If you're planning a trip to north-east Italy, why not take a day trip to this Slovenian gem?
A day-trip to Slovenia will take visitors to Caporetto (modern-day Koborid), which was a disastrous battle for the Italians. Having fought the Austrians and Germans for two years, Italian troops had only advanced 10 miles inside Austrian territory by 1917.
Then came Caporetto, portrayed by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms. Eleven thousand men were killed, 20,000 wounded and 275,000 taken prisoner. Austro-Hungarian and German forces then headed for Venice. It was only when they reached the River Piave that the Italians (aided by French, American and British allies) established a new defensive line, which held fast.
In Slovenia you will also find the site where a young Lieutenant Rommel launched an audacious attack. On 26 October 1917, he captured Mount Matajur with just 100 men, against an Italian force of more than 7,000. Many of the Italian positions are still there, with caves and trenches cut into the rock.
