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The "Blue Line" of Garda Trentino

Torbole sul Garda - Nago, Arco, Riva del Garda

Category
Difficulty
Intermediate
Duration
5:20
Duration in hours
Distance
15.2
Distance in km
Status
open
WSEN
Suggested period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

A historic itinerary which follows the 1945 line of fortifications from the lakeshore of Riva di Garda to Nago-Torbole.

The trail follows part of the line of fortifications built by the German army between 1944 and the spring of 1945 from the northern shore of Lake Garda to the Adriatic, what was known as the Blue Line (in German, Blaue Linie). This line largely followed the Austro-Hungarian line built a century before. In Garda Trentino the shoreline was fortified from Riva del Garda to Torbole, the western part of Lake Garda south of the centre of Riva and the foothills of Altissimo, which was where there was the only fighting.

The itinerary is made up of two distinct sections: the first part from the centre of Riva del Garda runs along the lakeshore to the east, the second from the centre of Torbole heads up towards Busatte and on to Nago. It is possible to combine the first part with the itinerary “The Forts of Monte Brione”, which leaves from the harbour of San Nicolò, halfway between Riva and Torbole, leaving the second part which leaves from and returns to Torbole for another time.

Further information and useful links

For more information on routes, services (guides, mountain huts, shops etc.) and hiking friendly accommodation: Garda Trentino - +39 0464 554444

 

Route info
Intermediate
Route number
Distance
15,2 km
Duration
5 h 20 min
Altitude difference (+)
291 m
Altitude difference (-)
293 m
Physical effort
Scenary
Highest point
262 m
Lowest point
62 m
Suggestions

There are many trails for history buffs in Garda Trentino based on the theme of the Great War which explore the Austro-Hungarian fortifications.

During the Second World War, fighting on Lake Garda was mostly during the final days of the Allied Italian Campaign. The X American Mountain division actually reached Verona on 26th April 1945, Malcesine the day after, while the general surrender of the German forces was signed on 29th April while fighting was still going on in Torbole. The idea behind the Blue Line, that of reusing the fortresses and trenches of the First World War in order to turn the Alps into a final defensive outpost (Alpenfestung), never actually came to fruit.

Around the San Nicolò fort, you can see niches at the mouth of the tunnel on the road which today contain images of saints. During the Second World War, like almost all the tunnels on Lake Garda, they contained dynamite to blow up the tunnel if needed. The bloodiest battle fought on the lake in April 1945 took place around Corno di Bo' (visible from here – a spur of dark rock towards the south-east) when the retreating Germans tried to set off the explosives at the mouth of the tunnel and the Americans did everything they could to stop them. This is why for years the tunnel was known locally as the “Tunnel of death”.

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