Route 4: from the Ganna Abbey to Ponte Tresa (Between observatories and cannon posts)
The fourth route begins in the Ganna Abbey, a suggestive medieval monument that rises on the tomb of Gemolo, a martyr from the tenth century. Going up the road that leads to Boarezzo, you will come across the portals of the cableway which from Lake Ghirla takes you to the hospital of Cuasso al Monte. During the Cadorna period the hospital was called the Duca d'Aosta sanatorium, and people suffering from tb, many of them soldiers who had returned from the front, were sent there. Further on, there is also a telephone exchange and a camp kitchen, where you can still see the chimney and the place for the cauldrons.
Continuing along the route you reach Monte Piambello, where 4 Schneider Ag cannons were positioned, cannons made from steel or cast iron having a size 149 shell diameter. From here the artillery pointed towards the Melide bridge-dam, one of the main targets after the Tresa Bridge. The bridgehead carries the Savoy coat of arms in its centre, while inside you can see the trolleys used on the ammunition rails, a half-moon shaped trench which allowed the cannon to be rotated, and a scaled lunette that indicated the shooting coordinates.
As well as other uncovered deposits having niches, rooms, and steps for escaping, going up the road you will find a small barrack, used during the Second World War by the fascist Nazis to keep the American air counterattack under control.
Reaching the summit of Monte Piambello you will see a single post (called "barb") where the cannons could be lowered and hidden while remaining free to rotate.
The route continues towards the observation post opposite Monte Lema; the post was made from rock and cement and had two observation points. The boundary stone, called "ometto", acted as a reference point and supplied the exact coordinates of the garrison. After the red Rocks, so called because of the characteristic colour of the mountain, and where other observatories and deposits are located, you reach the Monte Derta observation post, opposite Figino, decorated with false ashlars and a false keystone. Returning to the road proceed towards the gracious sanctuary of Ardena. From here a fortified road, with protective walls and stairs, leads to Ponte Tresa and the end of the fourth route.
Continuing along the route you reach Monte Piambello, where 4 Schneider Ag cannons were positioned, cannons made from steel or cast iron having a size 149 shell diameter. From here the artillery pointed towards the Melide bridge-dam, one of the main targets after the Tresa Bridge. The bridgehead carries the Savoy coat of arms in its centre, while inside you can see the trolleys used on the ammunition rails, a half-moon shaped trench which allowed the cannon to be rotated, and a scaled lunette that indicated the shooting coordinates.
As well as other uncovered deposits having niches, rooms, and steps for escaping, going up the road you will find a small barrack, used during the Second World War by the fascist Nazis to keep the American air counterattack under control.
Reaching the summit of Monte Piambello you will see a single post (called "barb") where the cannons could be lowered and hidden while remaining free to rotate.
The route continues towards the observation post opposite Monte Lema; the post was made from rock and cement and had two observation points. The boundary stone, called "ometto", acted as a reference point and supplied the exact coordinates of the garrison. After the red Rocks, so called because of the characteristic colour of the mountain, and where other observatories and deposits are located, you reach the Monte Derta observation post, opposite Figino, decorated with false ashlars and a false keystone. Returning to the road proceed towards the gracious sanctuary of Ardena. From here a fortified road, with protective walls and stairs, leads to Ponte Tresa and the end of the fourth route.
