The Marmolada is the Queen of the Dolomites, and she's earned it: it's the highest massif in the whole 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, roughly 3,265 metres, after stops at Coston d'Antermoja and Serauta. The true summit is Punta Penia at 3,348 metres, terrain for mountaineers. From the terrace at Punta Rocca, though, you look out over a horizon of peaks, each one more famous than the last, while below spreads the glacier, now in steady retreat and, unwillingly, a symbol of how fragile high-altitude places are.
At the top there's a small grotto-chapel with a statue of the Madonna, given and blessed by Pope John Paul II on his visit in 1979. The striking thing is that this altitude is genuinely open to everyone: the cable car puts climber-grade views within reach of any visitor, terrace included, set up so anyone can take in the scene safely. In winter the Marmolada offers the Bellunese piste, an unusually long run with a big vertical drop. And then there's the memory: the glacier was a theatre of the Great War, and that history keeps surfacing from the ice as it pulls back.
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 climbing experience needed. The summit of Punta Penia at 3,348 metres, on the other hand, is a mountaineer's objective.
Can you still visit the Marmolada glacier?
Yes, the glacier is still there, though it's retreating fast. From the terraces at Punta Rocca you can watch it up close, and it's exactly by looking at it that you grasp how much it changes from year to year.