Via Ferrata Brigata Tridentina (Lagazuoi)

This via ferrata on the Lagazuoi massif above the Falzarego Pass is a thrilling protected climbing route that follows First World War military paths in the heart of the Veneto Dolomites, near Cortina d'Ampezzo in Belluno Province. Via ferrata — 'iron way' — uses fixed steel cables, ladders and rungs bolted to the rock, which climbers clip into with a harness, helmet and a via ferrata set (a shock-absorbing lanyard with two carabiners); these three items are mandatory and the route should not be attempted without them or without prior experience. The approach begins at the Falzarego Pass (2,105m), accessible by car or summer bus from Cortina, with the Lagazuoi cable car offering access to the upper mountain. The aided route gains roughly 700m over a vertical distance of about 3km, taking four to six hours depending on conditions and queues. Much of the climbing threads through preserved military tunnels and galleries blasted into the rock during the 1915–1918 mountain war, when Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops fought across these summits; a headlamp is essential for the dark tunnel sections. The terrain is steep, vertiginous and highly exposed, with sustained cable-protected pitches on limestone, and demands a head for heights and good upper-body confidence. The reward is a summit panorama from Lagazuoi (2,778m) across the Tofane, Marmolada and Averau, and an immersive sense of the wartime history written into the rock. Rifugio Lagazuoi at the top provides water, meals and shelter, and the cable car offers an easy descent for tired climbers. Because the route holds snow and ice outside the warmer months, and afternoon storms are a serious hazard on exposed iron, an early start in settled summer weather is strongly advised, and hiring a mountain guide is recommended for the inexperienced.