Mt. Ermada is located in the Municipality of Duino Aurisina/Devin Nabrežina and offers a view of the Austro-Hungarian defence positions fortified in 1916 after the Sixth Isonzo Battle when the Imperial Army had to retreat from the hills in the vicinity of Monfalcone/Tržič. Mt. Ermada and the surrounding hills were ideal for controlling the valley of Vallone di Brestovizza/Brestoviški dol and the passage towards Trieste/Trst. The Kras plateau’s specific landscape with numerous sinkholes and natural caves was suitable for building trenches, defence positions, passages and shelters for soldiers. Today, many paths lead to the top of Mt. Ermada, enabling hikers to observe some of the positions, the bunkers and caves.
There are three starting points on the Walk of Peace, if you want to reach Mt. Ermada: from Ceroglie/Cerovlje, Medeazza/Medjevas or from Brestovica, following the stages suggested below. For a longer walk, you can combine individual stages. Information boards, signposts, QR codes, and audio guides are available throughout the Ermada area and along its access routes.
Suggested stages:
Brestovica–Grofova jama Cave‒Mt. Ermada–Brestovica
Medeazza–Kohišče‒Hill 298‒Monte Cocco/Piciganišče
Ceroglie–Mt. Ermada
Medeazza‒Mt. Ermada‒Ceroglie
The starting point is in front of the former school in Dolenja Brestovica, built between the two World Wars. Along the path, you can access audio recordings through QR codes found on information boards and signposts.
The trail first follows the main road towards Gorenja Brestovica. After 50 metres, it turns right onto a dirt road, following the signs for Mt. Ermada. After a short climb, the path joins a gravel road and continues left. 100 metres further, it turns right onto a footpath leading towards Gredina, where you can see the remains of a prehistoric hillfort.
At the saddle, the trail continues straight along a gravel road to the information board of Mt. Ermada. From there, the trail on the right climbs past the remains of trenches toward Jastreb. From the top, you’ll enjoy a beautiful view of Monfalcone and the surrounding Karst villages. There are trenches, caverns, and shelters (one of which can be visited) along the way.
From the signpost, the trail continues downhill to Grofova jama Cave*, which can be reached either by a footpath or through a trench. Near the clearing, you’ll find two entrances to the cave, once used as a shelter by the Austro-Hungarian Army. From the platform above the entrance, there’s a wonderful panoramic view of the area; on clear days, you can even see the Julian and Carnic Alps as well as the Dolomites. Here stands a model of a soldier, made from WW1 items found in the area—scan the nearby QR code to listen to his story.
Return the same way or through the trench to the cave entrance. From here, you can continue toward Mt. Ermada or visit a nearby cavern. At the next junction, the trail splits: the right path leads to Mt. Ermada, while the straight path brings you back to Brestovica. This trail descends along a trench, then it makes a sharp left turn and after turns right toward Brestovica. The gravel road descends toward Gorenja Brestovica. The signposts guide you past a small church of St. Anastasia and back to the village. The trail continues past vineyards, crosses the main road, and returns along a dirt road to the starting point in Brestovica.
*Visits to Grofova jama Cave are possible only with a guide.
From the town square (former bus stop) (point 1) follow the road, the first part of which is paved and then becomes a nature trail, heading towards the former Kohišče farmstead, on CAI trail No. 3a. Along the trail, you will pass a gently sloping field on your left, which was once part of the so-called ‘machine-gun area’, positioned between the first and second lines of defence (point 2). Heading forward, there is a large fenced-off field on the left, beyond which the remains of a series of concrete arches can be clearly seen. These were designed to support the curved, corrugated metal tin used to protect the artillery pieces (point 3). Proceeding towards Kohišče, the trail cuts through two consecutive lines of trenches, built in different periods (point 4). The first trench consists of a zigzagging Karst wall in the woods, while the second one, set back a few metres, is a much more functional trench, dug deep into the ground, with small artificial shelters capable of providing shelter for a squad of soldiers. Leaving the Dolina del Principe on your right, whose floor is visible from the road, follow the trail until it reaches the former Kohišče farmstead. The remains of several buildings can be recognised, two of which are worthy of note. Behind the tank on the left, a building strengthened internally with heavy reinforced concrete armouring can be seen, while the remains of the house on the right show how the window frames were made using materials salvaged from the nearby fortifications on Mount Cocco (point 5).
Continuing along the CAI trail, on the left, there is a concrete signpost for Mount Cocco, which is a remnant of the shelters that once stood here. Numerous caves open up on either side of the trail, and walls built to protect them are still visible to this day. At the end of the trail, it is possible to reach the line of observation posts, whose ruins, after being cleaned and secured, represent a unique feature in our area due to the quantity and historical importance of these remnants. The trail leads to the well-preserved entrance of a shelter (point 6) featuring a flight of steps leading to an underground concrete passageway that gives access to the rooms which were previously below ground level and are now roofless.
Heading outside, there are several other observation posts of various sizes before reaching what is now the main entrance to the underground complex and a remarkable viewpoint. A long staircase carved into the rock leads into the bowels of the hill, reaching a small cave from which several passages branch off.
Proceeding along the trail, shortly afterwards, on the left, there is an armoured trench with a shaft leading to one of the exits of the caves described above.
Heading back, it is possible to cross the cart track that climbs up from Kohišče, beyond which it is possible to visit the most notable inscription remaining on Mount Cocco.
Here, clearly visible from the trail, it is possible to see the ruins of the entrance arch to the 3rd Naval Battery observation post (point 7). Only a stone’s throw away is the observation post that once served the aforementioned battery.
Going back downhill, it is possible to either return to point 5 (Kohišče) and head back to Medeazza, or to continue the hike towards Mount Ermada and Ceroglie. Along the trail, it is possible to visit the Karl and Zita caves – also known respectively as the ‘Pilone’ and ‘Gavetta’ caves (point 8).
From here, it is possible to reach the Hill 298 and admire the remarkable war relics that survive today. First, there is a safe and easily accessible concrete shelter, followed by a deep trench reinforced with stones, at the edge of which stands an observation post (point 9). Follow the trail until it reaches the Transalpine Oil Pipeline, at which point, there is a concrete base designed to support an anti-aircraft gun (point 10); a second cone lies overturned nearby, left there since the pipeline was first built. These two bases for anti-aircraft guns are the only ones remaining in this area on the Karst plateau.
Now head back to point 8 (the Karl and Zita caves) and to re-join the main trail, continuing towards the summit of Mount Ermada, Hill 323. From the main trail, follow the signs for Mount Ermada, on the right-hand side of the trail and until it reaches the ruins of an armoured building (point 11). The building can be easily recognised and is described in period manuals as “Gefechtstand für einen Stab” (a combat post for a command unit). The technical drawings dating back to that period make the remains easy to interpret.
Climbing up towards the summit, before reaching it, the trail comes across a concrete base, the remains of a shack dating back to the Cold War era, and shortly afterwards reaches the highest elevation of the trail. Once the summit has been reached (point 12), from here, the gaze sweeps from the mouth of the Isonzo river, over the battlefields on the Karst plateau, and reaches all the way to the Pre-Alps and the Alps.
At this point, it is possible to choose whether to descend towards the Mount Ermada cave or, by going back to the crossroads, to carry on following the main trail. This route leads past other noteworthy sites marked with a QR code before arriving at the village of Ceroglie.
The cave can be reached by following a downhill trail that leads to the impressive remains of the excavation debris. Only a few metres ahead, on the right, there is the 110-metre artificial entrance (point 13). The artificial part of the war cave is safe and easily accessible, while the natural part has an uneven floor and two deep steps, the first of which is supported by concrete walls with an access ladder.
From the cave, keep going down until the trail comes across a sign pointing to the Mount Querceto Cave (point 14). After climbing a few metres along CAI trail no. 3, on the right there is a clear track made with debris left over from the excavation. Follow this trail until it reaches the cave entrance, which during the war housed an electrical substation that converted electricity from Trieste. From the cave, the wires continued underground towards the caves on the summit and the electrified fences stretched out to defend the mountain.
Now continue downhill until the trail reaches the nature trail leading towards Ceroglie (point 15). Following CAI trail no. 3 for a short distance, it descends into a doline where, alongside the remarkable remains of a troop shelter and a small brick shack, lies the Dörfler cave.
Now, go back to the cart track at point 15 and head towards Ceroglie until the trail reached the doline of the 2nd Fortress Artillery Regiment and the cave bearing the inscription dedicated to the 30.5 cm Mortar Battery (point 16).
From here, it is a short walk to reach the first houses in and the two information panels (point 17).
From Ceroglie, there is yet another interesting detour that can be taken: by taking the low road, that runs alongside the village well and continuing uphill until reaching the last few houses in the direction of the Fattoria Didattica Asino Berto (Asino Berto Teaching Farm), the trail continues along the main path until it reaches a crossroads on the right. Turn right until the trail reaches the signpost (point 18), the position where the 38 cm gun and the barracks dating back to 1917 are located. It is then time to return to the village.
Notice: There is no bus service linking Ceroglie and Medeazza
Elevation gain from Brestovica to Mount Ermada: 270 m
Hiking time along the Brestovica‒Mount Ermada‒Brestovica circular trail: 3 hours (8.4 km)
Elevation gain from Medeazza to Mount Cocco: 130 m
Hiking time: approx. 3 hours
Elevation gain from Ceroglie to Mount Ermada: 140 m
Hiking time: approx. 3 hours
Hiking time from Medeazza to Ceroglie: approx. 5 hours
The hiking times shown are calculated based on a visit that includes stops at various points of interest
Photos: Rok Peric, Občina Komen
Information and Guided Tour Reservations:
Center za obiskovalce Grad Štanjel
(Štanjel Castle Visitor Centre)
Štanjel 1a
SI–6222 Štanjel
+386 41 383 986
stanjel@visitkras.info
https://www.visitstanjel.si/
Sistiana Infopoint
Sistiana, 56/B
I–34011 Duino-Aurisina (TS)
+39 040 299166, +39 335 7374953
info.sistiana@promoturismo.fvg.it
www.turismofvg.it
Promotional materials
Outdoor Museum Ermada/Grmada
The content was created as part of the WALKofPEACE+ project, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund as part of the Interreg VI-A Italy-Slovenia 2021–2027 Programme.
