Monte Cengio is a mountain in the

Asiago plateau Asiago (; Venetian: ''Axiago'', Cimbrian: ''Slege'', German: ''Schlägen'' ) is a minor township (population roughly 6,500) in the surrounding plateau region (the ''Altopiano di Asiago'' or '' Altopiano dei Sette Comuni'', Asiago plateau) in ...

, within the Vicentine Alps, in

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

, northeastern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It has an elevation of 1,354 metres and is located on the southwestern edge of the plateau, in the territory of

Cogollo del Cengio Cogollo del Cengio is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is north of SP 350 provincial road. Twin towns Cogollo del Cengio is twinned with: * Mauthausen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the ma ...

. The mountain was heavily contested during the

battle of Asiago The Battle of Asiago (Battle of the Plateaux) or the Südtirol Offensive (in Italian: Battaglia degli Altipiani), nicknamed ''Strafexpedition'' ("Punitive expedition") by the Italians, was a major counteroffensive launched by the Austro-Hungari ...

in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; the

Grenadiers of Sardinia A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...

distinguished themselves in the fighting, suffering heavy losses. Over 10,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing on Monte Cengio between May and June 1916. A rocky spur overlooking a ravine, near the top of the mountain, became known as ''salto del granatiere'' ("grenadier's jump") after some grenadiers, who had been surrounded there and had run out of ammunition, grabbed some of the Austro-Hungarian attackers and jumped off the cliff along with them. In 1967 Monte Cengio was declared "sacred to the Fatherland" and proclaimed a monumental area. Wartime galleries and roads are part of the monumental area and are visited by hikers.Comune di Cogollo del Cengio
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References

{{reflist Mountains of Veneto Vicentine Alps Mountains of the Alps Mountains of Italy Military history of Italy during World War I