Grotta dello Spumante
The place and image are well known to the world of spumante, even beyond the Trentino. The Grotta dello Spumante Pedrotti was chosen as the emblem in many advertising campaigns where it represented the hallmark of a setting characteristic of exceptionally fine wines.
It is a natural rock environment, which every spumante winemaker would consider the ideal setting for aging fine wines and to impress and astonish clientele.
A century ago, it was just a small cave, later expanded by the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the behest of the Emperor Franz Josef Hapsburg of Austria, in view of World War I, in order to provide safe lodging to the high ranking military officials on the Lagarino front lines, at the border between Italy and Austria.
Its official name in that historic period was "temporary field fortification". It was a compound dug out of the rock with a central corridor, two entrances/exits and side caverns off the main part. In such caverns, there was a frontal reinforcement in concrete facing the road, with a fusilier that acted as a watchtower and guard post or as a battle station for close-range defense. Inside the caverns were wooden barricade structures covered with a layer of tar paper that were used for shelter and as munitions and provisions stores. This field fortification was part of the Austro-Hungarian rear positions behind the front lines of the Val di Loppio-Mori-Rovereto-Zugna. It was bomb-proof and the rock canopy could withstand even such high-calibre weapon fire as 28 cm or 30.5 cm mortar bomb fire.
The area was defended by the 11th Austro-Hungarian Army with command centre in Trento. In 1916, the area south of Nomi was defended by the 57th Infantry Division. The area from Aldeno to Nomi was in reserve to the 48th Infantry Division with command centre in Aldeno.
The front lines of this sector did not move far forward, even after the Trentino Offensive of 1916 and remained stable until the end of the war.
During World War II, the fortification became an air raid shelter for the local population and shortly thereafter, it was acquired by the Pedrotti family. It turned out to be an excellent incubator for its bubbly Pedrotti wine.
The owners have since furnished and equipped the "Grotta", adding a charming tasting room, and have turned it into a wonderful and enchanting destination for tourists (Nomi, Via Monte Corona, 2/1).
