Mount Ermada Open-Air Museum from Ceroglie

An itinerary to discover the last Austro-Hungarian defensive line of the First World War, built to defend Trieste.

Starting from the village of Ceroglie, visitors can explore the entire cross-border open-air museum or enjoy a circular walk around its highest summit, at 323 metres above sea level. Along the way, well-marked unpaved trails lead past numerous wartime remains, particularly the fortifications built from 1915 onwards and reinforced in 1916 following the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo.

Before reaching the summit, the route passes the 30.5 cm Mortar Dolina, the Dörfler Cave and the Monte Querceto Cave, which once housed an electrical transformer station. On the mountain's forepeak stands a combat position used as a battalion command post, where the remains of a periscope emplacement, once used to observe the terrain ahead, are still visible. The summit is surrounded by the remains of trenches, small military caves and reinforced fortifications, and offers sweeping views over the former battlefields, stretching from the Adriatic Sea to the Julian Alps.

Author's tip

Visitors wishing to extend the circular route and explore other sections of the cross-border open-air museum can continue either towards Medeazza, to discover the Mount Cocco area, or towards Brestovica, to explore the area around Grofova Jama (Fire Cave). In both cases, using two cars is recommended in order to return to Ceroglie.