The great Italian operations in 1916 were six: the 5^th battle of the Isonzo, fought to help the French Army in Verdun; the Austrian offensive in Trentino and the consequent counteroffensive; the 6^th, 7^th, 8^th and 9^th battles of the Isonzo. Among these battles the most important were: the battle in Trentino and the 6^th battle of the Isonzo that led up to the conquest of Gorizia.

The 1915 was a really favourable year for the Central Powers on all fronts.

At the beginning of 1916 the Austro-German military chiefs considered the situation favourable​ for them and they thought to win against France and Italy.
They agreed to send the German Army to Verdun and the Austrian Army to Vicenza.
The decision to assault through the uplands, descending to the Vicenza plain and attacking from behind the Italian Armies deployed on the Venezia Giulia front, was an ancient project of the Chief of the Austrian General Army, Marshal Conrad. In order t​​​o actualize it with possibilities of success, the best Austrian units were recalled from the eastern front; Russia took advantage of the situation to attack the Austro-German Army defeating it.

In spite of premonitory signs, General Cadorna did not want to think about an Austrian offensive in Trentino for the difficulties in providing troops in that territory but also because the two railway lines of Brenner and Pusteria were insufficient to bring the Austrian forces on the eastern front back to Trentino in case of Russian attack.
Even if Cadorna was incredulous, he took some precautions: he reinforced the 1^st Army and issued directives to carry out an all-out defense on the main line of resistance that would have been chosen in strong positions not in contact with the enemy.
He decided to inspect in person the threaten sector only when the Austrian assault was imminent.
When they noticed that the Army did not carry out a ​​​deployment in depth, General Roberto Brusati was succeeded by General Pecori-Giraldi.
But it was late to change the deployment.

On 15^th May, after an aggressive artillery preparation had begun on 14^th, 200 Austro-Hungarian battalions (supported by more than 1 500 artillery units) attacked the Italian forward lines between Adige and Brenta.

The Italian left side (Val Lagarina and Val Terragnolo) had to go backwards up to Pasubio-Coni Zugna where, on 20^th May, the Austrian advance was definitively stopped after continuous violent but useless attacks on Passo Buole and Pasubio. Moreover the upland of Tonezza was lost and the enemy was stopped between Borcola and Novegno. The same occurred for the right side (in Val Sugana) that went backwards up to Caldiera-Monte Cima-Cima d’Asta. On 20^th May the Austrians attacked in the middle, between Astico and Brenta, towards Monte Verena and Cima of Campolongo; after having overtaken the initial resistances and those along the line Portule-Mosciagh, the Austrians arrived to the edge of the upland of Asiago.
But the attack was invalidated thanks to the strong resistance. Meanwhile the Italian Command sent several forces (about 90 battalions​) in order to reinforce the front defense and to carry out counterattacks along the edge of the salient; but it prepared also a strong mass operation (5^th​​ Army, on 5 Army Corps and 1 cavalry division) in order to face the enemy if it was stopped. It did not happen.

After new and violent attacks, the enemy offensive against the backward positions of Coni Zugna, Pasubio, Novegno, Cengio and Maso ended; on 3^rd June (only 18 days after the beginning of the battle that would have marked the defeat of the Italian Army) Cadorna announced that the offensive was stopped along all the front.
On 14^th June, the Italian troops began a counteroffensive and in less than a month the Austrians were expelled inside the mountainous area, after having left important towns as Arsiero and Asiago.

In that way there would not have been an Austrian invasion of the Po valley.

The Austrian offensive caused the end of the Salandra’s Government, defeated in Parliament by the neutralists that took advantage of the population's disappoinment for the long and difficult war.

The prestige of the General Cadorna increased; soon after the defense of the uplands, the 6^th battle of the Isonzo broke out (4^th-17^th August): the victorious battle of Gorizia.

The operation was based on two main attacks along the two sides of the Gorizia trench and so on the uplands from Sabotino to Podgora and from Cima del San Michele to Doberdò.
A diversion was carried out in advance in the Monfalcone sector. During the battle many soldiers died but the Italian sacrifice was compensate for the conquest of unassailable positions: Calvario, M. San Michele, ​​Sabotino; on 9^th August the Italian troops entered Gorizia, increasing the spirits of the Army and of the Nation.

Also abroad, after the success of the 6^th battle of the Isonzo Romania, that was hesitant between neutrality and belligerence, decided to go to war with the Powers of the Entente.

From 14^th September to 4^th November there were three consecutive battles that aimed to weaken the Austro-Hungarian Army but also to conquer positions for bypassing the eastern uplands of Gorizia and from the north Hermada.

From 14^th to 16^th September the Italians conquered the upland of San Grado; from 10^th to 13^th October they reached the western sloops of Pecinka; from 1​^st​ to 4^th November they conquered totally Pecinka and Faiti.
On the mountains, in September and in October, thanks to two offensives on the Pasubio, the Italians managed to conquer the Alps of Cosmagnon; on the Alps of Fassa they conquered positions such as Cauriol, Cardinal, Colbricon and High Busa. The 1916 ended in that way, without decisive results for the Italians, although there had been great efforts by the Army and by the Country involved in a ferocious war. ​On the contrary, in 1917, according to the decisions of the 4^th​ Chantilly Conference in November 1916, there would have been violent offensives on all fronts of the Entente.​