Michele Gortani: la corte marziale e le trincee dal Pal Piccolo, al Sentiero Spinotti, al Costone Lambertenghi

Gian Battista Vai
Museo Geologico "Giovanni Capellini" - Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna - Dipartimento Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA); E-mail: giambattista.vai@unibo.it

The years spent along the Carnic Alps divide (Italy to Austria) during field mapping for my dissertation and later imposed me an early revival of the First World War in one of the hardest battle areas. It happened when Michele Gortani, the most renown Carnic geologist and one of the two Italian geologists awarded with the membership of the Geological Society of London in the 20th century, was still alive. During the war he ventured to serve as an officer in the special Alpine corps of the Army, and heavily criticize the mistakes made by the Supreme Italian Command, especially for not considering the early suggestions made by local geological experts, with great risk for his own life. After the defeat at Caporetto, Gortani devoted all his efforts to assist over 20,000 Carnic refugees dispersed through Italy. He also contributed to the Inquiring War Commission leading to resignation of Marshal Luigi Cadorna and the final Italian recovery.

Michele Gortani, Alpi Carniche.