Torre Romana is one of the Cinque Torri, the group of dolomite towers on the high ground above Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the Dolomites of northern Italy. A walking route circles the group, and the slope below the rock holds an open-air museum of First World War trenches and positions. People come for the circuit on foot, the museum and the views across the surrounding peaks; climbers come for the walls themselves.
Torre Romana
The ground under the towers was a First World War front line, and the trenches cut into it are now walked as an open-air museum.
- Parking
- Two car parks about 250 m from the towers, both restricted to customers.
- Transport
- Nearest stop: Sotto Rozes, about 1.4 km away.
What makes it special
From a distance the group reads as one wall, and closer in it breaks into separate pillars. Torre Romana is one of them: pale rock streaked dark by water, rising straight out of grass. A route runs the whole way round the Cinque Torri, and the towers change shape along it — broad from one side, thin as a blade from the other. Climbers are usually somewhere on the walls, and voices carry a long way across open ground. The views are the other half of it: peaks in every direction, and nothing in the way of them.
Good to know
- No toilets. There is nothing within 800 m of the towers, so sort that out before you drive up.
- Water. A drinking water point is marked about 280 m from the towers; carry your own anyway.
- Information point. One stands about 110 m from the towers, the closest thing to a starting board here.
Getting there
Cars stop about 250 m short of the towers, at two car parks that are restricted to customers, and the rock is reached on foot from there. Nothing public runs to the towers themselves — the nearest stop is over a kilometre away, so the last stretch is walked whichever way you arrive.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you walk around the towers?
Yes. A route circles the Cinque Torri, and it takes in the open-air war museum on the ground below the rock.What is the open-air museum?
Trenches and positions from the First World War front, laid out on the slopes under the towers and open to walk through.Where do cars stop?
At two car parks about 250 m from the towers. Both are restricted to customers, and the last stretch is on foot.Is there a bus stop nearby?
The nearest one is Sotto Rozes, about 1.4 km from the towers.Are there toilets at the towers?
No. There are none within 800 m.