A large cache of unexploded World War I munitions has been uncovered by Italy’s rapidly melting glaciers in the Dolomites, the country’s army reported. The discovery this summer followed multiple sightings by hikers in the Canal San Bovo area of the Primiero Valley, located in eastern Trentino. The Italian army’s Julia Alpine brigade conducted thorough searches in this and other high-altitude glacier sites across the Trentino Alto Adige region, recovering and safely defusing 250 explosive devices.

The munitions cache included a variety of ordnance, among them 18 Italian 75mm artillery shells and 37 French-made Thevetot mortar shells, which had been supplied to the Italian royal army during the war. These remnants date back to the "white war," a brutal campaign fought between Austro-Hungarian and Italian forces from 1915 to 1918 amid the extreme mountain terrain of the Dolomites and surrounding Alps.

Experts link the reemergence of these hazardous devices directly to climate change, as the accelerated retreat of glaciers over the past decade has exposed layers of ice that preserved these remnants for more than 100 years. Stefano Morosini, a University of Bergamo professor and heritage coordinator at Stelvio National Park, emphasized the growing risk. “Each year, more unexploded munitions surface, many still dangerous after all this time,” he said. Authorities strongly advise mountaineers and hikers to avoid handling any discovered ordnance and to report such finds immediately to police.

This is not the first time the melting glaciers have revealed historical relics from the white war. Since the 1990s, warming temperatures have gradually unveiled a variety of preserved artifacts—including weapons, sledges, letters, and diaries—once hidden beneath the ice. In 2015, a wooden barracks sealed inside a cave on Mount Scorluzzo, near the Stelvio Pass, was uncovered after being entombed in ice for nearly a century. The shelter contained beds, clothing, lanterns, newspapers, postcards, coins, and preserved food left behind by retreating soldiers.

Plans are underway to open a white war museum in Bormio by June 2027 to display these recovered items and honor the conflict’s history. The white war resulted in over a million deaths, with many casualties attributed to avalanches, hypothermia, and the mountainous conditions rather than direct combat. In recent years, dozens of bodies—some still in uniform—have emerged from the melting ice, allowing families to identify and properly bury lost soldiers, such as one found on the Presena glacier in 2017.

Morosini also warned about the increasing dangers posed by climate change beyond just historical discoveries. The 2022 collapse of a massive chunk of the Marmolada glacier, which killed 11 people, highlighted the growing hazards of accessing these high-altitude glaciers during prolonged heatwaves. He noted that ongoing glacier retreat vividly illustrates the profound impact of global warming in the region and the mounting risks it imposes on both visitors and historical preservation efforts.