Unexploded ordnance, a threat still present in Italy. If found, it is essential not to touch them and to immediately contact the Police.

More than eighty years after the end of the Second World War and over a century after the Great War, the Italian territory continues to yield aerial bombs, grenades, artillery shells, hand grenades, and other potentially dangerous war remnants.

Even in the early months of 2026, the bomb disposal experts of the Italian Army have repeatedly intervened from North to South to remove and neutralize ordnance found in fields, woods, along mountain paths, on beaches, and within construction sites.

Thousands of ordnance still present underground

One of the most significant cases is that of Lusciano, in the province of Caserta, where in May 2026 a long demining operation was concluded during which the Army bomb disposal experts neutralized a total of 4,483 ordnance dating back to the Second World War.

The activity, which lasted over two years, demonstrates how a single area can hide thousands of war remnants, often buried at different depths and seemingly forgotten.

In January 2026, in a single day, Army specialists intervened simultaneously in Mantova, Empoli, and Bronte. In Empoli, a 240-kilogram aerial bomb was defused, while in Bronte a 115-kilogram ordnance was neutralized. The operations were also carried out using robotic systems to reduce the exposure of bomb disposal experts to danger.

In Trentino, near the Passo del Tonale, 42 shells from the First World War were recovered. Seven of these were chemical ordnance, a circumstance that makes the operations even more complex and delicate.

In Formia, bomb disposal experts also cleared ten aerial bombs dating back to the Second World War, containing a total of about 500 kilograms of explosives.

These are just some of the publicly reported interventions. Numerous local findings must be added to them, often involving single grenades, shells, hand grenades, or ammunition found during agricultural work, excursions, excavations, and road works.

Why Italy is still full of unexploded ordnance

Between 1940 and 1945, Allied air forces dropped at least one million bombs on Italy, for an estimated total of over 350,000 tons of explosives.

Not all ordnance exploded upon impact. Some penetrated the ground, ended up in waterways, or were covered by rubble and subsequent urban interventions. Added to these are the remnants of land battles and, especially in the Alpine and northeastern regions, those dating back to the First World War.

For this reason, findings concern practically the entire national territory: from the mountains of Trentino and Friuli-Venezia Giulia to the large cities bombed during the second world conflict, to the countryside, beaches, and areas crossed by German defensive lines.

In 2025 alone, Army bomb disposal experts carried out over 2,300 demining interventions on national territory. This data helps to understand how widespread the phenomenon still is and how essential the daily work of military specialists is.

An old ordnance is not necessarily harmless

The rusty exterior appearance may suggest that a bomb or grenade is now harmless. In reality, time can make some ordnance even more unstable.

Corrosion may have weakened the casing and deteriorated the safety devices, while the explosive contained inside may still be active. A movement, a vibration, an impact, or an attempt to move it can cause very serious consequences.

It is therefore essential never to underestimate suspicious metallic objects, especially when they have shapes reminiscent of shells, grenades, hand grenades, fuses, or ammunition.

What to do when you find a possible war ordnance

In the presence of a suspicious object, it is important to remain calm and follow a few fundamental rules:

• do not touch it;
• do not move it and do not attempt to pick it up;
• do not hit it, clean it, or photograph it from a close distance;
• do not use tools, metal detectors, or machinery near it;
• move away following, as much as possible, the same path used to approach;
• prevent other people from reaching the area;
• immediately call the Police;
• indicate the location of the finding precisely, without returning near the object.

The assessment and removal must be carried out exclusively by specialized bomb disposal experts.

Never transport an ordnance to a barracks, police station, or Carabinieri command.

A war that continues to leave traces

Unexploded ordnance represents one of the most concrete and dangerous legacies of the wars fought on Italian territory.

Every finding reminds us that the end of a conflict does not necessarily coincide with the disappearance of its risks. Bombs and grenades left in the ground can resurface after decades due to construction work, landslides, erosion, drought, storms, or glacier retreat.

The message must therefore be clear: a war ordnance is not an artifact to collect nor a curiosity to observe closely.

Not touching it, moving away, and immediately calling the Police can save your life and that of others present.

Photos and sources: Ministry of Defense/Italian Army/Carabinieri/State Police