Pal Piccolo and Freikofel were among the most fiercely contested points of the “Carnia Zone” during the First World War, along the border at the Monte Croce Carnico Pass in the upper But Valley. Today Pal Piccolo is home to an open-air museum, with Italian and Austro-Hungarian military structures still visible on the summit.
The two peaks
- Pal Piccolo (1,866 m): near the Monte Croce Carnico Pass (1,360 m), on the border between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Carinthia. A strategic position in the Great War, it preserves restored trenches, tunnels and fortifications.
- Freikofel (1,757 m): linked to Pal Piccolo by a rocky ridge, it was the scene of bitter fighting. It preserves an underground defensive system with spiral tunnels and positions carved into the rock.
Suggested routes
- Pal Piccolo from the Monte Croce Carnico Pass: CAI trail 401 reaches the summit in 1.5–2 hours among restored trenches and positions (difficulty E). The 401b variant is more panoramic and demanding, with protected sections, and can be combined with the 401 as a loop.
- Carnic Women Porters Loop (CAI 401c): from Casa Cantoniera (1,150 m), passing the war cemetery and the Val Tagliamento Battalion Chapel. 9.7 km, 800 m elevation gain, about 4.5 hours.
- Freikofel from the Monte Croce Carnico Pass (CAI 413): a rocky gully equipped with cables leads to the summit in about 3.5 hours, among tunnels, barracks and the Pal Grande Chapel.
- Pal Piccolo – Freikofel traverse: links the two peaks along trail 401, with a technical descent towards the Cavallo Pass (1,622 m), rich in military remains.
