Base Tuono, Military museum in Folgaria, Italy.
Base Tuono is a military museum in the municipality of Folgaria in Italy, built on the grounds of a former NATO missile site and located at an elevation of about 4200 feet. The installation displays original Nike Hercules missiles and radar equipment from the Cold War period within the restored buildings and outdoor areas of the former defense complex.
The installation began operations in 1966 as a strategic NATO facility and served to protect the Italian eastern border. The site was closed in 1977 and after decades was restored as a museum to document the history of European defense technology.
The name comes from the military designation of the original installation and refers to its function as a missile defense site during the Cold War period. Visitors today see the original structures and technical equipment that were once operated by international crews and formed part of a continental defense system.
The museum is accessible year-round and admission is free, with visitors finding detailed information in multiple languages upon arrival. The site sits on a mountain plateau and requires weatherproof clothing, as several exhibition areas are outdoors and can be affected by changing weather conditions.
Three deactivated Nike Hercules missiles stand among the preserved radar systems and form one of the few completely preserved missile defense installations from that era. The missile complexes lie open in the landscape and give visitors a direct impression of the size and structure of the defense systems of that time.
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