Alta Via 1

The day

1. —

   Check in to La Villetta

2. afternoon

   Draw €444 in cash

   No ATMs after this point. Tissi €240, Duran €100, Pian de Fontana €104 — all cash only.

3. ~16:00

   Optional: Mahler composing hut

   Gustav Mahler summered here 1908–10 and wrote most of the Ninth Symphony in a hut in the woods east of town. ~40 min round trip. Or Lago di Dobbiaco, a flat 3 km stroll.

4. 18:30

   Dinner in town

   Last non-rifugio meal for nine days.

5. 20:00

   Repack · confirm Bus 442 ticket

6. 05:45

   Alarm

7. 06:45

   At the St.-Johannes stop

   Arrive early — it fills.

8. 07:01

   Bus 442 departs

   Arrives Lago di Braies ~07:29. Advance booking required Jul–Sep.

The day

1. 07:29

   Arrive Lago di Braies

   1,494 m

2. 07:45

   Depart

   15 min for photos and pack faff.

3. 08:15

   Far end of the lake

   Flat lakeshore path (trail 1), east side. Emerald water, boathouse, the whole postcard — and blissfully empty at this hour.

4. 10:15

   Forcella Sora Forno · 2,388 m

   The day's work. Switchbacks through dwarf pine, then two short cabled sections on polished rock, then the Forno (“oven”) gully — a genuine heat trap. Cresting it, Marmolada, the Tofane, Pelmo and Cristallo all open at once. You cross into Parco Naturale Dolomiti d'Ampezzo.

5. 10:45

   Rifugio Biella · 2,327 m

   Break 30 min. Refill here — water is scarce between the lake and this point.

6. 11:15

   Depart Biella

7. 12:45

   Rifugio Sennes · 2,116 m

   Wide easy track across the plateau. Grazing cattle, huge sky, almost no elevation.

8. 13:15

   Depart Sennes

9. 14:15

   Rifugio Fodara Vedla

   Restored alpine farm buildings on a shelf. Reportedly excellent showers.

10. 17:00

    Optional: meadow above the huts

    Five minutes uphill. The Croda Rossa catches alpenglow.

11. 19:00

    Dinner

Optional waypoints

• Croda del Becco / Seekofel · 2,810 m+2 h 15

  Leave the AV1 at Forcella Sora Forno 10:15 → summit 11:30 → back at the forcella 12:30. Arrive Fodara 16:30. Zig-zag path north-west, cables at one awkward corner, big 360° over the Braies group. Day 1 is short enough to absorb it — go if the weather is clean.

• Circumnavigate Lago di Braies+45 min

  Adds the quieter western shore where the reflections are better. Push everything to a 16:00 arrival.

• Row a boat on the lake+1 h 15

  Rentals open ~09:00–10:00, so this costs you the early start entirely: depart 10:45, arrive Fodara 17:15. Feasible, but it burns the day's slack and puts you on trail through the storm window. Honest read: skip it — you'll see prettier water at Lago Coldai on Day 6.

Notes

• Detour to the hut. None. Fodara Vedla sits directly on the AV1 as it descends toward Pederü.

The day

1. 08:00

   Breakfast

   Sleep in. No reason not to.

2. 09:00

   Depart

3. 10:00

   Rifugio Pederü · 1,548 m

   Switchbacking gravel service road, views into Val dai Tamersc. Road-accessible: real coffee, real lunch, bus stop, luggage-shuttle point.

4. 10:30

   Depart Pederü

   Coffee stop.

5. 12:30

   Rifugio Fanes

   Up Val di Rudo and Valun de Fanes on trail 7 — jeep track, steady rather than steep. You climb into a karstic bowl on the Fanes plateau, which in Ladin folklore is the kingdom of a legendary mountain people.

6. 12:45

   Check in · lunch · laundry · dry socks

7. 14:00

   Rifugio Lavarella — 10 min walk

   Since 2019 it houses the highest brewery in Europe at 2,050 m: an unfiltered lager and a wheat beer, brewed to the German purity law with Dolomite spring water.

8. 14:45

   Lé Vert / Lago Verde

   Small green lake just below Lavarella, signposted off the trail. Two minutes of effort, disproportionate payoff.

9. 15:15

   Back at Fanes

10. 19:00

    Dinner

Optional waypoints

• Passo di Limo & Lago di Limo · 2,159 m+1 h 30

  Depart Fanes 15:30 → lake 16:15 → back 17:15. You cross this tomorrow morning anyway, but doing it in evening light with an empty pack is a different experience entirely. Marmots everywhere, including the rock formation locals call the “Parliament of the Marmots”. The best use of the spare afternoon.

• Malga Gran Fanes+1 h

  Small simple hut out on the flat meadow past the pass. Combine with Limo: back at Fanes 17:45.

• Col Bechei+3 h

  From Passo Limo. Would put you back at ~18:30 and cost you tomorrow's legs. Skip.

• Do nothing—

  A legitimate choice. Tomorrow is the biggest climbing day of the trek.

Notes

• Detour to the hut. None. Fanes and Lavarella sit 5–10 min apart, both essentially on route.

The day

1. 06:45

   Breakfast

   Request the night before.

2. 07:30

   Depart

3. 08:15

   Passo di Limo / Lago di Limo · 2,172 m

   Gentle warm-up between Mt. Lavarella and Col de Bechei.

4. 09:45

   Forcella del Lago · 2,486 m

   Flat open meadow past Ucia de Gran Fanes, then follow signs left for the climb. The route is clearly visible from the turnoff.

5. 10:30

   Lago di Lagazuoi · 2,182 m

   Steep loose scree descent on a reinforced trail — the slowest section of the day. Poles out, carbide tips bare. Take the trail below the lake; the upper trail is closed for rockfall.

6. 11:00

   Depart lake

   Break 30 min.

7. 13:15

   Forcella Lagazuoi · 2,573 m

   A gradual grinding climb through moonlike terrain, past Austrian emplacements that thicken as you approach the old front line.

8. 14:00

   Rifugio Lagazuoi

   The hut appears late. This last hour is the hardest of the day and it comes at the end.

9. 14:45

   Piccolo Lagazuoi summit cross · 2,778 m

   An easy comfortable path, ~15 min up. Marmolada, Sella, Tofana, Fanis, Civetta in a full circle.

10. 15:45

    Frontline Trail · WWI open-air museum

    The largest open-air WWI museum in the Dolomites: restored trenches, gun emplacements, tunnel mouths, all signposted. An easy 15-min descent from the hut gets you into the heart of it.

11. 17:30

    Lagazuoi EXPO Dolomiti

    Small exhibition space at the cable car station with rotating shows. Good weather backstop.

12. 19:00

    Dinner

13. 20:09

    Sunset from the terrace

    The single best view of the trip. This is why people book Lagazuoi a year out.

Optional waypoints

• Austrian tunnel sections below the hut+30 min

  Slot at 17:30 instead of the EXPO. Headlamp required.

• Sunrise from Piccolo Lagazuoi+45 min

  Alarm 05:30, up by 06:00, sunrise 06:21, back by 06:45 for breakfast. Arguably better than the sunset, and nobody else is up here.

• Download the audio guide—

  “The Great War on Little Lagazuoi” — free, English available, covers both tonight's museum and tomorrow's tunnels. Get it on hut wifi tonight.

Notes

• Weather bail-out. If storms threaten mid-morning, drop via Rifugio Scotoni → Passo Falzarego and ride the cable car up.

The day

1. 05:45

   Optional: up for sunrise (06:21)

2. 07:30

   Breakfast

3. 08:15

   Enter the Galleria Lagazuoi tunnels

   Entrance just below the cable car station, signposted left. Italian sappers dug this through the mountain in 1917 to mine the Austrian positions above.

4. 09:45

   Exit at Passo Falzarego · 2,105 m

   ~1–1.5 h through. Steps are big, steep and wet; descending is much easier than ascending.

5. 10:15

   Rifugio Col Gallina · 2,054 m

   Coffee. Good pastries at the pass café.

6. 10:45

   Lago Limides · 2,190 m

   Small lake on trail 441 that reflects the Tofane. Barely a detour, high photo return.

7. 12:00

   Rifugio Scoiattoli / Cinque Torri · 2,255 m

   Lunch, 60 min. Watch climbers on the towers. Lift and hut opening info.

8. 13:00

   Cinque Torri WWI open-air museum

   Restored Italian trench system and barracks among the towers, free to wander. Different in character from Lagazuoi — this was the Italian side looking up.

9. 13:45

   Depart

10. 14:45

    Forcella Nuvolau · 2,413 m

11. 15:00

    Rifugio Averau

    Check in, drop pack.

12. 15:30

    Rifugio Nuvolau · 2,575 m

    ~25–30 min and +160 m on an exposed rocky path. Built 1883 — the oldest refuge in the Dolomites, on a knife-edge summit with a true 360° panorama. The one to prioritise.

13. 17:00

    Back at Averau

14. 19:00

    Dinner

    Widely considered the best food on the AV1.

15. 19:30

    Order tomorrow's packed lunch · request 06:30 breakfast

    Day 5 is your longest.

Optional waypoints

• Sunset from Nuvolau rather than Averauconflicts with dinner

  Sunset is 20:08; you'd leave Averau ~19:30, mid-meal. Either ask for the early seating at check-in or tell them you'll eat after — at 15:00, not at 19:25.

• Ra Gusela viewpoint+40 min

  Slot at 17:00 after Nuvolau. Dramatic angle back at the massif.

• Sass de Stria · 2,477 m+1 h 30

  Fortified knoll north of Falzarego, riddled with Austrian positions. Only if you skip the tunnels — doing both puts you at Averau after 17:00.

• Normal path down from Lagazuoi−45 min

  Arrive Averau 14:15. Frees time but forfeits the best non-hiking experience on the route.

Notes

• Tunnel gear — non-negotiable. Headlamp (both hands are on the fixed cable, so a handheld torch won't work), sturdy shoes, gloves for grip on damp steel. Helmet strongly recommended. €9 entry as of 2025. Option: send packs down on the cable car and do the tunnels unweighted.

The day

1. 06:30

   Breakfast

   Requested last night.

2. 07:00

   Depart

3. 08:30

   Passo Giau · 2,236 m

   Rocky traverse skirting Nuvolau's base on trail 452 — steep and fiddly, hard work in wet. Descends through high Val di Zonia past Col Piombin; chamois often on the Cernera ridges. Busy café and car park at the pass.

4. 08:45

   Depart

   Quick coffee. Check your GPS track here — the route beyond is poorly marked and multiple parties lose it.

5. 09:45

   Forcella Giau · 2,360 m

   Short steep climb on trail 436. Look back at the Tofane and Cinque Torri.

6. 10:15

   Lago delle Baste

   A short spur right off the AV1. Monte Pelmo reflects in it — the shot everyone comes for. You pass the boulder field called La Città di Sassi on the way.

7. 10:35

   Rejoin the AV1

8. 11:30

   Malga Prendera · 2,148 m

   The best walking of the day: wide grassy plains, easy underfoot.

9. 12:30

   Forcella Ambrizzola · 2,277 m

   Becco di Mezzodì, Croda da Lago and Lastoi de Formin all on display.

10. 12:50

    Forcella Col Duro · 2,302 m

    You're off the high exposed ground by 13:00 — this is the point of the early start.

11. 14:00

    Rifugio Città di Fiume · 1,918 m

    Lunch, 45 min. Descent through pasture and larch with Pelmo's north wall filling the sky. Best strudel reputation on the route. This is where most people end the stage.

12. 14:45

    Depart

    Do NOT take the road — follow signs into the woods, trail 472.

13. 16:00

    Rifugio Passo Staulanza

    Roots, scree, slippery when damp, inadequate signage. Budget the full 75 min.

14. 19:00

    Dinner

Optional waypoints

• Mondeval Man burial site · 2,150 m+40 min

  10:35 → 11:15; everything after shifts 40 min, arriving Staulanza 16:40. Below the lake, past the abandoned Malga Mondeval de Sora, marked by an info board beside a large overhanging boulder. A Cro-Magnon hunter, ~40 at death, buried with grave goods 7,500–8,000 years ago; the skeleton is now in the Museo Vittorino Cazzetta in Selva di Cadore. Follow signs toward Forcella Ambrizzola from the shed at the malga. 16:40 puts the wooded descent inside the storm window — low and sheltered, so acceptable, but it is your last slack.

• Monte Mondeval summit · 2,455 m+1 h 30

  Highest point of the plateau, grassy slanted approach with hands-on sections near the top. Would put you at Staulanza 17:30. Too much on this itinerary.

• Skip Lago delle Baste−20 min

  Arrive 15:40. Only if you're running behind by mid-morning.

Notes

• You can afford one addition. Decide before you leave Averau, not at Forcella Giau.

The day

1. 07:30

   Breakfast

2. 08:15

   Depart

3. 09:15

   Palafavera · 1,507 m

   Forest descent past a ski area and campground.

4. 11:15

   Rifugio Coldai · 2,132 m

   Lunch, 45 min. The grind: military road 564, then path 556. Steady, largely exposed.

5. 12:00

   Depart

6. 12:20

   Forcella Coldai → Lago Coldai · 2,143 m

7. 12:30

   Swim

   Cold but genuinely swimmable in late August, and you'll be sweaty from the climb. One of the few places on the AV1 you can get in the water.

8. 13:15

   Depart the lake

9. 14:00

   Forcella Col Negro · 2,248 m

   Loose descent with visible rockfall debris above. Views open down to Alleghe.

10. 14:30

    AV1 fork · ~2,100 m

    Turn right and climb. The main AV1 continues down toward Vazzoler.

11. 14:50

    Rifugio Tissi

    ~150 m / 15–20 min above the fork. You retrace it tomorrow.

12. 17:00

    Cime di Col Reàn · 2,281 m

    A short stroll behind the hut to a summit cross set on the lip of a vertical drop. Marmolada's glacier to the left, Tofana di Rozes far right. Stay behind the cross — the cliffs are crumbly.

13. 17:30

    Forcella di Col Reàn

    Just out the back. Best angle down onto Alleghe and its lake.

14. 19:00

    Dinner

    Request 06:45 breakfast — tomorrow's heat is the issue.

15. 20:04

    Sunset on the Civetta wall

    Orange, then pink, from the terrace.

Optional waypoints

• Rifugio Coldai as a longer stop+30 min

  Right at the top of the climb, natural break, and you're not in a hurry today.

• Alleghe cable carnot recommended

  The Col dei Baldi gondola connects down to Alleghe town. Only relevant if something has gone wrong.

Notes

• Detour to the hut. Yes — the only real one on the route besides Pramperet. At the fork around 2,100 m, turn right and climb ~150 m.
• Cash. €240 due, cash only.

The day

1. 06:45

   Breakfast

2. 07:15

   Depart

3. 07:35

   AV1 junction

   Retrace yesterday's detour.

4. 07:50

   Forcella di Col Reàn · 2,107 m

5. 09:15

   Rifugio Vazzoler · 1,714 m

   Loose descent, then flat meadow past farm ruins at Case Favretti, then larch, juniper and alpenrose. The towers on your left are Torre Venezia, then Torre Trieste.

6. 09:20

   Giardino Botanico “Antonio Segni”

   A 5,000 m² alpine botanical garden a few steps from the hut, established 1968 and named for the former Italian president. Two sections — one left deliberately wild to show natural seasonality, one recreating high-altitude Dolomite habitat with plants and lichens that normally live far above this elevation. Free, signposted.

7. 09:50

   Cake, and fill every bottle

   Vazzoler's cheesecake and strudel reputation is remarkably consistent. The next stretch is dry and sun-exposed — the most likely place on the trek to get into hydration trouble.

8. 10:00

   Depart Vazzoler

9. 11:00

   Forcella Col dell'Orso · 1,823 m

   Service road for the first stretch.

10. 12:45

    Forcella del Camp · 1,933 m

    The crux: steep, narrow, loose gravel, exposed roots, almost no shade, little margin for error.

11. 13:15

    Rifugio Carestiato · 1,834 m

    Break 30 min. Relief, and a well-earned drink. The Moiazza wall rises directly above.

12. 13:45

    Depart

13. 14:45

    Rifugio Passo Duran

    Gravel track down through pasture to the road pass.

14. 19:00

    Dinner

    Request 06:00 breakfast and a packed lunch — tomorrow is the hardest day.

Optional waypoints

• The chapel above Vazzoler+10 min

  Small chapel on the hill right of the hut, with marble tablets naming climbers lost on Civetta and the Moiazza. Slot at 09:50, depart 10:10.

• Torre Venezia viewpoint+20 min

  ~10 min past the hut, head-on look at the tower. Pushes departure to 10:20 and the climb 20 min further into the heat — your call.

• Skip the botanical garden−30 min

  Depart Vazzoler 09:30, climb 10:00–12:15, arrive Duran 14:15. Meaningfully cooler on the crux. Take this trade if the morning is already hot.

Notes

• The heat problem has no clean fix. The exposed climb sits between Vazzoler and Forcella del Camp, and no realistic departure gets you through it before the sun is high. Leaving Tissi an hour earlier only buys you an hour. Carry 2+ litres out of Vazzoler.
• Detour to the hut. None. Rifugio Passo Duran “C. Tomé” and Rifugio San Sebastiano are adjacent at the pass — confirm which door is yours.
• Cash. €100 due, cash only.

The day

1. 06:00

   Breakfast

   Requested last night.

2. 06:30

   Depart

3. 07:00

   Rest area with Pramperet signs

   Paved road walk, no shoulder, blind curves. Done early while traffic is light — the other reason for the start time.

4. 07:45

   Forcella Dagarei · 1,642 m

   Steep climb through shaded pine, past pasture and cattle, into the national park.

5. 09:30

   Malga Moschesin · ~1,800 m

   Undulating, several scree crossings, blue AV1 triangles plentiful. The malga is no longer operating — no services, but a fine snack spot. Also the last realistic bail-out point.

6. 10:15

   Forcella del Moschesin · 1,940 m

   Abandoned military barracks, Cime de Zita and Talvena in view. At the barracks, ignore the path and signs pointing left — continue straight toward Pramperet.

7. 11:05

   Pramperet junction

8. 11:20

   Rifugio Sommariva al Pramperet · 1,857 m

   ~30 min round-trip detour off the AV1. Your only hot food today. Do not skip this to save half an hour.

9. 12:00

   Depart

   Lunch, 40 min.

10. 12:15

    Back at the junction, rejoin path 514

11. 13:15

    Portela del Piazedel · 2,097 m

    Steady climb across smooth limestone slabs marked in red paint — a strange, almost lunar landscape.

12. 14:15

    Forcella de Zita Sud · 2,395 m

    Short narrow scrambling section at the top. Final major ascent of the trek. You want to be here by 14:30 at the latest.

13. 14:20

    Begin the descent

    A warning sign marks the lip.

14. 16:00

    Rifugio Pian de Fontana

    −760 m knee-buster, zig-zagging, singled out in report after report as the toughest descent on the route. Poles essential.

15. 16:15

    Ask the guardian for the La Pissa bus timetable. Write it down.

    This determines the entire pace of tomorrow.

16. 19:00

    Dinner

    Converted shepherd huts — two bunkhouses and a separate dining room. Dorms only; hot showers cost extra.

Optional waypoints

• Cima de Zita Sud summit+20 min

  14:15 → 14:35, arriving Pian de Fontana 16:20. A short spur from the forcella for a substantially wider panorama over the Bellunese Dolomites. Your last high point. Take it if you reach the forcella by 14:15 and the sky is clear — skip it without hesitation if anything is building.

• Anything else—

  No. Get to the hut.

Notes

• Cash. €104 due, cash only.

The day

1. 06:31

   Optional: sunrise from the grassy shelf

   Worth being up for on the last morning.

2. 07:00

   Breakfast

3. 07:30

   Depart

4. 08:00

   Stream crossing, Val dei Ross

   Drop through beech woodland.

5. 09:00

   Forcella La Varetta · 1,701 m

   Last climb of the Alta Via 1.

6. 09:45

   Traverse below Cima de La Scala

   Monte Schiara on your right — the peak the harder AV1 finish crosses by via ferrata. You're on the walker's variant, correctly.

7. 10:30

   Rifugio Bianchet · 1,245 m

   Break 20 min. The last hut of the trek. Have the drink; there is nothing after this but gravel. Signage through here is poor and several parties report wrong turns.

8. 10:50

   Depart

9. 12:20

   Trail exit at the road

   ~5 km of gravel switchbacks on trail 503. Watch for the “Fermata Autobus” sign on a side path to the left. The final kilometre gets rough again with rock steps and drops.

10. 12:30

    La Pissa bus stop

    ~400 m to your right, on the opposite side of the road. People miss this and watch the bus go by.

11. ~13:00

    Bus to Belluno

    Dolomitibus Line 1, Agordo ↔ Belluno, ~30 min.

12. ~13:45

    Belluno — check in to Hotel Astor

13. 15:30

    Belluno tourist office — collect your AV1 completion pin

    There is no marker at La Pissa. This is the only official acknowledgment you finished.

14. 16:30

    Piazza dei Martiri · Piazza Duomo · the arcades

15. 19:30

    A proper meal that isn't polenta

Optional waypoints

• An earlier busstart 06:00

  An ~11:15 departure would require leaving Pian de Fontana by 06:00 and moving continuously with no Bianchet stop. Only attempt this if the guardian tells you the next bus is unreasonably late.

• Cutting the switchbacksnot recommended

  Steep forest shortcuts exist between hairpins. Trip reports advise against them with a loaded pack on tired legs, on day nine.

Notes

• Bus reliability. Inconsistent, with at least one documented case of a scheduled bus simply not arriving. Have the local taxi number saved. A shared taxi to Belluno ran ~€80 split ten ways.