Forte Casara: A secondary position in the Trento fort ring

Forte Casara, situated in the Monte Calisio Pass at a height of 896m, was constructed between 1880 and 1885 as a secondary position in the ring of Austro-Hungarian forts around the Northern Italian city of Trento. Its purpose was to control the Civezzano-Monte Vaccino road and strike towards the Adige and Valsugana Valleys. It was also meant to block the circumvention of the Fersina Valley. Built out of local stone, the fort contained a power plant, telephone, kitchen, some barracks, and an indispensable water supply.

Casara was not well armed because it was in the second line of defense. The fort had 6 12cm howitzers emplaced outside with 120cm high protection. 2 50cm spotlights were also placed outside. By 1915, the fort was obsolete. In that year, it was demolished by the Austrians, and its armament was removed and placed in special caves excavated from the nearby rock. Within the cave battery, some of the guns faced towards Pergine while some faced towards the Adige Valley.

After the war, the fort was decommissioned on August 12, 1927, by Royal Decree No. 1882. On December 17, 1934, the fort was sold to a citizen of Tavernaro for 10 Lire. Today, the fort lies in ruins and is only honored by a small plaque.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons