Mte Sabotino: A Key Austro-Hungarian Position on the Isonzo Front

 

Mte Sabatino from Gorizia

Gorizia from the Crest of Sabatino

This 2000-foot mountain   was, due to its strategic position overlooking both the city of Gorizia  and  the Isonzo (Soča) River, an important Austro-Hungarian bridgehead early in the war.  The mountain was crisscrossed with a system of trenches and caves which were built by both the Austro-Hungarian and the Italian armies when they fortified their positions. Several assaults carried out by the Italian army during the first year of war failed, resulting in a great number of casualties.  Its possession by the enemy frustrated Italian ambitions to push over the nearby Carson Plateau on to Trieste.   

Bosnian and Austrian Defenders on Mte Sabatino

During the August 1916 Sixth Battle of the Isonzo, Sabotino was defended by the Austro-Hungarian 58th division. Pietro Badoglio assigned general Giuseppe Venturi's 45th division to capture Sabotino. Three battalions from the division managed to drive the defending  troops away with a spectacular attack of less than one hour. With the capture of Sabotino, the Italian Army controlled all the high ground on the west side of the Isonzo, effectively making Gorizia indefensible. Gorizia was abandon by its defenders shortly after and Italy had its most significant victory of the war to date.

Observation Post

Same Position Today

Today, its position makes Mt. Sabotino a place of splendid views of the battlefields of 1915-17. The Peace Park of Mt. Sabotino (Sabotin Park Miru in Slovenian), an open-air museum occupying the ridge, sits on the border between Italy and Slovenia.The 360 degree view reaches to  other nearby peaks and valleys, the Friuli lowland,  and the Julian Alps in the distance, and visitors can visit the remnants of the Austro-Hungarian defensive position.

Refuge Cave

Reserved Mountainside Shelters