Rifugio Lagazuoi

One of the most spectacular panoramic terraces in the Dolomites, reachable by cable car from Passo Falzarego.

At 2,752 metres, Rifugio Lagazuoi has one of the widest views in the Dolomites. Stand on the terrace and you turn a full circle past the big-name summits, from the Tofane to the Marmolada, from the Pelmo to the Civetta, peaks in every direction. The whole ridge is also an open-air First World War museum. Between 1915 and 1917 it was fought over metre by metre, and you can still walk the galleries, trenches, and walkways cut into the rock, including the famous Italian tunnel, over a kilometre long, fitted with metal stairs and ropes. The current hut was built between 1964 and 1965, and the Pompanin family has run it for decades.

Getting up is easy: the cable car from Passo Falzarego takes just over three minutes and has run since 1965, so almost anyone can reach the top. Prefer to earn it? Walk up on the wartime trails. The kitchen does Ladin and Ampezzano dishes, best eaten while the sunset lights up the surrounding walls. With around seventy beds, the Lagazuoi is one of the most wanted huts for an overnight stay, and it is easy to see why. Once the cable car stops, the crowds drain away and the view belongs to the few who stayed.

You start from Passo Falzarego, which you reach by car from Cortina or Arabba on mountain roads open all year. At the pass there is a large car park right in front of the cable car station, handy for anyone going up with children. From there the cable car takes you to the top in just over three minutes, while those who prefer to walk take the longer wartime trails. The cable car season runs roughly from the start of summer into autumn, with a break between seasons, so check the opening dates for the current year. Return fares are also worth confirming before you go. For dawn and dusk up high, people go up in the late afternoon and sleep at the hut.

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