In the years of the Triplice Alleanza (Triple Alliance) the Val Germanasca was put in a state of defense with the formation of the Piazza di Perrero, in order to avoid the circumvention of the defensive works of Val Chisone.
The barrier of Perrero consisted of two batteries on the northern side of the valley.
The Batteria Montecastello (Montecastello Battery) was armed with four cannons and two mortars on individual pitches to beat the Germanasca Valley. A long quay for riflemen had to guarantee the position's close defense. The logistic apparatus was completed by the ammunition deposit and by a two-storey barracks for the garrison.
The Batteria Podurante (Battery Podurante), together with the first through optical telegraph, was similarly armed and faced the Vallone di Massello. The defense of the artillery positions was entrusted to a sloping slat in a covered ditch. Traces of a single-storey hut are what remains of the garrison's lodgings.
The two works were disarmed in 1915 and then dismantled in 1928. Only the position of Montecastello was reused again in the '30s as a GaF battery.
BATTERIA MONTECASTELLO (MONTECASTELLO BATTERY)
Castle fortress of Perrero - Reachable by car, accessible on request at the property
BATTERIA PODURANTE (PODURING BATTERY)
Between the Traverse and Chiabrano villages - Reachable on foot, accessible and can be visited
