Via ferrata Michielli-Strobel is a cable-protected climbing route on the Pomagagnon rock, in the municipality of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites. It starts near Fiames, on the northern side of the town, and tops out on the summit of Punta Fiames at 2,240 metres. Graded B, it alternates protected pitches with walking sections, and the views over the Ampezzo valley open up from the upper part of the climb. The return is on foot and includes a long stretch of loose stone. The start of the route is not signposted.
Via ferrata Michielli-Strobel
The summit is only the turning point: it is the loose-stone descent, not the cable, that people remember from the day.
- Accessibility
- Not wheelchair accessible: neither the parking nor the entrance to the route is adapted.
- Parking
- Two car parks near the start: the nearer about 670 m from the route, a second at roughly 750 m reserved for customers.
- Difficulty
- Graded B on the via ferrata scale; vertical steps with limited footing. Summit of Punta Fiames at 2,240 m. Round trip of 7 hours or more, with 300–400 m of loose stone on the descent.
- Transport
- Bus stop Fiames, about 740 m from the route; an information point stands alongside it.
What makes it special
The route climbs in a rhythm you settle into fast: a pitch on the cable, a walk along a ledge, another pitch, and on up the rock face the same way. It is graded B on the via ferrata scale, which puts the technical demand low, but there are vertical steps where the footholds run out and the arms take over, and more than one climber has arrived on the strength of the grade and found the day harder than advertised. The cable ends on the summit of Punta Fiames at 2,240 metres, with the Ampezzo valley spread out underneath. Then the mood of the day changes: the way back is on foot, long, and it takes more out of the legs than the climbing took out of the arms.
Good to know
- No signs: the start of the route is not marked, and finding it takes a mapping app on the phone.
- The descent is the crux: 300–400 metres of small loose stones, slippery underfoot and slow at the end of a long day.
- Nothing on site: no toilets and no drinking water within 800 metres of the route, so carry what you need up.
- Skip it in the rain: wet rock on the cable and wet scree on the way down make for a bad day out.
- Start early: photo stops and a lunch break turn this into a full day, not a morning.
Getting there
Everything begins at Fiames, on the northern side of Cortina d'Ampezzo, where the car parks, the bus stop and an information point all sit within a kilometre of the route. From there the approach is on foot. Give that last stretch some thought before you set off: the start of the ferrata carries no sign, and arriving without a mapping app on the phone means hunting for it on the hillside. The return follows a rough path back down rather than the line you climbed.
Best time to visit
Better: a dry, settled day, begun early enough that the descent is finished in good light.
Avoid: rain, and any day that leaves the rock and the scree wet.
The cable runs up open limestone with nothing overhead, and the loose-stone section on the way down turns treacherous the moment it is damp. The climb is only half the outing, so the time you save at the start is the time you will want at the end.
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Via ferrata Michielli-Strobel on the map
Several sections run vertical with very little for the feet. The descent crosses 300–400 metres of small loose stones where slipping is easy, and it comes at the end of a long day on tired legs. This is a cabled climbing route: harness, via ferrata lanyard and helmet are the basic kit. Do not attempt it in the rain.
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Frequently asked questions
How long does the route take?
Seven hours or more for the round trip, including the descent, once stops for photographs and a lunch break are counted in.How difficult is it?
Graded B on the via ferrata scale, so technically modest, though several vertical steps offer limited footing and the climbing tends to feel harder than the grade suggests.Is the start of the ferrata signposted?
No. There are no signs, and the start is difficult to locate without a mapping app on the phone.Can it be done in wet weather?
No. Rain leaves the rock slick on the cable and the loose-stone descent unsafe.Where does the route finish?
On the summit of Punta Fiames at 2,240 metres, above the Ampezzo valley; the way back down is on foot.