Scale di Primolano

A system of fortifications between bunkers and walkways 

A hamlet of the municipality of Valbrenta, in the province of Vicenza, Primolano owes its fortune to the Scale fortified system, which was restored and upgraded in 2017 after 5 years of work. This complex, which predates the construction of the Castello delle Scala in 1260 that it originally surrounded, was built to control the border between the Brenta Canal, Valsugana and the Feltrino area. What remained of the castle was largely destroyed with the construction of the new road in the mid-19th century. Today, only a few ruins remain near the first bend in the wall. 

To control the Scale, two fortifications were built between 1892 and 1895, the Tagliata della Scala and the Tagliata delle Fontanelle, which served as a cut-off on the Primolano-Fastro road. Travel between the two fortifications was possible thanks a covered walkway featuring dozens of gun slits, which allowed the road from Primolano to Fastro to be monitored. Both works, which were never used, even during the Great War, suffered severe damage after the Battle of Caporetto, which saw the Italian troops retreat to Monte Grappa. They became occupied by the Austro-Hungarians, who dismantled them shortly before the end of the conflict. Traces of this history remain today around the village.