Special forces units from around the world are training in Italy's massive underground cisterns, built in the 1930s by Benito Mussolini's government. The cisterns, located in Fornovo Taro near Parma, offer a unique location for subterranean combat training.
The site, known as La Carona, has been used by 17 national customers, including Israel, the US Green Berets, and a dedicated Italian army underground fighting unit. The cisterns were designed to withstand enemy bombing and feature 2km of connecting passageways.
The training site allows special forces to engage in simulated combat, recreating the limitations of real tunnel fighting, including darkness, limited radio use, and no GPS. The site's manager notes that the key ability to learn is how to map underground spaces.
