2 - Trek 15 - ring path along Gothic Line and Moggiona

A path of memory Although rich in natural beauty, even poignant, this path is not – or not only – a naturalistic walk. It was created with memorial intent, in order not to forget one of the most critical moments, in the whole of the twentieth century, for all humanity, translated into Casentino in the construction (March-September 1944) of the desperate, fierce German defense line against the advance of allied troops. The so-called Gothic Line came to form a bulwark close to the entire ridge of the northern Apennines and was actually composed of several successive segments, parallel to each other, starting from the medium altitude spurs; there were hospitalized men and weapons, in underground shelters obtained with durable materials – also reinforced concrete – or, as in this case, only temporary, that is digging in the sandstone and in the earth and adding racks or wooden adaptations. It is obvious that after more than seventy years, with the reconquest by natural agents, very little recognizable remains, even more so here where the works had precisely a semi-permanent character, with the exclusive use of local materials. However, the hollows, trenches and burglaries in the undergrowth remain, corresponding to those positions dug by force by prisoners and residents of the place, the latter more or less forcedly recruited, and where the soldiers barricaded themselves for over six months. Incidentally these fortifications were militarily vain, that is, they did not serve and here they were not even used to slow down the advance of the liberators, however they still bear an indelible mark on the ground but above all in the collective memory. The itinerary was promoted and organized by the Moggiona Pro Loco, which in its headquarters contains “The War and the Resistance Documentation Center”, the visit of it complements the excursion, before or after it.