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Description

A place for rest and recreation with children's play area immersed in nature at the foot of the mountain of Cles. It was probably used as a target range in the second half of the last century (1950-1960).

"Bersaglio" ("Target") is very common place-name in the Trentino valleys and refers back to events prior to 1918. Trentino was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and it was necessary to practice shooting firearms that were issued to the public by the authorities in the relative safety of target ranges, over a distance of about 300 metres. 

Firing ranges for shooting practice had the purpose of teaching and training the military units who were always ready and standing  by to repel invaders. It is possible that  certain features  in  the  Bersaglio park  might  date back to a shooting range, and specifically  some little mounds  serving to provide protection on the west  side between the park and the road that runs up to the Peller mountain hut. Lifting up a few clods of earth reveals an enormous quantity of used cartridges and projectiles dating back to all epochs. The  Austro-Hungarian cartridges  found around the Bersaglio are dated between 1893 and 1917, mostly coming from the manufacturer  Manfred Weiss  in Budapest. Many cartridges also originate from Italy with production dates between 1915 and 1943. Below the Bersaglio is a pivotal piece of infrastructure for the Cles economy.

The aqueduct used for irrigation around Cles, in local dialect called the  ‘Lec’, is  one of the town's oldest elements of operating infrastructure. In 1852 a dedicated commission carried out detailed hydrological studies in Valle di Tovel, leading to approval for an aqueduct of ten kilometres in length  designed to capture water from the Capriolo area and carry it to the most southerly areas of Cles in the suburb of Caltron, in order to satisfy the demands of about 600 hectares  of farmland. Today this perfectly level canal is perhaps the  easiest pathway in the entire  area. The first section along Val di Tovel was constructed in the rock and is closed to the public, but from  Tuenno to Caltron the remaining distance can be followed for a pleasant walk through woods and apple orchards.