Tofane
Three summits above Cortina hold most of the sky in this part of the Dolomites. Tofana di Mezzo, the tallest at 3,244 metres, is the third highest point in the entire Dolomite range, and on a clear morning the view from its station platform stretches past Cristallo and out toward the pale limestone walls that ring the Ampezzo basin on every side.
The Tofane are not one mountain but a trio — di Mezzo, di Dentro, di Rozes — each with its own character and its own history of first ascents, wartime tunnels, and ski racing. The cable car called Freccia nel Cielo, Arrow in the Sky, threads all the way from the edge of Cortina to the summit in three stages.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to ride to Ra Valles rather than the top, eat lunch at Rifugio Pomedes with the south face of Tofana di Rozes in full view, then take their time walking down. The Olimpia delle Tofane slope, empty of racers in summer, is worth a slow look — the gradient that Toni Sailer won on in 1956 is steeper than it reads from the lift.
The story behind Tofane
Paul Grohmann, an Austrian mountaineer, made the Tofane his project across three consecutive summers. On 29 August 1863 he reached the top of Tofana di Mezzo with Cortina guide Francesco Lacedelli — the first recorded ascent of any of the three peaks. Tofana di Rozes followed in 1864, with Lacedelli joined by Angelo Dimai and Santo Siorpaes, and Tofana di Dentro in 1865 with Dimai. These climbs, all relying on local Ampezzo guides who knew the rock, helped establish the template for Dolomite alpinism.
Fifty years later the summits became frontline positions. Between 1915 and 1917, Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops fought a prolonged and costly campaign across the Tofane, leaving behind tunnel systems still visible today on Tofana di Rozes. The Freccia nel Cielo cable car — built in stages during the second half of the twentieth century — eventually made the heights accessible to anyone, not just soldiers or mountaineers.
Good to know
The Freccia nel Cielo runs all year to Ra Valles; the final stage to Cima Tofana opens mid-June through late September. A full round trip takes under two hours, but the rifugios at each station make a longer stay easy. Book the summit cable car early in peak summer weeks — queues build by mid-morning.
Summer on the Tofane (July–August) brings warm valley days but temperatures at the summit station can drop sharply; a windproof layer is worth carrying regardless of what it looks like in Cortina. Winter access to the upper slopes runs December through early April, with the mountain frequently holding snow well into spring.
Where is Tofane?
Location
- In Cortina d'Ampezzo
- 46.5583, 12.0833
- Open in Google Maps
Rating
4.8 ★ · 136 Google reviews
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What travellers say about Tofane
The experience was nice and we did a cable car ride to top of the mountain. That was my first cable car ride. When you look at the down from the top , the view is amazing . Also it is much colder in the top of the mountain. We visit there in last summer
In short, it's an amazing place, a must-visit at least once when visiting Italy.
CAN A CLIMBER BE IN LOVE WITH A PEAK IN THE DOLOMITES? I THINK THIS GREAT CREATION OF GOD IS WONDERFUL AND UNIQUE. I CLIMBED UP AND THE MOUNTAIN REMAINED IN MY MEMORY FOREVER.
Such a beautiful place. We visited only a small part of it but we loved it.
Icon Italian Alps near Cortina D'Ampezzo.
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