Monument to the Fallen of San Volfango

The small hamlet of San Volfango, in the municipality of Drenchia, stands at an altitude of 722 metres and contains, within its civil cemetery, a monument dedicated to the fallen of the municipality of Drenchia.

The monument was erected in the early post-war years on the site of an Italian military cemetery that existed during the conflict. Around 500 soldiers were buried here, including Alpino Riccardo Giusto, the first soldier of the Royal Italian Army to fall in combat during the Great War. In the 1930s, the remains were transferred to the Tempio Ossario in Udine, where they still rest today, and the cemetery was subsequently converted to civilian use.

The monument, in the form of a four-sided pyramid crowned by an iron cross, is particularly imposing. Its panoramic setting can be reached either by following a small road branching off to the left before entering the village or by climbing the steps of the civil cemetery, whose perimeter walls also date back to the original military cemetery.

Every year on 4 November, a public ceremony is held here in honour of the fallen. It is also worth noting that this small hamlet—historically one of the most important settlements in the municipality of Drenchia—was once home to an elementary school named after Riccardo Giusto.