Lagazuoi cable car

The Lagazuoi cable car leaves from the Falzarego Pass at 2,105 m, one of the most historic and dramatic passes in the Ampezzo Dolomites, and in a few minutes reaches the Piccolo Lagazuoi at 2,752 m. First built in 1969 and extensively overhauled in 2004, it is still the best way into one of the most beautiful places in the Dolomites, and one of the richest in history.

A living memorial to the First World War

The Lagazuoi is above all a living memorial to the Great War. During the war of 1915-1918 the Austro-Hungarian and Italian trenches faced each other here only a few dozen metres apart, often separated by sheer rock walls. Military engineers on both sides chose to fight by digging tunnels inside the mountain itself, carrying explosives right under the enemy positions to blow them up from within.

The inside of the Lagazuoi is still criss-crossed by military tunnels and galleries you can walk through, the most extraordinary record of that vertical war fought at altitude. Visitors can walk down through the lit tunnels: a route of about 45 minutes from the top to the Falzarego Pass that you will never forget.

Skiing down to Armentarola

In winter the run from the Alto Lagazuoi down to Armentarola has become one of the legendary experiences of Dolomites skiing. This long descent, more than 10 km with almost 900 m of vertical drop, crosses wild, unspoilt landscapes, passes beneath the sheer walls of the Tofana and the Cristallo and ends on the valley floor at Armentarola, in Val Badia.

It is not a conventional piste but a guided off-piste route: it needs snow in good condition and, ideally, someone who knows the way. At the bottom, horse-drawn sledges tow skiers and their gear comfortably down the valley, in a scene straight out of an early 20th-century illustration.

Cinque Torri and the Alta Via 1

The Lagazuoi’s position on the Falzarego Pass puts it at the heart of the Dolomiti Superski and close to the Cinque Torri, Cortina d’Ampezzo’s other gem for skiing and climbing. From the Lagazuoi you can reach these famous rock towers on foot or on skis; they too hold perfectly preserved First World War trenches.

In summer the Rifugio Lagazuoi at the top of the cable car is one of the starting points of the Alta Via 1, the legendary high-level trail that crosses the Dolomites from Braies to Belluno over more than 120 km, considered one of the finest multi-day treks in Europe.

The view from the top

The panorama from the terrace of the Rifugio Lagazuoi takes in some of the most iconic walls in the Dolomites: the Tofane, the Nuvolau, the Cinque Torri, the Marmolada with its glacier and, on days of exceptional visibility, even the Brenta and Adamello peaks in the distance. Cortina d’Ampezzo lies below like a jewel set in a green basin, its Romanesque bell tower a landmark in the view.

For landscape photographers, first light on the Lagazuoi is one of the most sought-after experiences in the mountains of the Veneto.