Fogliano Redipuglia
Encyclopedia
Fogliano Redipuglia is a comune
(municipality) in the Province of Gorizia
in the Italian
region Friuli-Venezia Giulia
, located about 35 km northwest of Trieste
and about 13 km southwest of Gorizia
. , it had a population of 2,797 and an area of 7.8 km².
The municipality of Fogliano Redipuglia contains the frazioni
(subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Fogliano, Polazzo, and Redipuglia.
Fogliano Redipuglia borders the following municipalities: Doberdò del Lago
, Gradisca d'Isonzo, Ronchi dei Legionari
, Sagrado
, San Pier d'Isonzo
, Villesse
.
against Austria-Hungary
(and Germany
) in World War I
, and today is home to Italy's largest war memorial on Monte Sei Busi in Redipuglia.
The campaign overall featured the dozen or so Battles of the Isonzo
including a number in this area but especially the Battle of Caporetto
, a heavy defeat for the Italians with 11,000 killed, 20,000 wounded and 265,000 captured. As points of interest, famed WWII German officer Erwin Rommel
fought in this battle as a junior officer, and American author Ernest Hemingway
drove an ambulance for the Italian Army (see A Farewell to Arms
). After Caporetto, the Austria-Hungarian advance was forced to stop anyway due to lack of supplies, and after almost a year the Italians were able to reinforce and regain this territory by destroying the Austro-Hungarian Army in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
, which defeat led to the final end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The huge war memorial from 1938 contains the corpses of 39.857 identified Italian soldiers, and 69.330 unidentified. In a nearby cemetery are buried another around 14,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Interesting trench fortifications can be seen next to the war memorial, as well as a display of large WWI artillery pieces.
Comune
In Italy, the comune is the basic administrative division, and may be properly approximated in casual speech by the English word township or municipality.-Importance and function:...
(municipality) in the Province of Gorizia
Province of Gorizia
The Province of Gorizia is a province in the autonomous Friuli–Venezia Giulia region of Italy.-Overview:Its capital is the city of Gorizia. It belonged to the Province of Udine between 1924 and 1927 and the communes of Sonzia, Plezzo, Bergogna, Caporetto, Tolmino, Circhina, Santa Lucia d'Isonzo,...
in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
region Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli–Venezia Giulia is one of the twenty regions of Italy, and one of five autonomous regions with special statute. The capital is Trieste. It has an area of 7,858 km² and about 1.2 million inhabitants. A natural opening to the sea for many Central European countries, the region is...
, located about 35 km northwest of Trieste
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
and about 13 km southwest of Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
. , it had a population of 2,797 and an area of 7.8 km².
The municipality of Fogliano Redipuglia contains the frazioni
Frazione
A frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
(subdivisions, mainly villages and hamlets) Fogliano, Polazzo, and Redipuglia.
Fogliano Redipuglia borders the following municipalities: Doberdò del Lago
Doberdò del Lago
Doberdò del Lago is a comune in the Province of Gorizia in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 30 km northwest of Trieste and about 11 km southwest of Gorizia...
, Gradisca d'Isonzo, Ronchi dei Legionari
Ronchi dei Legionari
Ronchi dei Legionari is a comune in the Province of Gorizia in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 30 km northwest of Trieste and about 14 km southwest of Gorizia....
, Sagrado
Sagrado
Sagrado is a comune in the Province of Gorizia in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 35 km northwest of Trieste and about 13 km southwest of Gorizia....
, San Pier d'Isonzo
San Pier d'Isonzo
San Pier d'Isonzo is a town and comune in the province of Gorizia, northern Italy, near Turriaco....
, Villesse
Villesse
Villesse is a comune in the Province of Gorizia in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about 40 km northwest of Trieste and about 15 km southwest of Gorizia...
.
World War I War Memorial
Fogliano Redipuglia lies at the eastern end of the shifting front of the Italian CampaignItalian Campaign (World War I)
The Italian campaign refers to a series of battles fought between the armies of Austria-Hungary and Italy, along with their allies, in northern Italy between 1915 and 1918. Italy hoped that by joining the countries of the Triple Entente against the Central Powers it would gain Cisalpine Tyrol , the...
against Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
(and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and today is home to Italy's largest war memorial on Monte Sei Busi in Redipuglia.
The campaign overall featured the dozen or so Battles of the Isonzo
Battles of the Isonzo
The Battles of the Isonzo were a series of 12 battles between the Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies in World War I. They were fought along the Soča River on the eastern sector of the Italian Front between June 1915 and November 1917...
including a number in this area but especially the Battle of Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
, a heavy defeat for the Italians with 11,000 killed, 20,000 wounded and 265,000 captured. As points of interest, famed WWII German officer Erwin Rommel
Erwin Rommel
Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel , popularly known as the Desert Fox , was a German Field Marshal of World War II. He won the respect of both his own troops and the enemies he fought....
fought in this battle as a junior officer, and American author Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
drove an ambulance for the Italian Army (see A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Ernest Hemingway concerning events during the Italian campaigns during the First World War. The book, which was first published in 1929, is a first-person account of American Frederic Henry, serving as a Lieutenant in the ambulance...
). After Caporetto, the Austria-Hungarian advance was forced to stop anyway due to lack of supplies, and after almost a year the Italians were able to reinforce and regain this territory by destroying the Austro-Hungarian Army in the Battle of Vittorio Veneto
Battle of Vittorio Veneto
The Battle of Vittorio Veneto was fought between 24 October and 3 November 1918, near Vittorio Veneto, during the Italian Campaign of World War I...
, which defeat led to the final end of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The huge war memorial from 1938 contains the corpses of 39.857 identified Italian soldiers, and 69.330 unidentified. In a nearby cemetery are buried another around 14,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers. Interesting trench fortifications can be seen next to the war memorial, as well as a display of large WWI artillery pieces.