The Marmolada is the Queen of the Dolomites, and she has earned the title: it is the highest massif in the entire range, crowned by the only true Dolomitic glacier. From Malga Ciapela on the Belluno side, the Move to the Top cable car climbs to the station at Punta Rocca, at roughly 3,265 metres, after stopping at Coston d'Antermoja and Serauta. The absolute summit is Punta Penia at 3,348 metres, terrain reserved for mountaineers. From the panoramic terrace at Punta Rocca, however, the gaze sweeps an horizon of peaks — each one more famous than the last — while below spreads the glacier, now in steady retreat and reluctantly become a symbol of the fragility of high-altitude environments.
At the top there is a small grotto-chapel housing a statue of the Madonna, donated and blessed by Pope John Paul II during his visit in 1979. The remarkable thing is that this altitude is genuinely accessible to everyone: the cable car puts alpinist-grade panoramas within reach of any visitor, the terrace included, equipped so that anyone can take in the landscape safely. In winter, the Marmolada offers the Bellunese piste, an exceptionally long descent with an imposing vertical drop. And then there is memory: the glacier was a theatre of the Great War, and that history keeps surfacing from the ice as it retreats.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to be a mountaineer to climb the Marmolada?
No. The Move to the Top cable car from Malga Ciapela takes you to Punta Rocca at over 3,200 metres with no mountaineering experience required. The summit of Punta Penia at 3,348 metres is, by contrast, a mountaineer's objective.
Can you still visit the Marmolada glacier?
Yes, the glacier is still there, though it is retreating rapidly. From the terraces at Punta Rocca you can observe it at close range, and it is precisely by looking at it that you grasp how much it changes from year to year.