Forte Casa Ratti

History

The first year of the war Casa Ratti was inactive. Casa Ratti finally saw action in the Battle of Asiago, when at the beginning it was bombarded by the 38cm mortar nicknamed “Barbara” positioned on Costa Alta near Fort Lusern. “Barbara” hit Casa Ratti with 20 shells, but didn’t cause irreparable damage due to Ratti’s position between the folds of 2 hills. The shellfalls were reported by Nahkampfanlage Wiatz, also known as Viaz, since Casa Ratti could be seen from there. On May 26, 1916, the Italians wired explosives to go off but the Austrians defused them before they went off. The next day, May 27, Casa Ratti was occupied by a patrol of 1st Company, sapper battalion 14, commanded by Lt Albin Mlaker. On June 25, 1916, the Austrians retreated, and Lt. Mlaker, the man who would later detonate the mine under Monte Cimeone on Sept. 23, 1916, demolished Casa Ratti to deny it to the advancing Italians.

Today, the remains of the moat, observation dome, and the walls are still visible. Above the fort are caves carved into the rock decorated by fezzes and plaques commemorating the Austro-Hungarian 35th regiment who built them.