Village at the foot of the Marmolada, at the mouth of the Serrai di Sottoguda, one of the most beautiful and famous gorges in the Dolomites.
A short history
Rocca Pietore lies in the upper Val Pettorina, at the foot of the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites. The municipality gathers a series of hamlets scattered between 1,000 and 1,500 metres, along the road that climbs towards the Fedaia Pass and the great glacier.
The territory long had its own autonomy, the Magnifica Comunità di Rocca Pietore, with ancient rules that governed its woods and pastures. Like the nearby Ladin valleys it belonged to the borderland between Veneto and Tyrol, and its history is tied to the mountain, to timber and to the high-altitude pastures.
The place that makes the village famous is the Serrai di Sottoguda, a narrow, deep gorge carved by the stream between walls of rock. Storm Vaia, in 2018, badly damaged the area, but the Serrai remain one of the finest walks in the valley, and in winter the ice of the waterfalls draws climbers from all over Europe.
At the mouth of the gorge sits Sottoguda, a hamlet of Rocca Pietore that joined the club of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy in 2016. It is a village of stone houses and old wooden tabia barns, also awarded the Touring Club's Orange Flag. Wrought-iron working began here in the late eighteenth century, when the ore from the nearby Fursil mines was worked.
The Marmolada that towers over the village was a front of the Great War. Between 1916 and 1917 the Austro-Hungarians, led by the engineer Leo Handl, dug the Ice City into the glacier, the Eisstadt: kilometres of tunnels and shelters inside the ice, to take cover from fire and frost. On 3 July 2022 the glacier returned tragically to the news, when a serac on Punta Rocca broke away, sweeping over several mountaineers and causing eleven deaths.
How to fit Rocca Pietore into a three, five or seven day trip: The Dolomites in 3, 5 or 7 Days: How to Plan Your Trip.
What to see
- The Serrai di Sottoguda, the gorge carved by the stream between high rock walls, at the start of the climb towards the Marmolada.
- The glacier and Punta Rocca of the Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites, reached by cable car from the Fedaia Pass.
- The ice waterfalls of Sottoguda, a winter destination for ice climbing inside the gorge.
How to get to Rocca Pietore
You arrive from Caprile along the road that climbs the Val Pettorina towards the Fedaia Pass and the glacier. The nearest station is Belluno, from where you continue by scheduled bus up the valley. By car you come up from the Agordino, or down from the Fedaia Pass on the Canazei side.
When to go
Summer is the best season for walking through the Serrai di Sottoguda and riding the cable car up the Marmolada. In winter the frozen waterfalls of the Serrai draw climbers and the Fedaia Pass offers snow and slopes. Spring and autumn are quieter, good for those seeking calm between one busy spell and the next.
Frequently asked questions
What is there to see in Rocca Pietore?
The Serrai di Sottoguda, the gorge carved by the stream between high walls, and the Marmolada with its glacier, reached by cable car from the Fedaia Pass. In winter the ice waterfalls inside the Serrai are a destination for climbing.
What are the Serrai di Sottoguda?
They are a narrow, deep gorge carved by the Pettorina stream between walls of rock, near Rocca Pietore. You walk through them, and it is one of the finest walks in the area. In winter the frozen waterfalls draw climbers.
How do you get to Rocca Pietore?
You climb from Caprile along the Val Pettorina towards the Fedaia Pass. The nearest station is Belluno, from where you continue by bus. By car you arrive from the Agordino, or from the Canazei side, coming down from the Fedaia Pass.
How do you go up the Marmolada?
From the Fedaia Pass a cable car climbs towards Punta Rocca, near the summit. From up there you can see the glacier and a wide view over the Dolomites. The Marmolada is the highest peak in the group, called the Queen of the Dolomites.
Why is Sottoguda famous?
Because it is one of the Most Beautiful Villages of Italy, in the club since 2016, and it also holds the Touring Club's Orange Flag. It is a village of stone houses and old wooden tabia barns at the foot of the Marmolada, at the mouth of the Serrai. Wrought iron was once worked here using ore from the Fursil mines.
What is the Ice City of the Marmolada?
It was a system of tunnels dug into the glacier by the Austro-Hungarians during the Great War, between 1916 and 1917. The engineer Leo Handl devised it to shelter soldiers from fire and frost. In German it is called the Eisstadt. The melting of the ice has by now erased its traces.