Top 18 Natural Monuments around Cornuda

Famous figure in the shape of a "hippopotamus", which has become a true "natural monument" of the Prealps, especially thanks to the media hype of recent years. This forest of pines and beech trees measures exactly 930 meters in length, while the legs are 130 meters high and from the belly to the back there are another 180 meters. So huge that it is visible from a great distance, even from Venice, especially when the ground is snowy. The origin of this forest, and whether its shape is intentional or not, remains uncertain. Some say that the shape is completely random and that it is a reforestation done in three phases from the 1920s to the 1980s. There are also those who say that the figure is intentional and that it represents a bison left by the Austrians. This animal contributed to the expansion of the Austro-Hungarian empire in Europe by providing soldiers with milk, meat and furs. According to others, what we see today is nothing more than a wing that was supposed to compose the eagle symbol of fascism that with its size, and being visible as far as Venice, was supposed to testify to the power of the regime. Due to the fall of the latter, the work was interrupted.

A lovely leisurely mountain ride!

Classic climb of the Treviso foothills of 11 km with a regular gradient and which arrives in the square where there is a refreshing fountain for all those who climb here. From the square you then have 3 alternatives: go down again to Valdobbiadene as per the highlight, go up to the malga marriech 5km challenging and then go down again to the square, or continue uphill for about 3 km to Malga Budui and then go down towards Combai. It can be done easily all year round.

Suggestive, recommended route in autumn/spring as it is always exposed to the sun

Beautiful climb from Valdobbiadene, you need some stamina as it is always uphill. The roads are mostly OK to good.

Place where a very tough battle took place between 15 and 23 June 1918.

The Isola dei Morti is a small strip of land lapped by the Piave river, included within the municipality of Moriago della Battaglia. It is so called because, during the First World War, it was a disputed area which caused huge losses on both fronts, where the Piave current dragged numerous bodies of fallen soldiers. Originally it was a plot of land divided into 16 lots, known as Isola Verde, divided between as many families who could receive compensation for wood and hay. After the war it became the property of the Water Authority and then of the Forestry Unit, until today. October 27, 1918 saw the assault of the Arditi who conquered Moriago, marking the beginning of the decisive Battle of Vittorio Veneto which led the Italian Army to victory on November 4. Since the end of the conflict, the place was dedicated to popular memory and piety, struck by the continuous emergence of remains, weapons and soldiers from the river gravel. All the routes inside the large wooded oasis, named after the regiments that fought on the Piave, converge on Piazzale Ragazzi del '99, where relics and commemorative monuments are located, including: - the pyramidal memorial stone, built with river stones welded in lime, erected in memory of the fallen who today rest in the nearby Nervesa Ossuary. On the top of the barbed wire he draws a cross intertwining with a helmet, while on the sides four plaques show some verses of the poem "La Sernaglia" by Gabriele D'Annunzio; - the small votive church dedicated to the Madonna del Piave, completed in 1965 based on a design by the architect Alberto Alpago Novello and consecrated on 29 June of the same year by the then Bishop of Vittorio Veneto, Monsignor Albino Luciani, who later became Pope with the name of Giovanni Paul. The Sanctuary was later embellished with furnishings and sacred objects. In 1969 the wooden portals were carved by the sculptor Mussner based on a design by Enrico Tonello from Moriago, the bas-relief was placed by the sculptor Giardina based on a design by Bepi Modolo from Santa Lucia di Piave, two artistic wrought iron chandeliers were donated, one representing the three caravels, the 'another helmet with holes in it. Also an iron lectern made from barbed wire residues, a crucifix made from a hand grenade and many others including the artistic stoup, one of a kind, which depicts a soldier with a helmet in his hand. Some historical relics are also collected in a display case. The fifteenth century bell was donated by the “Ragazzi del '99” association in 1968; - a stele dedicated to E. A. Mario, author of the verses of the song "The legend of the Piave", inaugurated in the 1960s; - the monument “Life for Peace”, inaugurated on 16 June 1991, the work of the sculptor Mario Balliana from Fontigo. Today the Isle of the Dead is an evocative monumental area that extends for approximately 100 hectares, immersed in a natural environment made up of walks, large trees and meadows. The area is organized into streets named after the regiments and soldiers, where the pleasantness of the landscape brings to mind the image of a vast cemetery.

Nice climb, excellent road surface