History

Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites

The queen of the Dolomites rises majestically up to crown the Val Pettorina, with the glacier glistening amid the pinnacles, peaks and rugged rock faces. Legend has it that the origin of the glacier lies in the obstinacy of an old lady who decided to climb up on the mountain to gather hay on the feast day of the Madonna delle Nevi (of the snows), despite the warnings of the other villagers. That same night – the 5th of August – it began to snow so heavily that the snow settled permanently on the summit of the Marmolada, thus creating the glacier.

The Marmolada is near the border with the Trentino-Alto Adige region, and the massif once marked the line that separated Italy from the Austro-Hungarian Empire just before the First World War. The scene of battles between the two sides, the Marmolada still bears the signs of the fighting, such as military posts, trenches and underground galleries carved out by the Austrians to overcome the Italian soldiers.

At Punta Rocca, at an altitude of 3200 metres, is an attractive grotto, used as a chapel, which houses a statue of the Madonna consecrated by Pope John Paul II. Over the years, the grotto has become a popular destination for pilgrimages. Punta Rocca can easily be reached using the convenient cableway that starts out from Malga Ciapela.