Between July 1944 and April 1945, the Gardesana tunnels, located between Gargnano and Riva del Garda, were converted into industrial production facilities to meet the wartime demands of the fascist regime. In this context, companies such as Fiat, Breda, and the National Armaments Factory relocated some of their assembly lines into the underground tunnels to protect their machinery from Allied bombings and the risk of theft by the Nazis. The closure order for the Gardesana road on June 16, 1944, marked the beginning of this transformation, with an occupation that extended over approximately 35,000 square meters.
Despite the impressive scale of this production relocation, the significance of wartime manufacturing within the tunnels appears to be limited. Historical documents indicate that transporting finished products to their destinations was complicated and risky, as any movement outside exposed the materials to potential airstrikes. Furthermore, local workers were forced to seek alternative routes due to the closure of the Gardesana, reviving ancient military paths to ensure mobility in the region.
