Punta Penia, Mountain summit in Trentino-South Tyrol, Italy

Punta Penia is the highest point of the Marmolada massif in the Dolomites, on the border between Trentino-South Tyrol and Veneto, at 3,343 meters. The north face is covered by a glacier, while the south side drops away in near-vertical limestone walls.

During the First World War, the frontline ran directly over this summit, where Italian and Austro-Hungarian soldiers fought at extreme altitude. Austro-Hungarian forces dug a network of tunnels into the glacier to shelter troops and supplies from enemy fire.

The summit is reached by the Ferrata della Cresta Ovest, also called Hans-Seyffert-Weg, built in 1903 in what was then Austro-Hungarian territory and among the oldest via ferrata routes in Italy and the world. It climbs the west ridge from Forcella Marmolada. At the top stands the small Capanna Punta Penia hut.

A cable car runs from the valley to Punta Rocca, the nearest station to the summit, and is open in both summer and winter. Reaching the actual peak requires alpine experience and should only be attempted in stable weather, as conditions can change quickly.

As the glacier slowly retreats over the decades, objects and human remains from the First World War occasionally emerge from the ice. These finds serve as a reminder that the mountain carries a human history as much as a natural one.