Cascinetto Hut

Place where 4 partisans were surprised and killed on December 1, 1944: three Russians and 17-year-old Mario Ghirlandetti
In the heart of the Cornalba basin, along the slope of Mount Alben, stands the Baita Cascinetto (elevation about 1,435 m above sea level), a place that preserves the memory of the Bergamo Resistance. Here, on December 1, 1944, during a roundup by Fascist-German forces of the 612th “Public Order” Company, some partisans of the XXIV Maggio “Giustizia e Libertà” Brigade operating in the high mountains were caught and taken by surprise.
Among them, 17-year-old Italian Mario Ghirlandetti from Calvenzano and three Russians (whose names remain only Angelo, Carlo and Michele) were killed during the ambush.
A fourth Russian partisan, identified as “Scialico” (or Scialico Giogavaz) was wounded, taken prisoner, and later rescued by the jailers with the help of the local population.
Today, the Baita Cascinetto is a stop on the Sentiero Partigiano “Martiri di Cornalba” (Partisan Trail "Martyrs of Cornalba") (trail marker 503), which starts in Cornalba and climbs through the woods to the baita, passing through places of memory and marked by plaques and informative signs.
Along the path one also encounters the small chapel of San Rocco and numerous testimonies of the partisan struggle, up to the Callisto Sguazzi Peter memorial cross on Mount Alben, which commemorates the fifteen fallen in the November-December 1944 roundup.
To visit Baita Cascinetto hut is not only to take a scenic hike among larch trees and limestone relief, but to set out on an exploration of history, also ideal for families. The section up to the hut is suitable for a leisurely pace; with simple explanations, the value of freedom and the courage of those who defended their land can be introduced to the younger ones. The estimated time for the ascent from the hamlet of Cornalba is about 1:30 to 2:00 hours, with an elevation gain of about 600 m, marked trail but to be approached with mountain footwear.