A substantial collection of unexploded ordnance from the first world war has surfaced this summer in the Dolomites mountains as glaciers continue their accelerated retreat, according to the Italian military. The Julia Alpine brigade located and safely defused 250 explosive devices discovered across high-altitude regions in the Trentino Alto Adige area, including 18 Italian 75mm artillery shells and 37 Thevetot mortar bombs supplied to Italian forces by France during the conflict.
The weapons originated from the white war, fought between Austro-Hungarian and Italian forces across difficult alpine terrain from 1915 to 1918. Most discoveries occurred in the Canal San Bovo area of the Primorio Valley in eastern Trentino following reports from hikers during summer months. Scientists attribute the increasing emergence of such artifacts to accelerating glacier melting driven by global warming over the past decade and a half. Stefano Morosini, a University of Bergamo professor and heritage coordinator at Stelvio national park, emphasized that these devices remain hazardous despite their age, noting that many remain unexploded and are only now being exposed to environmental conditions after over a century of preservation in ice.
The white war relics have been emerging since the 1990s as glacial retreat has exposed remarkably preserved items including weapons, correspondence, and personal effects. In 2015, a wooden military barracks sealed into a mountain cave at 3,095 meters was completely revealed by melting ice, containing well-preserved beds, uniforms, food, and personal items left behind in November 1918. Authorities advise hikers and mountaineers to report any discovered explosives to police rather than handle them directly.
The conflict claimed over a million lives, with the majority resulting from avalanches, falls, and cold exposure rather than combat. The melting ice has also exposed human remains over the past 15 years, enabling some families to provide proper burials. A dedicated museum in Bormio is scheduled to open in June 2027 to house these historical artifacts. Environmental conditions are making glacier access increasingly dangerous during summer months, with thermal stress contributing to major incidents such as the 2022 Marmolada glacier collapse that killed eleven people.
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