"Venini" Oga Military Fortress

Strongly wanted by the High Council of Defense, it was completed just before the outbreak of the First World War, in the year 1914.
It was equipped with four long-range cannons (about 13 km) that could rotate and defend all passes and crossings potentially subject to Austrian danger, hitting targets at the Foscagno Pass, the Pedenolo Notches, the Fraele Towers Pass, Stelvio, and in Valfurva.
It was the duty of the Italian sentries positioned on the overlooking ridges to communicate to the Fort command the targets to fire upon.
These reports were followed by a series of checks on the accuracy of the trajectory, which required the assistance of tracers and close collaboration between command and positions deployed in the territory.
The garrison, which could house up to 80 men , was self-sufficient in every respect.
It had reserves of ammunition stored in the numerous warehouses present, a solid powder keg, and sufficient food and water resources to allow a month of siege, and even a large diesel engine that provided the necessary power to illuminate the entire structure.

The external defenses such as the moat, barbed wire, the imposing embankment, the retractable armored towers, and the sliding bridge, combined with the solid structure of the granite walls and the doors and windows made of thick sheet metal, made the fortress practically impregnable.

The Fort continued its activity uninterrupted until 1958. It was then decommissioned and experienced nearly half a century of abandonment.
In 2003, an important restoration returned it to the community, and in the autumn of 2014, it officially came under the protection and ownership of the Municipality of Valdisotto, which takes care of its development and enhancement.

Opening hours

• September (until Sunday the 13th): Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.
  
• From September 13th until the end of October: Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.

Accessibility

The Fort, a historic military building, unfortunately does not fully meet the accessibility requirements for physically disabled individuals: only the ground floor is accessible.