After spending significant time in the heart of the famous Tre Cime Nature Park in the Italian Dolomites, I felt compelled to explore its other corners, especially the eastern one. Home to the distinct peak Croda Dei Toni (Zwölferkofel) and a few famous via ferrata routes, there is one that grabbed my attention, particularly after seeing photos of it online – Strada Degli Alpini.
Total round-trip distance
17.2 kilometres/ 10.7 miles
Elevation gain
940 meters / 3084 feet
Difficulty
Beginner (A/B)
Time required
8-10 hours
Overview of the via ferrata Strada degli Alpini
Via Ferrata Strada Degli Alpini (in German: Alpinisteig) is an incredible traverse underneath the western slopes of Cima Undici. The route is characterised by a long approach, a technically straightforward via ferrata (albeit with lots of cable time), and jaw-dropping vistas of Croda Dei Toni accompanying you most of the way.
This article initially described the route in counterclockwise order, but after completing Alpinisteig twice, I concluded that going clockwise makes more sense. By going clockwise, you will gain less elevation, making it slightly easier. Most importantly, though, you will have the views in front of you.
Via ferrata Strada Degli Alpini is one of my favourite beginner-level via ferratas in the Dolomites, and I’d recommend it to anyone who is a sucker for beautiful mountain views.
The map & elevation profile of via ferrata Strada degli Alpini
Important info about the via ferrata Strada degli Alpini
Even though the gondola already runs from the end of May, you will have to wait until at least the end of June to tackle Strada Degli Alpini safely. The main reason is the large snowfield that needs to be crossed (see photo below). There is a rope installed across the field that you can hold on to, but the crossing is not for the faint-hearted.
Via ferrata Strada Degli Alpini is beginner-level, but don’t underestimate the route’s distance. You need to be in good physical shape to hike all day. Moreover, a perfect weather window is required to tackle this route.
When to go: July – Beginning of October
Exposition: west, northwest
Trail numbers: 100, 102
Highest point: Forcella Undici 2650 meters / 8694 feet
Map required: Tabacco Map no. 10 (Dolomiti di Sesto)
Parking: Bottom of the Croda Rossa gondola
Trailhead: Top of the Croda Rossa gondola
Nearest towns: Sesto, San Candido, and Dobbiaco in the Puster Valley
Getting there
The route starts at the top of the Croda Rossa Gondola station near Sesto. The station is at the bottom of the scenic Fiscalina Valley. During the summer, Croda Rossa Gondola usually operates from the end of May until the start of November. It runs daily from 8:30 AM until 5:30 PM. You will only need to buy a one-way ticket.
By bus
The gondola’s bus stop name is Moso (Sesto) Cabinovia Croda Rossa. Lines 440 and 446 operate along this route. You can check the schedule and the bus stop nearest your hotel on the Sued Tirol Mobil website.
By car
The authorities introduced seasonal road restrictions to limit vehicle traffic in Val Fiscalina. You can only travel to Val Fiscalina by bus during certain summer months. You can check the exact dates for when traffic is restricted here.
Stages of the via ferrata Strada degli Alpini
Stage 1: Croda Rossa gondola to Forcella Undici (2.5-3 hours)
Starting at the top of the gondola station, you will follow a wide gravel path across the high alpine pasture. Monte Croda Rossa (Rotwandspitze) rises straight ahead. After about twenty minutes, the path veers right and starts climbing into the thick larch forest. Keep following path no. 100. Around 40 minutes from leaving the gondola station, you will reach a fork with signs pointing to Forcella Undici and Strada Degli Alpini (Alpinisteig).
Soon after, the path climbs gently, zigzagging until it reaches the first cables. It’s time to put on your gear. For the rest of stage 1, you will scramble up a steep wall using the wires until you reach the Undici saddle. This part of the route is arguably the toughest, as it’s where most of the elevation is gained.
Stage 2: Forcella Undici to Rifugio Zsigmondy Comici (2.5 – 3 hours)
From Forcella Undici, continue climbing until, once again, you reach a fork with signs pointing to Alpinisteig. The views in your direction of travel (south) grow in grandeur, and the twelve jagged peaks of Croda Dei Toni (Zwölferkofel) become ever closer.
Most of this stage is just a hike with cables placed in the most exposed sections. The trail passes under impressive overhangs before a short protected snowfield traverse (see photo above) brings you to narrow ledges.
To the east, you will see the Zsigmondy hut. This is the most fun and impressive part of the route. Even though you won’t be climbing, only walking along the ledges, the exposure is significant, so use those cables well.
My favourite part of this stage was crossing the crack in the wall, which required dunking for a bit. Watch your head! Once you cross the ledges, you can put away your gear.
TIP: I did this route at the start of July and once at the end of September. In September, there was no more snowfield to cross.
The last section of stage two goes uphill to a small alpine lake (Lago Ghiacciao). The route continues downhill on a scree slope directly underneath Croda Dei Toni. You can see the Zsigmondy hut from afar.
Stage 3: The descent (2.5 – 3 hours)
It’s a 2-hour downhill hike to the Fiscalina Valley from the Zsigmondy hut. This part of the route overlaps with the Croda Fiscalina Circuit hike. The descent ends with a flat jaunt along path 102, alongside picturesque fields. Make sure to look back and admire the view of Croda dei Toni. The last alpine hut you will come across is Rifugio Fondovalle (Talschlusshütte), where you can have a celebratory beer.
TIP: You can shorten this stage by 1 km and ca. 30 minutes by taking a bus from Hotel Dolomitenhof back to the Croda Rossa gondola.
Overnight stay & dining possibilities along via ferrata Strada degli Alpini
Since it’s quite a long route, there is a possibility to break it up with an overnight stay in either of these three alpine huts: Rifugio Comici (Zsigmondyhütte), Rifugio Pian di Cengia (Büllelejochhütte) or Rifugio Carducci.
The first one, Rifugio Comici, lies directly en route. If you are doing the route in a day, this is where you can have lunch. You should reach the hut in around 5-6 hours from leaving the trailhead. The other two require a slight detour, approximately + 1 hour.
TIP: I also wrote guides for two overnight hut-to-hut traverses that include via ferrata Strada Degli Alpini:
Where to stay nearby
Sesto (also known as Sexten in German) is a small town in the province of South Tyrol and close to the Puster Valley. It’s an excellent base for exploring some of the hikes and via ferrata routes in Tre Cime Nature Park.
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Shop my via ferrata gear essentials
Black Diamond Helmet
Rockfall is a significant concern on via ferrata routes. Unbeknownst to you, other climbing groups above you may accidentally dislodge a small rock and send it down the mountain. If it hits you on the head, it could have serious consequences. A helmet on your head (not inside your backpack) is necessary.
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Black Diamond Momentum Harness
Another must-have on a via ferrata route is a climbing harness. A harness works as an anchor point for your via ferrata lanyard. Try it before your trip to ensure it fits snugly without limiting your movements. Aim for a lightweight harness that will be comfortable to wear between the cable-protected sections when hiking.
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Edelrid, Camp or Black Diamond Via Ferrata Lanyard
A via ferrata lanyard connects the climber and their harness to the cables along the route. Its two arms and a hidden extra coil work as an energy absorption system in case of a fall. The two carabiners at the end of the lanyard clip into the cable. Make sure the carabiners are equipped with the palm squeeze mechanism. It’s the safest and most comfortable.
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Black Diamond Crag Gloves
The gloves protect your hands from cuts and scratches you may otherwise get if you haul yourself on the cable without them. I prefer full-finger gloves for extra protection against blisters. If your hands sweat quickly, go for the fingerless version.
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Salewa Wildfire Edge Approach Shoes
This is my go-to pair of hiking shoes for more accessible trails or via ferrata, where I don’t need extra ankle support. They provide excellent grip on the rock and are very durable.
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Reeloq Smartphone Securing System
If you want to take great photos on a via ferrata without worrying about losing your phone, Reeloq is the best tool for it. It’s a smartphone-securing system that allows you to use your phone on any adventure. This has been a great addition to my tool arsenal.
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If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
Thanks for all your great trip reports. I did the Rosengarten Traverse with my family in 2024. I’m planning to return to the Dolomites with friends in 2026 and explore the Tre Cime park. Can you give me an idea of the travel time from the top of the Croda Rosa Gondola to Rif Carducci? At which point in this VF do you split off to get to Rif Carducci? After this we would likely move to Rif Zsigmondy because Rif Pian di Cengia is booked on our dates. Thank you!!
Hi Heather. Thanks for visiting. I am glad to hear you are returning to my blog to plan more trip. I would recommend that you look closely at the map in the post to see where the trail breaks off (you can open the map in a new window by clicking on the icon in the top right corner of the map). Rifugio Carducci is marked on the map. The next day you can reach Rifugio Zsigmondy by doing the Via ferrata Severino Casara (Following the third day of Monte Popera circuit)
The travel time between Croda Rossa gondola and Rifugio Carducci is approx 5.5 hours (8.6 km, 900 meters of elevation gain and 550 meters of elevation loss).
Let me know if that helps! I hope you have a wonderful time and consider supporting my site by using the affiliate links.
Thank you for all of your wonderful information. After looking at the map, I was hoping to do Via Ferrata Strada Degli Alpini and book a stay in Zsigmondy. On day 2, do Innerkofler to Locatelli hut and do Torre Di Toblin as well. If we can’t get a spot at Locatelli, would it be too much to hike back to Val Fiscalina?
Hi Holly. There is no need to hike back out the same way. From Locatelli you can hike back to the start via Val Sassovecchio. It is a part of the Croda Fiscalina circuit.
I’d suggest that on day 2 you start with the Innerkofler Via ferrata and see by what time you make it to Locatelli. If you get there early enough to do VF Torre Di Toblin then go for it. If it will be already an afternoon then just start hiking down. You will need ca. 2-2.5 hours to hike down from Locatelli through Val Sassovecchio to Hotel Dolomitenhof, where you can catch a bus to your car.
Hi Marta, I’m trying to follow this route you have detailed here very nicely with my 2 children, age 8 and 10, with overnight stop at Zsignmondy. We have never done this via ferrata before, do you think this is too much for my kids? They are sporty kids but at the same time i can’t tell if this might be dangerous. We will be doing this on July 31 this summer, really in only 2 months time! Thanks for any advice!
Hi Debbie. Thanks for visiting and for your kind words. I am sorry but I cannot give you a straight answer. I have seen very young kids on via ferratas with their parents and they were usually roped up to their parents for extra security. Kids are forgetful and for the lack of better words sloppy, so I think extra rope is an excellent idea.
Another issue is the height. Some kids may have difficulties reaching higher sections, whilst this via ferrata is beginner and the footholds are really good along the way, there are some very quite sections too.
As I said I simply cannot give you a straight answer, because I have never met your kids, nor do I know their abilities. I would highly recommend that you hire a guide, especially if you have never done a via ferrata before.
I hope you have a wonderful time in the Dolomites!
Hi, Marta! Looking forward to doing the Tre Cime Traverse in June. I’ve booked our rifugios and am planning out our hikes. I see that you have the time to try this Via Ferrata is July-October. Do you think it’d be too snowy to try strada degli alpini out in mid-June and instead go for Val Fiscalina trailhead and do the 3-4 h hike?
Hi Stephen. Thanks for visiting. In the last few year the snow has been melting a lot faster, in general most snow is gone, but there are still a few passages that almost never see the sun where it remains for a lot longer. I did this ferrata once at the start of July (In 2019) and we had to cross a few dozen meters wide snow field. A rope has been placed there by trail maintanance to help cross that field, but a little slip would send one tumbling down a massive cliff. You can see a photo of this snow field in the description (under stage 2)
Hi Marta,
Thank you very much for your detailed trip reports, these are so helpful for planning my own trip, and I hope to support your website when booking through the affiliate links above assuming these are still active 🙂 A question if you’re able to answer – do you know if it’s possible to get from R. Comici to R. Carducci by a path other than the via ferrata? Thank you and best wishes,
Audrey
Hi Audrey. Thanks for your great feedback. I appreciate you using the links. Yes they still work.
You can hike to Comici along the Croda Fiscalina Circuit trail and then once at Comici hike towards Rifugio Carducci on trail no. 103 over Giralba Saddle. This is the path you would follow if you want to reach Via Ferrata Severino Casara Between Comici and Carducci there is no via ferrata.
Alternatively you can hike to Carducci from Giralba through Giralba Valley. This approach is a lot quieter. It’s no. 8 on the list of best hikes in my post about Tre Cime Nature Park.
Thanks for your reviews and information it has been very helpful. I was just double checking my route. We want to go from Croda Rossa Gondola which opens at 8am, Via Ferratta Strade Delgi Alpini to Refugio Pian di Cengia onwards to Rifugio locatelli by via Ferrata innerkofler all by 7pm or earlier ideally. Do you think this is possible? If there is time we may add – Mitti di Mezzo summit.
Thanks again!
Hi Brian. Yes, I presume you are fit people so it is doable. This would be the estimate for my own speed. VF Strada Degli Alpini from Croda Rossa to rif. Zsigmondy – 5 hours. Zsigmondy to Locatelli across VF Innerkofler 4-4.5 hours. Of course everyone is different and it is hard to say for me what your speed is. I am not the fastest nor the slowest, I would consider my speed average. 🙂 I hope that helps!