A Cold War secret bunker in San Michele al Taglimento (Veneto, Italy)... on a hot summer day
It's June. It's hot and no one would think of entering an Italian bunker of the Cold War. All around San Michele al Tagliamento, a small town on the Venetian coast, beaches are in fact already teeming with tourists lying in the sun.
Instead I am visiting the womb of the earth because hidden down the village of San Michele al Tagliamento there are a series of bunkers from the First and Second World War which were refurbished and used also during the Cold War.
No one would ever think that an isolated village like San Michele al Tagliamento was fundamental during the World Wars and the Cold War.
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| Bunker underground command room |
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| Bunker turret |
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| Gun turret to sight targets |
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| Bunker access: hatch accessing the underground stairs |
SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO: THE CASSINO OF THE NORTH IN THE II WORLD WAR
This tiny Italian municipality home to 11.000 people had a strategic position during the Second World War: San Michele al Tagliamento was called "the Cassino of the North". Cassino was the town in Lazio known for the heavily bombings by the Allies of the Cassino Abbey suspected to be a good observation point for the Germans.
Likewise San Michele al Tagliamento was heavily bombed by the Allies who aimed to the get rid of the bridge over the river to isolate this area from May 1944 to May 1945 in the attempt to stop the German troops fleeing. The Anglo-American bombings completely razed to the ground the town of San Michele al Tagliamento and Latisana, killing hundreds of people and children.
If you want to see a video of the II World War bombing over San Michele al Tagliamento, here.
BUNKERS IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO: FROM THE COLD WAR REVIVAL TO THEIR LATER DISMISSAL
When the Second World War in Italy ended in spring of 1945, the Cold War opened a new chapter in the history of bunkers in Italy and in Veneto.
The Italian General Staff identified the Tagliamento river as a natural line of defense against the Soviet armed forces who might have crossed the 'Gorizia threshold'. The Gorizia threshold was commonly called the territory close to the Italian-Yugoslav border in the province of Gorizia. This line was the focal point of the defense of northern Italy from a possible invasion by the Eastern Soviet bloc troops.
The Tagliamento river was a natural barrier but to control better all the area many secret bunkers were built: many of these bunkers still survive, have been restored and can be accessed by the public.
When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, these artifacts - by then almost wrecked - were quickly discharged.
HOW MANY COLD WAR BUNKERS IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO
Currently in San Michele al Tagliamento at least twelve bunkers can be identified.
Three of them - stand out on the embankment, straddling the road bridge. Six others are located to the north, along the provincial road towards San Giorgio, another village. The rest are inside the town. On the other bank of the river (in the municipality of Latisana), along the railway line, there are three more bunkers.
WHY THE COLD WAR BUNKERS IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO
In April 1949, Italy joined the Atlantic Pact and it was decided to restore the old fortifications placed on three defensive lines: the ex-Yugoslav border, the Isonzo river and the Tagliamento. The bunkers were adapted to the new tactical needs to defend sensitive targets such as bridges and railways.
They were conceived as a stably organized complex of armored posts run by a single command. The command and observation post directed the defense and were connected to a "radio link" system. They were bunkers designed for both chemical and bacteriological attack, both from land and from the sea.
These bunkers were used to control the enemy forces and in any case to slow down their movement, channel them along axes that would have helped the Italian armed forces, act as a pivot of maneuver for mobile defense units; to defend and hold areas that were particularly important for defense and to avoid enemy penetration.
The one I visited was restored for the new purpose in 1961.
The special peculiarity of this bunker was that it was the infantry bunker and it is the only one found in the Veneto region, and the southernmost.
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| A replica soldier wearing a gas mask and uniform in the bunker |
BUNKER ENTRANCE
At the entrance, protected by a splinter-proof door, a dummy wearing a gas mask and uniform has been waiting for ages to be cleaned up from chemical agents: that's why you can still see the shower. Inside there is of a fuel depot, a generator room and a store room for batteries and accumulators. The place was actually completely lit by generators and it was equipped with filters and pumps to protect the bunker dwellers from any contamination.
FACILITIES
After crossing the "watertight" door that looked as if taken out of a submarine, there is a room for food and medicine, a toilet, an ammunition depot, light gun emplacements and closets.
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| One of the rooms in the bunker with the emergency exit ladder |
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| The operation room in the bunker |
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| Cold war bunk beds |
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| Maps in the operation room |
THE CONTROL ROOM
WHY VISITING THE COLD WAR BUNKER IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO
HOW TO REACH THE BUNKER IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO
VISITING THE BUNKER IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO
INTERESTED TO VISIT A VENETIAN VILLA IN SAN MICHELE AL TAGLIAMENTO LINKED TO HEMINGWAY?
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