At 3,343 metres the Marmolada is the highest peak in the Dolomites — the Queen, as everyone calls it. It also holds the only true glacier in the group, unfortunately retreating rapidly today. To reach it without being a mountaineer, start from Malga Ciapela at around 1,450 metres, where the cable car climbs in three stages: after the intermediate stations of Banc d'Antermoja and Serauta it touches Punta Rocca, above 3,250 metres. From up there, on a clear day, the view runs unobstructed across most of the Dolomites and beyond.
The ascent is also a journey into memory. At the Serauta station, around 3,000 metres, the Museum of the Great War contains displays that look out onto the tunnels carved into the ice by soldiers between 1915 and 1917, when the front line ran right through here. At Punta Rocca, a small chapel hewn into the rock houses a Madonna statue consecrated by Pope John Paul II. In winter the same mountain becomes a skiing destination, with a long run down to the valley. Thanks to the cable car, a visit is accessible even to those who do not normally walk in the mountains.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Marmolada cable car depart from?
On the Fassa side, the departure point is Malga Ciapela at around 1,450 metres. The cable car climbs in three stages, passing through Serauta and arriving at Punta Rocca above 3,250 metres.
What is there to see at the top of the Marmolada?
A vast panorama of the Dolomites, the Madonna chapel at Punta Rocca, and — at Serauta station — the Museum of the Great War with views of the tunnels carved along the front line.