Marmolada Glacier

Marmolada is a glacier on the northern face of Mount Marmolada in the Dolomites near Belluno, the largest ice mass in the entire region. The glacier covers rock walls and high plateaus at several thousand meters elevation and extends over steep slopes down to the mountain stations.

During the First World War, Austrian troops built a tunnel system inside the glacier measuring around twelve kilometers for military purposes. These underground passages offered protection from enemy fire and weather and connected different positions to one another.

The valley museum displays objects from the wartime years and tells stories of soldiers who once lived and worked inside the ice. Visitors see equipment and tools that remained hidden in the glacier for decades.

A cable car from Malga Ciapela takes visitors in a few minutes to the glacier station above three thousand meters elevation, where ski runs and hiking trails begin. Conditions on the glacier change quickly, warm clothing and sun protection are needed even in summer.

Remnants of the so-called Ice City still lie beneath the glacier, where more than two hundred soldiers lived with kitchens, medical stations, and sleeping quarters. The melting ice continues to reveal objects and structures from this underground settlement.

GPS coordinates: 46.44000,11.86000

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:29