“Those are from World War II,” he corrects my assumption that they must be remnants of the Alpine front from World War I. Because the clergyman also knows about the bunkers on the opposite side of the valley. However, I’ll skip that for the moment and save it for the comprehensive Vinschgau article that, God willing, I will get to write in the coming months. Vitus, about Tartscher Bichl, as the hill is called, about Romanesque and Gothic artwork, and about the Swabian War that once swept into the valley. I leave the cigar outside, and he shows me the frescoes in the church and tells me about the history of St. On the other side of the valley, above Tartsch, I spot a little church, equally Romanesque and romantic, which I choose as my next hiking destination and which, for once, I do not fail to reach.Īnd there happens one of those chance encounters which enrich travel so much: I am sitting in front of the closed and locked churchyard, smoking an Italian Toscano cigar which I had discovered that morning in the newspaper shop in Mals, when a gentleman walks by, holding not only the key to the church, but also an encyclopedic knowledge and great patience with an uneducated audience like me. (With the exception of travel bloggers, of course, who are up early every morning, hiking through the countryside and collecting stories.) “An artist,” I am guessing like a hot-shot-Sherlock detective, not only because of the caravan and the creative roof terrace with its palisade fence and playground, but also because no one answers the door bell. Secondly, I was in Vinschgau for the first time, so anything would be new and interesting to me, regardless of where I would end up.Īnd suddenly, above the village of Tartsch, I found myself in front of a bunker, you ain’t never seen nothing like that!
If you never get lost, you have a dull life. But I didn’t mind, because first of all, I am a staunch advocate of getting lost. Walking from Mals to Schluderns, I had somehow gotten lost between the forests, fields and apple plantations. Maybe that’s why they have to be protected against the aerial forces of the district court. But then, these are special apples here in Mals, they are always in court, arguing about pesticides and stuff. Like this one, now integrated into an apple orchard. But in the Vinschgau Valley, I have met a few bunkers which have been recycled for civilian use. Most of these bunkers are just sitting around, waiting for their next deployment. Or because you have never been to Italy, which is a deficit that should be remedied anyway. Or because you are only heading to the beach, which is really a waste of Italy, in which case you should give up that seat on the coach for travelers more interested in history. If this has escaped your notice thus far, it’s only because there is lots of other interesting stuff in Italy to catch your attention. Pyrrhic Battle of the Isonzo.Īnd that’s why Italy is dotted with fortifications, trenches and bunkers.
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