Lagazuoi is a mountain in the Dolomites of northern Italy, rising to 2,835 metres (9,301 ft) about 18 kilometres by road southwest of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Veneto. It belongs to the Ampezzo Dolomites Natural Park. A cable car runs to the top, where Rifugio Lagazuoi stands beyond the northwest corner of Cima del Lago. The range is known for its First World War mine warfare: Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops both drove tunnels through the mountain, and those tunnels are open today as a museum. The second reason to come up is the view over the surrounding peaks.
Lagazuoi
Military huts still stand on the Cengia Malvezzi ledge, a detour off the path that leads to the tunnel entrance.
- Entrance
- No charge for the mountain or for walking the tunnel route from Falzarego pass. The cable car is ticketed, children paying less than adults.
- Accessibility
- No wheelchair-accessible entrance.
- Parking
- Car parks on the pass road, 700 and 780 m from the summit in map distance.
- Difficulty
- On foot from Falzarego pass: the Frontline Trail to the crossroad, the tunnel entrance above the Cengia Malvezzi ledge, the galleries out onto the fore-summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi, then a hiking trail across the trench system to the top station. Summit elevation 2,835 m.
- Transport
- Bus stop Passo Valparola, about 1 km from the summit.
- Hours
- Daily, 9:00–17:00.
What makes it special
The summit is a First World War battlefield you can walk into. Italian troops bored tunnels through the rock to take the mountain from Austro-Hungarian units, who were digging their own galleries at the same time, and the network is open today and works as a museum in its own right.
Walkers leave Falzarego pass on the Frontline Trail and climb to a crossroad, where the left branch reaches the tunnel entrance above the Cengia Malvezzi ledge. The galleries come out on the fore-summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi, straight into a trench system that was the fortified Austrian outpost, and a hiking trail runs on from there to the cable car top station and Rifugio Lagazuoi. Everyone stops at the same point once they are up: the view over the surrounding peaks, with the Ampezzo Dolomites standing on every side.
Good to know
- Water: none is mapped within 800 m of the summit. Carry what you intend to drink.
- Toilets: the nearest are about 500 m from the summit point, free to use.
- Altitude: 2,835 m at the top, colder than Cortina d'Ampezzo whatever the valley is doing.
- Guided visits: tours are given over the war ground up here, one of them led by a guide in First World War uniform.
Getting there
Two ways up, and both start at Falzarego pass. The cable car sets you down at the top station beside Rifugio Lagazuoi, and the rest is walking on the summit ground itself. On foot, the route climbs the Frontline Trail to a crossroad, turns left to the tunnel entrance above the Cengia Malvezzi ledge, exits the galleries on the fore-summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi and crosses the old Austrian trenches before joining the trail to the station. Roadside car parks on the pass road lie 700 to 780 m from the summit in map distance, all of it uphill.
Best time to visit
Better: a clear day, with enough time left to walk the summit ground rather than turn round at the station — the panorama over the surrounding peaks is what most people ride up for.
Avoid: wet rock, if the plan is the Frontline Trail and the galleries from Falzarego pass rather than the cable car.
Winter is a different mountain up here: snow on the ridges, and hard cold light over the Ampezzo Dolomites.
Sun & daylight
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Frequently asked questions
How do you get to the top of Lagazuoi?
By cable car from Falzarego pass, or on foot from the same pass: the Frontline Trail to the tunnel entrance above the Cengia Malvezzi ledge, then the galleries and a hiking trail to the top station.Can you walk through the First World War tunnels?
Yes. The tunnels dug by Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops are open as a museum, and the route through them ends on the fore-summit of Piccolo Lagazuoi, in what was the fortified Austrian outpost.Is there a refuge at the top?
Rifugio Lagazuoi, a mountain refuge, stands beyond the northwest corner of Cima del Lago, by the top station of the cable car.Is Lagazuoi wheelchair accessible?
No. There is no wheelchair-accessible entrance, and the summit ground is reached by the cable car or on mountain trails.