensive use of artillery. In an epic battle, called the "Battle of the Solstice" by D'Annunzio, Italian troops managed to prevail and drive the enemy back beyond the Piave, which then took on a legendary aura and became a symbol of Italy's resurgence after Caporetto.

In October 1918, with the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, Italian troops went on the offensive along the entire front, initially encountering stiff resistance on Grappa and the Piave. However, by the end of the month, there was a sudden and irreversible collapse of all enemy defenses. Austro-Hungarian troops, exhausted by fighting and hunger, disintegrated under the Italian assault and retreated, paving the way for our overwhelming advance toward Trento and Trieste. Hostilities ceased on November 4, 1918.

To provide a dignified burial for the thousands of soldiers who fell on Grappa in the last year of the war, the monumental Sacrario Militare di Cima Grappa was built on the summit of the "Sacred Mountain of the Homeland," designed by architects Greppi and Castiglioni. Inaugurated in its current form in 1935, the imposing mausoleum houses the remains of 12,615 Italian soldiers and 10,295 Austro-Hungarian soldiers.

The war on Monte Grappa did not only involve the massif but the entire foothill region, which became a rear area used for the logistical support of combat troops.

To ensure the supply of food, ammunition, and materials, an impressive transportation system integrating railways and cableways was built. On the massif, as many as 80 cableways of various sizes and capacities were put into operation. The most powerful of these started from Crespano and reached Malga Ardosetta, covering a vertical drop of about 1,000 meters. Another important cableway started from Valle Santa Felicita and reached the positions at Col Campeggia, at an altitude of 1,100 meters.

In Bassano and all the surrounding towns, hundreds of headquarters, offices, warehouses, workshops, accommodations, and billets for the troops were also installed: our towns were filled with soldiers assigned to the rear, along with those who came down from the front lines to spend their rest and reorganization shifts.

A widespread network of field hospitals and infirmaries was set up across the foothills, located in mansions, religious institutions, schools, sheds, and other spacious facilities suitable for the care of soldiers. The bodies of soldiers who died in these hospitals were buried in town cemeteries and, at the end of the conflict, were transferred to the monumental Tempio Ossario in Bassano, inaugurated in 1934.

The presence of the Alpini in Bassano dates back to 1875 when a District Company was quartered at the “Santa Chiara” barracks. It wasn’t until 1882 that a more substantial Alpine presence was established in Bassano, with the arrival of the Val Brenta Battalion, almost entirely composed of soldiers from Bassano and its foothills.

The Val Brenta remained in Bassano until 1886 when a restructuring of the Alpine Regiments and Battalions led to its dissolution and the creation of the Bassano Battalion in Verona, which inherited the companies of its predecessor: 62nd, 63rd, and 74th.

In 1887, the “Santa Chiara” barracks were expanded and the Bassano Battalion settled there. This barracks became the Battalion's headquarters for years, and from here, some volunteers joined the 1st Alpini Battalion of Africa, commanded by Major Davide Menini. The Alpini soldiers of the Bassano Battalion were incorporated into the 4th company under Captain Pietro Cella and participated in the bloody Battle of Adwa on March 1, 1896. Out of 950 officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, only 95 survived. Menini, Cella (who became the first recipient of the Gold Medal for Military Valor awarded to the Alpini), and all the Alpini who had left Bassano perished.

In 1898, the “Santa Chiara” barracks was renamed “Cimberle-Ferrari” in memory of two young Bassano officers who fell at Adwa, one a bersagliere and the other a foot soldier.
The presence of the Alpini in the city continued uninterrupted until the outbreak of the Great War, and the “Cimberle-Ferrari” became the headquarters of the Depot of the 6th Alpini Regiment. Within this perimeter, the Val Brenta Battalion was revived in 1915, and the Sette Comuni Battalion was formed in 1916.

Given Bassano's proximity to the mountain front (Asiago Plateau and Grappa), the city became a concentration and passage point for countless Alpini units from all regiments destined for the front lines. These same units, after periods of heavy fighting, returned to replenish losses and treat the wounded in the numerous military hospitals that sprang up in Bassano

After the war, Bassano Veneto, as it was called until 1928, became Bassano del Grappa in recognition of the city's contribution to the IV Army of Grappa under General Gaetano Giardino, and a new artillery barracks was built outside the city, named “Monte Grappa.”
At the end of the conflict, Bassano lost its eponymous Battalion, which was assigned to the 9th Alpini in Gorizia, and the presence of the Alpini was maintained by the Mobilization Center of the same unit, which remained headquartered at the “Cimberle-Ferrari” barracks. Bassano's conscripts, most of them destined for the Alpini, presented themselves year after year at the barracks to be examined, clothed, equipped, and sent to the train station for Gorizia, keeping alive the tradition of their grandfathers, fathers, and older brothers who had served in the Bassano Battalion.
In 1934, the Officer Training School for the Alpini and Bersaglieri Corps was transferred to “Monte Grappa” from Milan. In 1937, the Bersaglieri left Bassano for Pola, and the school was renamed the SAUCA (Alpine Officer Training School). At “Monte Grappa,” the Second Lieutenants who fought on all fronts—East Africa, France, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Russia—were trained.
The list of young officers decorated for valor and fallen in battle, particularly on the Eastern Front, is tragically long.

On September 8, 1943, following the armistice with the Allies, officers and soldiers made their own decisions based on their convictions: some chose to continue fighting with the Allies, partisans, or the Italian Social Republic forces. Others decided they had had enough of war and went underground for the rest of the conflict.

The postwar period, similar to the previous one, saw the city of Bassano deprived of the Black Feathers, and it wasn’t until 1953 that they returned. The “Monte Grappa” barracks became the headquarters of the B.A.R. (Recruit Training Battalion) of the Julia, which saw nearly two thousand recruits pass through every three months, later assigned to Udine or units in Carnia.

In 1962, the B.A.R. Julia left Bassano for L’Aquila, but the “Monte Grappa” was reinforced by the “Pieve di Cadore” Group, which came from the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment of the Cadore Brigade. At the same time, the VII Army Corps Transmission Battalion was stationed in the barracks from Paluzza (UD).

In 1976, following a major restructuring of the Army, the Pieve di Cadore Group was dissolved and replaced by the Agordo Group, which came from Feltre, while the VII Army Corps Transmission Battalion was reduced to a company, now known as the 7th Transmission Company of the IV Alpini Army Corps, abandoning its beret for the Alpini hat.

The two units coexisted until 1991 when the Agordo Group was dissolved. The following year, the 7th Transmission Company was renamed the 2nd Radio Bridge Company.
In 1992, the 6th Mountain Artillery Regiment's Command and the Lanzo Group, both from Belluno, were stationed at “Monte Grappa.”

Times had changed, and with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the inevitable thaw between the Eastern and Western blocs, there was a new restructuring, resulting in significant sacrifices, including the dissolution of the Cadore Brigade (1997) and all its units, including the 6th Mountain Artillery and the Lanzo Group, dissolved in 1995.

Only the 2nd Radio Bridge Company remained in Bassano, which was destined for dissolution in 1999. A small platoon remained at the historic barracks on Viale Venezia to maintain the structure.
For a brief period, the 64th Company of the Feltre Battalion from the 7th Alpini was assigned to Bassano, but it was a short-lived assignment, and the unit returned to its headquarters.
Despite hopes of having an important organic unit, worthy of Bassano’s best Alpini tradition, the citizens were greatly disappointed, and the “Monte Grappa” barracks closed permanently in 2005.