When we hear the name “Dolomites,” we usually imagine the image of them that we most often encounter on the Internet. We think of fairytale landscapes filled with soaring peaks, intensely green meadows, and the pristine blue of the sky. I must admit that after two days of walking on rocky ferratas, I also felt like a gentler, slightly more “Instagrammable” trekking. A quick look at the map and I managed to plot a neat loop in the area lying southeast of Cortina d’Ampezzo. In this post, we won’t be climbing ferratas or reaching significant altitudes. Instead, we will focus on the endless green meadows, the richness of rocky shapes, and the taste of espresso in the densely scattered mountain huts. We will see up close the Ponta Lastoi de Formin plateau, Lake Lago Fedèra, and the famous Cinque Torri rock group. I cordially invite you!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Forcella di Giau (2,370 m a.s.l.)
- Ponta Lastoi de Formin, or failure on the plateau
- Lago Fedèra
- The Cinque Torri region, or the land of a thousand huts
- Tour map
Forcella di Giau (2,370 m a.s.l.)
It is already past 9 AM when Martyna, Jaromir, and I stop at one of the free parking bays by the local road SP638 (approx. 1,950 m a.s.l.), about 14 km southeast of Cortina d’Ampezzo. For the first goal of today’s trekking, we choose the very interesting Ponta Lastoi de Formin, which I spotted during yesterday’s trip to Tofana di Rozes. The peak caught my eye with its characteristic shape: it is a vast plateau, abruptly cut off on the south by a massive wall. From a distance, it looks extremely intriguing, so I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to observe this mountain up close. Fortunately, I have people around me who react quite enthusiastically to this type of idea :D.
We cover the first kilometers of today’s trip along trail No. 436. Almost from the very beginning, I feel that the route has lived up to the expectations placed in it. The surroundings are incredibly idyllic, almost fairytale-like. From every side, we are surrounded by a perfect composition of intensely green meadows and limestone, multi-shaped rocks. Trekking is therefore pure pleasure, disturbed only by the already intensely operating sun.
Over the first two kilometers, we gain over 400 meters of elevation difference and at about 10:30 AM we check in at the Forcella di Giau pass (2,370 m a.s.l.). The final fragment of the approach is particularly intense and laborious, requiring overcoming 200 meters of vertical drop over a distance of 500 meters. Both on the key approach and directly on the pass, we meet quite a few tourists, which is probably related to the proximity of the popular Passo di Giau with a parking lot situated at an abstract height of 2,236 m a.s.l. (!).
From Forcella di Giau, a fantastic panorama stretches out in all directions. Looking north, we see vast fields of green meadows, the soaring top of the La Gusella peak (2,595 m a.s.l.), and the Tofanas bathed in clouds. To the south, I spot the interesting Monte Mondeval plateau (2,455 m a.s.l.) and a fragment of the massive wall of Monte Pelmo (3,172 m a.s.l.). The eastern panorama is obscured by the captivating wall of Ponta Lastoi de Formin. The place is beautiful – a true feast for the senses.
Ponta Lastoi de Formin, or failure on the plateau
From Forcella di Giau, we leave via an off-trail path running directly under the fantastic wall of Ponta Lastoi de Formin. At times the track disappears, but most of the time it is well-trodden and clearly visible. As it turns out later, the path is mainly used by climbers. On the wall, there are quite a few multi-pitch lines with various grades – both bolted and trad.
We, however, are heading towards the path marked on the map as Canale di Catala. The Internet is silent on this subject, but from mapy.cz it appears that the road runs through a rocky gap, enabling a trekking ascent to the top of the plateau. We approach the wall and begin the ascent in a wide “gap.” It quickly turns out that Canale di Catala is in no way a trekking path. Significant inclination requires constant use of hands, and moving in the terrain is very difficult due to the huge amount of loose pebbles.
At some point, we decide that continuing to gain altitude here is simply dangerous and we make a rational decision to withdraw. We carefully exit the crevice and breathe a sigh of relief. Apparently, we wouldn’t be ourselves if we didn’t end up between sharp rocks and a swarm of loose pebbles even on a “gentle and green trekking.” We cut across the grassy-stony meadow and rejoin the tourist trail No. 436.
By the trail, we eat a second breakfast, trying to wash down the distaste felt by everyone with a protein bar. Not only did we not enter the lovely plateau, but we also wasted a lot of precious time in this gap. Nevertheless, in the mountains, you have to be flexible and constantly verify intended plans. So we decide that we will continue along tourist trail No. 436, heading towards Lago Fedèra. The beautiful surroundings quickly soothe the nerves and allow us to regain the enthusiasm appropriate for mountain hikes.
Lago Fedèra
For the next few dozen minutes, we follow relatively flat terrain. On the left, we see the beautiful wall of the unfortunate plateau, on the right Monte Mondeval (2,455 m a.s.l.), and in front of us the soaring Becco di Mezzodì (2,603 m a.s.l.) and captivating Monte Pelmo (3,172 m a.s.l.). After about two kilometers, we reach the Forcella Ambrizzola pass (2,277 m a.s.l.), where we meet a large crowd of tourists resting on the grass.
At the junction, we turn left, changing the trail number to 434 and the direction to north. We are now walking along a section of Alta Via No. 1 – the most important long-distance trail in the Dolomites. Kilometers pass with a gentle loss of altitude, surrounded by a completely new set of views. In the foreground we now have the soaring turrets of the Cima Ambrizzola peak (2,715 m a.s.l.), and in front of us – a view of Cortina d’Ampezzo and the mountains surrounding it from the east, i.e., among others, Monte Cristallo (3,221 m a.s.l.) or Punta Sorapiss (3,205 m a.s.l.). All of this looks dazzling – nothing but to look and look.
Interestingly, at the Forcella Ambrizzola pass, you can choose another trail heading north, namely trail No. 435. The route leads to Forcella de Formin (2,462 m a.s.l.), from which a path departs through the other, plateau part of Ponta Lastoi de Formin.
Two kilometers past the pass, we reach the Rifugio Croda da Lago hut above Lake Lago Fedèra (2,046 m a.s.l.). The facility was built in 1901, so still in Austrian times. The hut is seasonal – open only from June 15 to October 30 and equipped with a buffet and 51 beds. We have a sunny, beautiful afternoon, so it’s no wonder that the facility is definitely bustling with life. The tables are occupied to the last seat, and a crowd of joyful Italians enjoys coffee (or Aperol) and eats tasty cakes. We also don’t deny ourselves an invigorating espresso, and then blissfully lie on the lawn adjacent to the hut. The sun burns our faces, the Italian flag waves above us, and fairytale panoramas accompany us from every side. It’s good, dolce vita!
After the afternoon lounging, we resume the excursion through the beautiful Dolomites. We walk along the shore of the charming Lake Lago Fedèra, to soon cross the border of a dense, beautiful forest. Over the next four kilometers, the green path gently leads us to the Ponte de Rucurto pass (1,700 m a.s.l.), located 350 meters lower. Besides the pleasant surroundings of captivating nature, I remember the section from the nice views of the nearby Tofanas.
The Cinque Torri region, or the land of a thousand huts
At the Ponte de Rucurto pass, we cross an asphalt road, pass through a small parking lot and begin a re-ascent. The clouds are setting over us more and more strongly, which perfectly motivates us to move our legs faster. The terrain rises significantly here, so over the next two kilometers, we gain as much as 450 meters of elevation difference. The trail constantly leads through beautiful, idyllic areas, so trekking is still incredibly pleasant. Less than half an hour after leaving the pass, a fantastic view of the Ponta Lastoi de Formin plateau and its surrounding peaks opens behind our backs. It’s as if one had already grown accustomed to this ubiquitous beauty, and yet continues to stop every now and then, holding one’s breath and reaching for the camera.
In front of us appears the famous (and extremely photogenic) Cinque Torri rock formation. The group consists of five fantastic limestone towers, the highest of which – Torre Grande – rises to a respectable height of 2,361 m a.s.l. The formation is one of the most popular climbing sectors in the vicinity of Cortina d’Ampezzo – as many as 220 routes with varying levels of difficulty have been marked out here.
Parallel trails No. 437 and 439 lead us to another hut – Rifugio Cinque Torri (2,137 m a.s.l.), located in the direct vicinity of the famous rock formation. The facility is seasonal – open every year from June 15 to September 30. The hut has a buffet (expensive, by the way, even by the standards of this type of place) and 24 beds. The building was built in 1904, and already a decade later it served as an important Italian military headquarters during World War I. During his visit to the front, King Victor Emmanuel III himself stayed here. Interestingly, an asphalt road from Cortina d’Ampezzo was brought to the hut itself. So this is yet another time when it surprises me how high and, theoretically, hard-to-reach places in the Dolomites can be reached by your own car. For this reason, the Dolomites seem to me an ideal range for people with weaker fitness or for those traveling with small children. You don’t need much effort to bask in the wonderful high-mountain landscapes. Besides, it is relatively easy to conquer your first peak with a magic “three” in front here.
Just 700 meters after leaving Rifugio Cinque Torri, we check in at another mountain hut – Rifugio Scoiattoli (2,255 m a.s.l.). The facility was built in 1969 and is situated directly at the upper station of the chairlift belonging to one of the numerous ski resorts in this region. From the hut stretches a beautiful panorama of the Cinque Torri and the monumental Tofana massif. Although we have fed our eyes with dozens of fairytale pictures today, this one seems to me the best. Not even the large number of people or the obviously worsening weather bothers me. These spaces, these rocks, this greenery…
The original plan of the excursion assumed visits to two more nearby mountain huts: Rifugio Averau (2,390 m a.s.l.) and Nuvolau (2,574 m a.s.l.; located on the peak of the same name). So we start briskly uphill, but soon after we decide to turn back. The afternoon clouds look uninteresting, and we really don’t want to finish today’s trekking in a downpour (especially since the fragments of the descent from Nuvolau are quite rocky). Well, a bit of a pity, but nothing by force. We cover the last kilometers of today’s excursion via trail No. 443, traversing the eastern slopes of the Nuvolau massif.
No one will probably be surprised when I write that the last kilometers passed under the sign of intense greenery and idyllic pictures. As the whole excursion, so its finale. However, it is not only descending – over just over two kilometers from Rifugio Scoiattoli we indeed lose 130 meters of elevation, but… we gain about 80. The all-day wandering is already taking its toll, so every approach seems slightly more difficult than in the morning… It gets steeply down a bit later when we turn left – from trail No. 443 to trail No. 444. The lower fragment of the route causes us some problems because… the path turns out to be fenced. However, we find an alternative passage, pass the inactive Malga Giau restaurant. And from there? From there it’s just a stone’s throw and we can enjoy the most beautiful view after many hours of trekking – the car waiting for us.
After the trekking, we stop for a while in Cortina d’Ampezzo. We want to wander for a moment through the center of the town and replenish our food supplies. This is important because tomorrow we are leaving Cortina and moving to another part of the Dolomites. The market square and the main promenade turn out to be crowded places, but very well-maintained and atmospheric. And the grocery shopping? Well. We return to the campsite with a significant amount of wine in a carton. In the camp silence, the drink tastes excellent, especially considering its irrationally low price :D.
Date of the trip: August 12, 2025
Trip statistics: 18 kilometers; 1,130 meters of elevation difference
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