In 1919, after the First World War, South Tyrol was annexed by Italy. The Italians who have migrated there from all over Italy since then, now make up about a quarter of the population.

World War I

Since 1882, Italy was part of the Triple Alliance (German: Dreibund), a defensive pact signed with Germany and Austria-Hungary. When Austria-Hungary, in 1914, declared war against Serbia, thus starting World War I, Italy remained neutral. Austria-Hungary, fearing Italian intervention in war against it, offered some territorial compensations in exchange for Italian neutrality for the whole war. On the other side, Triple Entente signed with Italy the London Pact, which promised territorial gains at expenses of Austria-Hungary, including South Tyrol, in exchange for Italian intervention in war. The frontline followed mostly the South Tyrol- Italian border, which ran right through the highest mountains of the Alps.

The ensuing front became know as the “War in ice and snow", as troops occupied the highest mountains and glaciers all year long. 12 meters (40 feet) of snow were a usual occurrence during the winter of 1915/16 and ten thousands of soldiers disappeared in avalanches. The remains of these soldiers are still being uncovered today. The Italian Alpinis, as well as their South Tyrolean counterparts: Kaiserjäger, Standschützen and Landeschützen occupied every hill and mountain top and began to carve whole cities out of the rocks and even drilled deep tunnels and living quarters deep into the ice of glaciers like the Marmolada. Guns were dragged by hundreds of troops on Mountains up to 3,890 m (12,760 feet) high. Streets, cable cars, mountain railroads and walkways through the steepest of walls were built. But whoever had occupied the higher ground first was almost impossible to dislodge, so both sides turned to drilling tunnels under mountain peaks, filling them up with explosives and then detonating the whole mountain to pieces, including its defenders: Col di Lana, Monte Pasubio, Lagazuoi, etc.