The glaciers of Italy’s Dolomites are retreating and, along with the layers of ice, are revealing dangerous traces of World War I. Hundreds of unexploded munitions have appeared on the surface, while the bodies of soldiers preserved for more than a century have also been found beneath the ice.
This summer alone, the Italian army identified and neutralized 250 explosive devices. They included Italian artillery shells and mortar bombs manufactured in France. The searches were carried out by the “Julia” mountain brigade in the mountainous areas and glaciers of the Trentino-Alto Adige region.
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The objects were initially reported by mountaineers, who noticed suspicious items during summer excursions, particularly in the San Bovo Canal, in the Primiero Valley, in the eastern part of Trentino.
These munitions date from the so-called “White War”, the conflict between the Italian army and Austro-Hungarian forces that took place from 1915 to 1918 in the frozen heights of the Alps.
Over the past 15 years, melting ice has also brought dozens of soldiers’ bodies to light. For decades, weapons, military equipment and personal belongings remained buried beneath snow and ice, while extreme weather, avalanches, falls on steep slopes and hypothermia caused many deaths.
Since the 1990s, the continued retreat of the glaciers has led to numerous historical discoveries, ranging from weapons and sledges to letters, diaries and soldiers’ personal belongings. This process has accelerated in recent years because of higher temperatures and the faster melting of the ice.
“It is mainly a consequence of global warming,” says Stefano Morosini, a professor at the University of Bergamo and coordinator of cultural heritage programs in Stelvio National Park, where explosive devices have also been found.
Morosini says that at the end of every summer, more and more dangerous objects linked to the war appear. “They have been preserved in the ice for more than 100 years. Some had already exploded, but many had not. That is why, when they reappear, they are extremely dangerous,” he warns.
Italian authorities have asked mountaineers and tourists not to touch any object that could be explosive, regardless of its condition or location. If they encounter such items, they should immediately notify the police and stay away from them, as the munitions may still be lethal even after more than 100 years.
One of the most important discoveries of recent years is a wooden military shelter on Mount Scorluzzo, at an altitude of 3,095 meters above sea level, near the Stelvio Pass.
The shelter had been built inside a cave and became visible again in 2015, when the ice that had covered it for nearly a century melted completely. The soldiers abandoned it hastily after the end of the war, in November 1918, leaving behind many of their belongings.
Inside, straw beds, clothing, lanterns, newspapers, postcards, coins and canned food were discovered. The conditions created by the ice had helped preserve a large part of the items in an exceptional state.
The objects found in the former battlefields are expected to become part of a museum dedicated to the “White War”. The museum is planned to open in Bormio in June 2027.
As the glaciers continue to shrink, the discoveries are helping document the history of one of the most difficult fronts of World War I. At the same time, they show that the remnants of the conflict continue to pose a danger to visitors to mountainous areas.
