Gola di Fanes, Natural gorge in Dolomiti d'Ampezzo Park, Italy

Gola di Fanes is a limestone gorge carved through the Dolomites, defined by steep walls and multiple waterfalls spilling down the rock faces. The narrow canyon reveals how water has shaped the mountain landscape over millennia.

The two via ferrata routes through the gorge are named after Giovanni Barbara and Lucio Delaiti. The Giovanni Barbara route starts from the Ponte Alto, a suspension bridge about 80 metres above the gorge, and passes beneath a waterfall before descending into the bed of the Rio de Fanes. The Lucio Delaiti route climbs back up to the bridge after a narrow suspended footbridge.

Along the trails into the gorge, numerous signs give the names of plants and shrubs in Italian, Latin and Ladin, the local language of the Ampezzo valley. The three languages side by side show how Ladin remains in use in this part of the Dolomites.

From the Pian de Loa car park (1,364 m) on the SS 51 towards Dobbiaco, trail no. 10 leads in about an hour to Ponte Alto (1,460 m), a suspension bridge about 80 m above the gorge. Two via ferrata start a few metres away: the Giovanni Barbara route descends into the gorge, and the Lucio Delaiti route climbs back to the bridge.

One climbing route descends directly beneath a waterfall, requiring climbers to traverse through the falling water itself. This unusual experience combines the thrill of being near the cascade with the challenge of the wet rock.