The military ossuary at Pocol, a few kilometres south of Cortina on the road toward Falzarego Pass, holds the remains of around 10,000 Italian soldiers who died on the Dolomite front between 1915 and 1918. The shrine is set on a wooded hillside with direct views toward the Tofane — the peaks that were the scene of some of the most brutal mountain warfare in history. The building is austere and solemn, with a chapel and an outdoor terrace.
The Dolomite front was unusual even by WWI standards: both sides drilled tunnels into the mountains, planted explosives beneath enemy positions, and fought at altitudes above 3,000 metres in conditions of extreme cold and exposure. The Italian losses were catastrophic. The Sacrario at Pocol is the main memorial to them in the Ampezzo valley, and a visit adds considerable depth to the landscape you are otherwise admiring for its beauty.