The Plateau of the Pale di San Martino is one of the most disorienting places in the Dolomites: a rocky tableland between 2,500 and 2,700 metres, huge and almost lunar, where the plants give out and all that's left is a sea of pale stone shaped by water and time. You reach it on the Rosetta cable car, which climbs from San Martino di Castrozza to roughly 2,700 metres, and from there a short walk takes you to the summit of Cima Rosetta. It's no surprise this landscape hit Dino Buzzati so hard that many believe it inspired the still, suspended mood of The Tartar Steppe. Walking across it really does feel like crossing another planet.
From the cable-car arrival square, trails fan out for every level, leading to huts and viewpoints, and the big climbs to the great Pale summits, the Cimon della Pala among them, start here. But you don't need to be a mountaineer: a simple high-altitude stroll is enough to feel the scale of the place, with Dolomite towers rising on every side and horizons that seem to run on forever. The whole area is part of the Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Nature Park, which protects this severe, silent landscape.
Frequently asked questions
How do you reach the Pale di San Martino plateau?
By the Rosetta cable car, which leaves from San Martino di Castrozza and climbs to around 2,700 metres. From there you step straight onto the rocky plateau, and a short walk reaches the summit of Cima Rosetta.
Do you need experience to visit the plateau?
Not for a walk near the cable-car arrival. But longer outings toward the huts and summits need fitness, proper gear and an eye on the weather: conditions up there can change fast.