Forte Pramand, Military fort in Salbertrand, Italy

Forte Pramand stands on the summit of Monte Pramand above Pont Ventoux, in the municipality of Salbertrand. It is a rectangular concrete building with two floors, the upper slightly smaller than the lower, surrounded on the protected side by a gallery housing technical rooms, magazines, a generator room and a fuel reserve. The ground floor held kitchens, food stores and three barracks rooms; the upper floor has a corridor with four gun emplacements and wells for 149/35 A. cannons, each under a steel cupola over 15 cm thick rotating on balls.

Forte Pramand entered service in 1905, the last fort built in the Bardonecchia basin, and was reached by the military road Fenil-Pramand-Föens-Jafferau. Its four 149/35 A. guns stayed in their turreted pits on the roof during World War I instead of being sent to the Eastern Front. After Italy's defeat in 1945, being within 20 km of the French border, it was disarmed and partly blown up under article 47 of the peace treaty.

Forte Pramand was the last fort built in the Bardonecchia basin, entering service in 1905, and its four 149/35 A. guns sat in wells on the roof under steel cupolas over 15 cm thick, mounted on balls for 360° rotation. The guns were not removed during World War I, unlike at neighbouring forts. A 150 m underground corridor with a rail linked the fort to its powder magazine.

Access is via mountain paths marked by local information centers and passable for well-equipped hikers. Trail conditions vary by season, so checking current conditions before visiting is wise.

A 150-metre underground corridor with a rail track linked the fort to its powder magazine, set back and lower on the mountain, so shells could be moved quickly to the loading rooms at the tunnel's end. The magazine held three underground rooms storing ballistite and black powder.