War Cemeteries IV, North East Italy - Nicholas Long and Andrew Boddington, assisted by Gavin Stamp
War Cemeteries IV, North East Italy
Friday 14th- Sunday 16th September 2012
Leaders - Nicholas Long and Andrew Boddington, assisted by Gavin Stamp
In recent years, over 3 events, Gavin Stamp has taken members to the war cemeteries and memorials on the Western Front, based around the Somme, Ypres and Reims. There are less well known but most remarkable memorials and cemeteries along other fronts of the Great War, notably in North-East Italy. These present a greater challenge logistically for a tour, but a 4th event will take place in September 2012, led Nicholas Long and Andrew Boddington, assisted by Gavin Stamp.
The memorials and cemeteries, often in remote mountainous locations, were the result of huge Italian casualties fighting the Austro-Hungarians, and are vast and impressive structures, usually in an abstracted Classical manner typical of Italian architecture of their time.
We are planning to visit the following sites, though not in this sequence: Italian ossuaries: Monte Grappa, Fagare, Oslavia, Redipuglia, Montello, and Asiago; French memorial: Pederobba: Italian/Austro-Hungarian cemetery: Magnaboschi: German ossuary: Quero; CWGC cemeteries: also at Magnaboschi, and Granezza; Italian votive temple: Cargnacco
The event will run over two and a half days, based for 3 nights in Treviso, starting at 08.30 on Friday 14th in Treviso (at a point to be advised, near the recommended hotels), and ending at 15.00 on Sunday 16th at Venice Marco Polo airport (likely to be the most popular airport), with members booking their travel and accommodation in Treviso. We advise your arrival in Treviso by the end of Thursday 13th, for the early start on Friday. We will arrange an optional group meal at a local trattoria for the Friday evening.
Unlike much of the Western Front, the sites are not close to each other, the itinerary will have long distances with tight timings, owing to the slower roads once we leave the autostradi and climb into the mountains, so we may need 08.00 starts after Friday. There is no 'climbing', as in walking up hills but there are several locations with substantial flights of entry steps and, once within, there are staircases, particularly for views. Average fitness is required.
Treviso is served by the best choice of flights through Venice Marco Polo (with a bus/train connection to Treviso), arriving from various UK airports, by easyJet, BA, Monarch and Thomson, and there are alternative regional airports, eg at Treviso served by Ryanair. The ability to buy one-way tickets gives options to fly in and out from different airports or with different airlines, especially as some members have expressed intent to add days for their own travel, to get value from the travel cost, either to Venice (for the Biennale, curated by Chipperfield), Vicenza (for Palladio), Verona, Padua, Trieste or Udine. If there is a need on the Sunday, the coach can continue to drop at Venice Mestre train station, to enable onward train connections.
We recommend the Carlton and Continental hotels in Treviso, particularly for location for both the station and the likely coach meeting point, though there are several other local alternatives, albeit less central, all bookable at say www.hotelscombined.com
, or your preferred hotels website.
Meet:
At 08.30 on Friday 14th in Treviso (at a point to be advised, near the recommended hotels), and ending at 15.00 on Sunday 16th at Venice Marco Polo airport.
Cost:
Cost (excluding your own travel, accommodation, and meals) will include the coach throughout, tour notes and gratuities: final cost will be c £200, but a deposit now of £150 will secure each place, and the balance will be advised, payable by 31st May. Non-members are welcome as guests of a member. We advise checking your options for flights and accommodation before booking, and booking them as soon as your deposit has been accepted.
We advise checking your options for flights and accommodation before booking, and booking them as soon as your deposit has been accepted.