Monte Cavallo, Mountain summit in Prealpi Bellunesi, Italy

Monte Cavallo is a mountain summit in the Prealpi Bellunesi, sitting right on the border between Friuli Venezia Giulia and Veneto. The peak rises above a mix of rocky slopes and open alpine meadows that change noticeably with the seasons.

The mountain's name is linked to old transit routes that once crossed this border area between regions. In the 20th century, alpine club members opened the first marked routes on the peak.

The name Monte Cavallo does not come from the animal horse but from the Celtic Keap-al, meaning 'high peak', because the mountain is visible across much of the Friulian plain. The Alta Via dei Rondoi, opened in 1969 by the Aviano branch of the CAI of Pordenone, links the five main summits of the group and is named after the swifts common in the area.

Two marked routes lead to the Rifugio Semenza (2020 m): trail 926 from the Pian Lastre alpine pasture, or trail 924 from the Piancavallo sports centre. From the hut, the Forcella Lastè and the north ridge lead to the summit. The Alta Via dei Rondoi has no water points and is best avoided with snow; June to October is the usual window.

The mountain's name comes not from the animal but from the Celtic Keap-al, "high peak", because the summit is visible from much of the Friulian plain. Its first recorded ascent was in 1726 by the botanists Giovanni Girolamo Zannichelli and Domenico Pietro Stefanelli, who rode mules to a casera on the slopes and reached the top after about seven miles, often on all fours.