The third itinerary offered by the open-air Museum "The places of the Great War on the Friulian hills" stretches almost entirely on the right banks of the Tagliamento. The first stop is the spectacular Pinzano Bridge, connecting the Municipalities of Ragogna and Pinzano al Tagliamento (and, therefore, the provinces of Udine and Pordenone). At the bridge entrance, you can read a plaque commemorating Captain Teodoro Moggio and his men of the Bologna Brigade.
The Brigade strenuously defended the bridge-head in San Pietro, resisting even after the Italian Supreme Command had ordered all passageways on the Tagliamento to be destroyed. On 01st November 1917, Pinzano Bridge was blown up while the men of the Bologna Brigade were left on the left banks of the river. With no way out, they were captured by the Austro-German troops.
This action, which had been praised even by German General Otto von Below, who conceded prisoners the honours of war, is commemorated here by a memorial stone placed by the Bologna Infantry Division in1989. You can read as follows: "We hereby wish to honour General Teodoro Moggio and his brave infantrymen, who, on November 01st, 1917, with great sacrifice of human lives, prevented the enemy from crossing this bridge for hours, allowing thus the rear line to escape / Ragogna 15th October 1989 / placed here by the Bologna Infantry Division".
