Dolomites Adventure - Via Ferrata Entwined with WWI History in Italy

8 Days, Multiple Departures

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Dolomites Adventure - Via Ferrata Entwined with WWI History in Italy
  • About
  • Gallery
  • Itinerary
  • Location
  • Things to keep in mind

Steeped in events which shaped the world, this multi day trip offers high alpine adventure in the Dolomite mountains of northern Italy, hiking and climbing amid sheer vertiginous walls of limestone and through lush free meadows, all in the shadow of the decisive battles fought on the front lines of WWI. Guided by IFMGA Guide Tania Noakes.

Duration: 7 days
Grading: Challenging / Strenuous
Nearest Airport: Venice or Verona (IT) or Innsbruck (AUT)
Starting point: Sesto (Sud Tirol) in the Pustertal valley

Who is this trip suitable for?
Fit and experienced hikers, with good footwork, a head for heights and an interest in European history. This is a challenging adventure with incredible mountain views, fascinating history, great local food and wine, and warm south Tirolean hospitality.

History and Beauty combined
The Dolomite mountains, situated in North East Italy are renowned for their dramatic beauty. Sheer, vetiginous walls of pale limestone soar above lush green meadows, providing a stark contrast that echoes its bleaker history. During the Great War some of the most savage fighting occurred within these mountains, along the front where Italy fought the Austro – Hungarian Empire. Cable-ways and ladders were installed for access and resupply; natural fault-lines and caves improved and tunnels dug both to conceal the movement of troops and to blast the enemy from their impossible positions. Our journey is linked by a chapter in history; The Iron Way.

About

All accommodation

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners

Drinks on first and last night

Via Ferrata equipment if required

Mountain transport: Gondola’s, chairlifts etc

Museum entrance – Bellum Aquilarum WW1 museum

All internal transfers according to the program

Airfare

Food:

All breakfasts, lunches and dinners


Accommodation:

1 x night in 4* Hotel in Sesto

4 x Rifugio nights:

Rifugio Zigmondy

Rifiugio Ospedale

Rifugio Dibona

Rifugio Ghiacciao

2 x nights in 4* Hotel in Cortina

”Pure wild landscape, remote mountain huts, exceptionally friendly people; the perfect journey.”

- Guest


Gallery
About The Host

Our local guides are exceptionally experienced with a passion for sharing the mountains, and culture of Scotland. Qualified and licensed Mountain Leaders will bring the trip alive. We adopt an excellent guiding ratio meaning we can cater to differing levels.

All of our trips are led by qualified, highly capable, and knowledgeable Mountain Leaders who use their breadth of experience to ensure the hikes are safe and enjoyable, with plenty of time for rest breaks, snacks, and photos to enjoy the mountain experience.

Itinerary

Days 1 - 2

We begin our journey in the picturesque village of Sesto in the Alto-Adige region of Italy. It is the perfect setting to acquaint travellers to the history and stories which helped forge the path ahead and is home to the Bellum Aquilarum WW1 museum.

Day two sees us pass the wartime Austrian troop shelters and buildings at Wurzbach before continuing our climb towards Passo Sentinella where Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops fought an intense battle. From below Passo Sentinella we begin one of the legendary Via Ferrata, named ‘Strada Degli Alpini’, following beneath the limestone walls of the main summits. Emerging into the head of the valley, a gentle descent brings us to Refuge Zigmondy for our overnight stay.

Days 3 - 4

Departing the Highlands via ferry port, you take the mid morning boat to the Isle of Lewis. The journey takes approximately 3 hrs, where you have a late lunch on arrival, followed by a visit to the Arnol Blackhouse and Iron Age fortress, before exploring the Callanish stones that date back to 2900BC. Consisting of a central circle of 13 monoliths with a surrounding cross shape of 5 rows of outer stones overlooking the great western Ocean, the stones were built some 5,000 years ago as part of a wider ritual landscape (like Stonehenge) and remained a ritual centre throughout the Bronze age over a span of some 3,000 years.

Day 4 we hike one of Harris’ historic ‘coffin roads’, which dates back to medieval times. The rugged mountain path takes you to a pass that descends toward the beautiful white sands of Luskentyre. Following the hike you pay a visit to the Isle of Harris Distillery also known as ‘The social distillery’.

‘In 2015, the distillery started life with just 10 people and an ambition to double in number over the next five years. Today, we’re proud to say we employ over 50 permanent staff, a highly significant number in an island of fewer than 2000 inhabitants.

Day 5 we start with a morning hike along the shores of the picturesque beach of Luskentyre, after which you visit a local Harris tweed weaver to learn about the production of this island fabric, hand woven in the Outer Hebrides for centuries. In the afternoon we to a local high point with far reaching views across to the Isle of Skye.

Our hut to hut journey takes us across 136km of spectacular Arctic tundra. Wide open glacial valleys, snowy mountain passes and enchanting forest. We find ourselves falling into a simple, rewarding daily routine linking the journey together, with no mobile phone signal we having zero distractions and can completely connect with our natural environment and incredible surroundings. Each mountain hut is run by dedicated wardens who provide a friendly welcome. Equipped with small kitchens, warming wood burning stoves, and best of all saunas we have simple yet charming accommodation in a remote setting. Our journey ends in Saltoluokta fjallstation, a perfect location for wild swimming, relaxation and a little indulgence with their home cooked cuisine.

Days 5 - 6

We hike up beneath the impressive south face of the Tofana De Rozes, in a landscape where the three dimensional battleground created conflict from every possible position.  We follow the start of the Lipella Via Ferrata before reaching the Castelletto, a fortified Austro-Hungarian position that troops called the “Schreckenstein” (rock of horror) due to the proximity and intensity of fighting there.  We descend to the Col dei Bois before making a gradual ascent to the summit of the Lagazuoi itself. This mountain is riddled with wartime tunnels that still exist today, they were excavated by both sides in a subterranean battle of counter-mine against mine.  We descend this system of tunnels by head-torch, passing the famous “Martini ledge” where Italian troops gained a foothold in their struggle to take the mountain.  Finally we emerge from the bowels of the mountain just above the Falzarego Pass and return to Cortina for the night.

Transferring from Cortina, Porta Vescova is the starting point of the Via Ferrata ‘Delle Trincee’ (Trincee means ‘trench’), to begin our appropriately named trek. Beginning with a challenging vertical section which we ascend aided by steep metal rungs in the rock face, we gain the start of the ‘Padon crest’ where Austro-Hungarians faced Italian positions at close quarters. The day is set against a backdrop of the majestic glaciated slopes of the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites.  In good weather, we gain stunning views of our final day’s route towards the summit of the Marmolada.  We descend to the Fedaia pass before our final effort of the day, an ascent of about 2 hours to the rustic Rifugio Ghiacciaio at 2655m. 

Days 7 - 8

We start early from our mountain hut for our 4 hour ascent to the summit of the highest peak of the Dolomites, Marmolada Punta Penia at 3343m. Our route gives a truly memorable 8-9 hour day, and forms an epic conclusion to our journey though history. From the summit we descend across the glacier on it’s northern slopes, where during the war Austro-Hungarian soldiers dug an immense system of tunnels into the ice itself and created a hidden ‘city of ice’, complete with dressing stations, barracks, kitchens and store rooms. In recent years the retreating glaciers has revealed some of its dark secrets.

Returning to the Fedaia pass at the end of our journey, we can choose to visit the museum dedicated to the Great War before returning to the Cortina and our final night together before departure.

After breakfast and farewells, we depart.

Location
Things to keep in mind

Terms and conditions


1. Insurance

All clients need to be adequately insured for all activities they are taking part in. Insurance must include repatriation and details should be provided at the beginning of each trip.

All European clients should obtain a European Health insurance card (EHIC), however, this is not a substitute for travel insurance.

2. Health and fitness

Trip members have the responsibility to select a trip appropriate to their abilities and interests. In order to assist with this, all trips are graded and we welcome the opportunity to discuss trip details/answer questions in advance of your reservation. Trip members must be in sufficiently good health to undertake the trip, and if unsure seek medical advice in advance. For your own safety, you need to inform us of any medical conditions in advance or at the start of the trip. Trip members are also required to bring adequate clothing/equipment as advised in the pre-departure information.

3. Dietary requirements

We endeavor to work with clients and accommodate their dietary requirements. However such is the nature of adventure travel we may be limited to specific menus e.g remote Mountain Huts, Tea Houses in the Himalaya’s etc. We fully encourage you to contact us in advance to discuss your requirements then we have every opportunity to explore options thereafter.

4. Cancellations and fee schedule per person

91 days or more prior to departure – €250 cancellation fee

61 – 90 days before departure – 25% of the trip cost

46 – 60 days before departure – 50% of the trip cost

45 days or less: 100% of trip cost

Fees are calculated from the date we receive written cancellation notice which can be via email. If clients are unable to access email and cancel over the phone we will confirm in writing the cancellation.

If you cancel 91 days or more prior to departure, it may be possible to transfer to another trip without occurring any fees. Please discuss this with us in the first instance.

With specific departures, there may be an increase in cancellation fee if the accommodation provider T & Cs mean we are liable for payment.

4.1 Cancellation due to COVID travel restrictions.

If your chosen destination country or the country where you reside have restrictions in place due to COVID, meaning you are unable to travel, you have three options:

4.11 Postpone your trip until a later date.

4.12 Take a credit note and use against a future trip with us.

4.13 Request a full refund.

If any other reasons prevent you from travelling, including quarantine measures then our normal (4) T&Cs will apply. We recommend that you check with your travel insurance provider to fully understand your level of cover.

5. Complaints

If you have a complaint, please contact us as soon as possible, in the first instance your leader is often your obvious point of contact. This ensures we have every opportunity to explores solutions to the problem(s) arising and we will do all we reasonably can to resolve the complaint. You must tell us within 4 weeks after your holiday of any complaints that you feel have not been dealt with properly.

6. Alterations By Us

We will tell you as soon as reasonably possible if we must make any alteration to your holiday. Most alterations are minor, but very occasionally we might have to make a major alteration. A major alteration is a change of location or to a lower standard of accommodation for a substantial part of your holiday, a change in start/finish dates or necessary price rise in your holiday caused by rises in costs (e.g. exchange rates, internal transport etc). You may then choose as follows:

To accept these alterations

To withdraw from the holiday, in which case we will repay all monies paid to us including your deposit and this is the sum of our liability to you

To accept an alternative holiday that we may propose to you, in which case if the proposed holiday is a lower price we will pay you the difference and if it is a higher price we may ask for the difference.

You must inform us of your choice as soon as possible after we contact you.

7. Group Leadership

On a guided holiday your leader is responsible for the safety and enjoyment of the whole group and has sole discretion, on behalf of Activ Retreats, to exclude temporarily a participant from the group. They may also choose to terminate the participants holiday without the possibility of a refund if the leader thinks the participant is likely to endanger the group safety or spoil its enjoyment.

8. Your Responsibility

Mountain holidays by their very nature are adventurous, with a certain level of risk is undertaken. Individuals need to conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner at all times; responding to advice, guidance, and instruction that may be given by the group leader / experienced professional and take all reasonable actions to eliminate accidents or injury.

9. Our Responsibilities

We will take all reasonable care to ensure that the information we give to you is accurate, including on our website, in your schedule and information pack. We will do all that we can to provide the service as described in the information we give to you. We are not liable if any failure is:

Attributable to anyone other than us

Attributable to a third party unconnected to us, and unforeseeable or unavoidable

Due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control and could not have been avoided even if all due care had been taken

Due to an event which even with all due care we could not foresee or forestall

10. Cancellation by us

Activ Retreats reserves the right to cancel any trip prior to departure for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup or logistics problems that may impede trip operations. The refund of all land payments received shall relate Activ Retreats from any further liability.

Activ Retreats must normally make substantial payments to its suppliers far in advance of the scheduled trip departure date. If a trip is canceled due to force majeure; (acts of God, war, strikes, earthquake, flooding etc), Activ Retreats will promptly refund the portion of the trip cost not already advanced to suppliers and use its best efforts to recover and refund the balance as promptly as possible. However, Activ Retreats does not guarantee recovery of any or all of the advance payments made.

11. Additional costs

Activ Retreats shall not be liable for (a) expenses such as additional nights and meals not specified in the individual trip itineraries, but which may required to get to from a trip start or end; expenses due to the delay of a trip for any reason (e.g. bad weather, trails conditions, land slides, flooding, sickness etc); (c) expenses occurred in recovering lost luggage by airlines, belongings left behind on a trip or in shipping purchases or other goods home from abroad; (d) visa and other incidental costs.

Activ Retreats reserves the right to take photographic or film records of any trips, and may use any such records for promotional and/or commercial purposes without payment.

Trip grading:


Easy

Suitable for people with little experience and intermediate levels of fitness. Hikes are short with gentle gradients and require the walker to carry a small rucksack containing basic essentials.
1 – 4 hours hiking per day


Moderate

Some hiking experience is preferable although not essential. Average to good levels of fitness required. Half and full day hikes are undertaken with multiple moderate ascents and descents and require the hiker to carry a small rucksack containing basic essentials.
3 – 5 hours hiking per day


Challenging

Hiking experience is essential. Good to excellent fitness required to complete day-long hikes carrying a small rucksack where multiple ascents and descents are undertaken.
6 – 8 hours hiking per day


Strenuous

Strong levels of fitness are required and you will have experience of multi-day hikes in mountainous terrain, carrying a rucksack. Hiking days can be long with multiple ascents and descents. You will also have the ability to cope with several days of hiking, often staying in different locations every night.
7 – 10 hours of hiking per day



Fitness

Happy and healthy on the hills and trails.


Fitness Advice and Guidance

As with all adventure trips, proper fitness and preparation will greatly enhance, not only your enjoyment of the trip but also the enjoyment of the trip for the other people in your group.

For trips graded as ‘easy’, several preparatory walks, carrying a day pack for a duration from three to four hours, would be recommended.

Before undertaking any of our trips graded from ‘challenging’ to ‘strenuous’, we recommend that you undertake a program of purposeful preparation training or are clearly confident in your own fitness and hiking experience. You must be able to cope with six to eight hours of hiking in mountainous terrain on a daily basis, whilst carrying a rucksack.

A combination of cardio activity (running/biking/cross trainer/swimming) in addition to undertaking practice hikes of six to eight hours in undulating terrain while carrying a rucksack, is recommended.*

We recommend the use of two hiking poles to reduce the pressure on your knees and also assist with balance on rocky terrain.

If you have any questions on the grade and preparation for your trip we will be happy to assist. For further advice on physical preparation please contact your local gym or a fitness professional.

*As with all strenuous activity, please consult your GP before embarking on any physical training program.