The area of San Martino del Carso (Municipality of Sagrado), theatre of some of the hardest battles, was one of the places where Giuseppe Ungaretti fought and source of inspiration for his first collection of poems entitled "The buried port" ("Il porto sepolto"), first published in 1916. One of the most prominent Italian literati of the 900's, Ungaretti is dedicated a park in town.
The park is located in Castelnuovo, in a villa surrounded by vineyards that used to be battlefields. The villa itself housed an Italian command post at that time, as evident from recently-discovered graffiti written by soldiers on its walls.
Ungaretti Park, owned by the Castelvecchio Farm, has been restored following a project by architect Paolo Bornello. It aims to accompany visitors into a journey through the relationship between Ungaretti, the Great War and the karstic landscape.
The museum is divided into three main areas: the first is the Tower, located next to the ancient perimeter wall in the garden, a 10m high structure made of raw wood logs supporting a cubic structure in coated steel with two glass sides, where Ungaretti's poems are engraved.
The second area is the Sacred Fence, a small hill where 10 blocks of karstic stone are arranged around a stele in rusted steel. Both the stones and the stele are engraved with Ungaretti's poems.
Finally, there is the Memorial, a maze of raw wooden poles, each 6.10m high, placed on a 6x6m grid so that visitors must pass through without any directions. In the centre, a brass plaque is engraved with a portrait of Ungaretti during his mature age (by Franco Dugo), supported by two poles engraved with Ungaretti's poems.
INFORMATION
c/o Azienda Agricola Castelvecchio
via Castelnuovo, 2
I-34078 Sagrado (GO)
The Park is closed in July and August
Opening hours
Monday to Thursday: 8:30 am–1:00 pm / 2:00 pm–5:00 pm
Friday to Sunday: by appointment
Free admission
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Associazione Amici di Castelnuovo
Via Castelnuovo, 2
I-34078 Sagrado (GO)
Tel. +39 0481 99742 info@amicidicastelnuovo.it
