On this page you will find my account of the Civetta circuit, which I completed in October 2023. The Civetta is a remarkable 3220m peak in the Dolomites, near Belluno in Veneto. Its northwest face is a long, continuous cliff nearly 7km long, rising to a height of 1200m. This gives it an immediately recognizable shape.
This 2-3 day route makes a complete circuit of the massif, starting from the Monte Pelmo refuge behind Pecol. Quite honestly, it's one of the most beautiful spots in the Dolomites: you truly experience the incredible contrast between dense vegetation and strikingly green meadows on the one hand, and a mineral world of immense rock faces on the other. The two are juxtaposed in a symphony of colors.
As usual, I chose my Decathlon tent To traverse the Civetta circuit with maximum flexibility, bivouacking is tolerated in most mountain areas of Italy, as long as you are far enough from civilization. And sleeping alone facing the imposing Dolomite walls is priceless!
The route follows fairly well-defined paths, but not all of them are marked. The GPX file may be somewhat inaccurate as it was drawn manually (not surveyed on the ground). If you like the photographs on this page, feel free to visit my section PicturesWhy not browse my black and white mountain photosYou can order a print on poster, canvas or framed print of each of the photos you will find here.
Civetta Tour, day 1: Forcella Coldai
+ 750 m / – 250 m 8 km
We set off from the parking lot next to the Rifugio Monte Pelmo in the mid-afternoon, a little later than planned. We initially followed a 4x4 track alongside the ski lifts. It doesn't sound very glamorous, but the views of the surrounding peaks and pine forests were already magnificent.
We arrive at a farm building with a fountain, useful for refilling our water supply before the climb. We then ascend a winding path, and the panorama is simply superb. Monte Pelmo unfolds just behind us, while the Sella appears in the distance. All this amidst lush green grass and vast pine forests. The very essence of the Dolomites.
We then quickly move on to the Coldai shelter to reach the pass of the same name. From there, the panorama is once again enchanting. The late afternoon light descends on Lake Coldai, in front of the Alleghe Valley. We catch our breath for a moment but we must continue the tour of the Civetta because evening is falling.
We pass to the left of the lake, then the path descends gently along the Civetta wall. It's getting late, it's October and we left later than planned: we'll have to stop before the originally planned stage.
We find a nice spot to bivouac in a small flat area with a wooden portico. The evening meal facing the sunset on the massive wall of the Civetta is a treat (and I'm not talking about the pasta with tomato sauce, eh). We finally sleep under the stars, our Simond sleeping bags being warm enough to afford it.
Day 2: the Van delle Sasse
+ 1350 m / – 1200 m 17km
We set off at sunrise in humid but sunny air. The light filters through banks of mist and illuminates the dense vegetation. The path is quite flat and allows you to fully enjoy the sensational landscape. We pass il pian della Lora, the initial point planned for the bivouac.
The path remains relatively flat. We skirt the imposing Torre Venezia to reach the Vazzoler refugeThe refuge is closed in October, so we're stocking up on some water to tackle the next climb.
We leave the track shortly after the refuge to begin the climb itself. The path is small but well marked, it passes through the middle of fairly dense vegetation (rhododendrons, black pines). Throughout the climb we can see the Torre Trieste, also truly massive.
We then arrive at Van delle Sasse, which lives up to its name: rocks as far as the eye can see. We can see the path leading to the summit of Civetta, but we don't follow it and instead head towards Forcella delle Sasse. I realize we're quite behind schedule and that it's going to be difficult to complete the Civetta loop in two days. October days are short…
We descend into the scree, steep but without difficulty. Then we follow a path along the edge of the cliff. It's very beautiful too, but we have to quicken our pace, so we don't enjoy it too much. There's still a considerable distance to cover to at least reach the Coldai refuge.
Night falls and visibility is starting to get very poor… It's the perfect time for the most technical part of the hike! A steep descent along rocky sections awaits us, with a cable in places. It's not terribly difficult, but it's an unpleasant surprise at the end of the day. And we're not the only ones caught out; another group is with us.
We finally reached the refuge by headlamp. There was no way we were going back down to the car now. The problem was, the refuge was officially closed on that date… We went inside to check; there were people there, but they turned us away. We asked if we could at least pitch our tent next door, and they gave us their blessing.
There are 3 tents next to the heliport… At least we have company! But we don't really take advantage of it, we're so tired that we fall asleep immediately.
End of the Civetta tour
+ 0 m / – 600 m 4 km
We get up at dawn, quickly pack up the tent and head back down the same path we took on the first day. As we do, we admire the sun rising over the Civetta… It's a view we're not likely to forget anytime soon.
We end up at the parking lot of the Monte Pelmo refuge, a day later than planned but with our heads full of exceptional memories.
If you enjoyed the landscape photographs on this page, feel free to visit the section Pictures. For example, you can order a mountain poster of my photos, which is a good way to support me ;).
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