The Fort was built between 1912 and 1914 on the summit of Monte Verena, in the municipality of Roana, more specifically in the village of Mezzaselva and together with the Fort Campolongo was considered a modern work of great Italian military engineering.
It had some flaws, as it was built very quickly and covered with low-strength cement instead of concrete or iron.
The fort was armed with 4 cannons and had armored rotating domes and an armored observatory and because of its particular position it was called "Dominator of the highlands" so that in the first days of the conflict it managed to strike several blows and do various damage to the forts Busa Verle and Campo Luserna.
In spite of this, however, as already mentioned initially the Forte Verena was clad with little resistant material and on 12 June 1915 suffered a heavy 305 mm grenade blow which caused several damage to the fort and the deaths of about 44 artillerymen and the commander Carlo Alberto Trucchetti. The event was so important that the Italian Supreme Command ordered the disarming of the forts located near the enemy's mortars.
On 22 May 1916, the building was occupied by the Imperials and remained in their possession until the end of the war.
Finally, remember that the fort is tragically famous for having fired the first cannon shot at dawn on 24 May 1915, thus initiating the hostilities of the Great War on the Plateau.
The Fort can be reached with "CAI" path n. 820
