Monte San Michele, Strategic summit in Gorizia, Italy

Monte San Michele is a hill on the Karst Plateau in the province of Gorizia, with four peaks: Cima Due and Cima Tre at 275 meters, Cima Uno at 271, and Cima Quattro at 264. Its crest, covered in scrubby ground, offers views of the Isonzo valley and the Adriatic.

The mountain was the site of intense fighting during World War I between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces. In 1916 it witnessed one of the first gas attacks on the Italian Front.

The poet Giuseppe Ungaretti fought on Monte San Michele and wrote several poems here, including Sono una creatura, which names the mountain; Cima Quattro and Valloncello dell'Albero Isolato appear in his notes as places of composition. Since 1922 the hill has been a protected monumental area, and a World War I museum near Cima Tre, reopened in June 2018 with multimedia displays, presents the site's wartime history.

The area can be explored on foot with access to various routes that differ in difficulty and terrain. Wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for changing weather conditions on the open plateau.

The poet Giuseppe Ungaretti fought on Monte San Michele and wrote several poems here, naming Cima Quattro, Valloncello di Cima Quattro and Cotici as places of composition; the hill itself appears by name in Sono una creatura. Visitors can still walk the trenches, communication paths and caves between Fogliano Redipuglia and Sagrado.