Monte Pelmo is one of those mountains you can recognise from dozens of kilometres away. At 3,168 metres it stands in isolation above the Val di Zoldo and the Cadore, and its enormous eastern cirque — a hollow carved into the rock — genuinely resembles the seat of an enormous armchair: which is why the people of Zoldo named it the Caregon del Padreterno, the Almighty's Chair. Beside the main summit rises the Pelmetto (2,990 metres), separated from it by the cleft of the Fisura. From whatever valley you look at it, its square-cut profile is unmistakable.
To admire it without roping up, there is the circuit of the Pelmo, a loop that in just over five hours allows you to see all its faces, usually starting from Passo Staulanza between the Val di Zoldo and Val Fiorentina. Along the way you pass huts, pastures, and — at the foot of the Pelmetto — a boulder detached from the wall that preserves dinosaur tracks: a palaeontological discovery of international significance, footprints left when these rocks were a coastal plain. Between nature, geology, and legend, the Pelmo is one of the most authentic symbols of the Zoldo Dolomites.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the Pelmo called the Caregon del Padreterno?
Because of its enormous eastern cirque, a hollow carved into the rock that resembles the seat of an armchair: hence the dialect nickname Caregon del Padreterno — the Almighty's Chair.
Can you walk all the way around Monte Pelmo?
Yes: the circuit of the Pelmo is a loop of just over five hours, usually starting from Passo Staulanza, that crosses all its faces and passes huts, pastures, and the famous dinosaur tracks at the foot of the Pelmetto.