Piz Popena, Mountain summit in Veneto, Italy

Piz Popena is a 3,152 m rocky pyramid in the south-eastern Cristallo group of the Dolomites, in the province of Belluno. It stands apart from Monte Cristallo, separated from it by the 300 m deep Forcella del Cristallo at 2,808 m. North of the peak lies the Circo del Cristallo with the remains of the Ghiacciaio del Cristallo and the smaller Ghiacciaio de Popena.

Piz Popena was first climbed on 16 June 1870 by Edward R. Whitwell with Christian Lauener and Santo Siorpaes. Early surveys gave it 3260 m, higher than Monte Cristallo, until Paul Grohmann argued in 1877 that the two map values had been swapped. The Via Inglese on the south ridge was opened on 4 August 1898 by J. S. Phillimore and A. G. S. Raynor with guides Antonio Dimai, Michael Innerkofler jr. and Zaccaria Pompanin.

The peak's name appears in the 1910 summit register recovered in 1981 by CAI Cortina members, which holds entries by Angelo Dibona, Emilio Comici and Ettore Castiglioni. The partly preserved booklet is kept in the section archive in Cortina. The Via Inglese on the south ridge, opened in 1898, remains a popular route.

The ascent is technically demanding (at least UIAA grade III) and physically taxing: from Passo Tre Croci or Misurina expect about 10 hours and over 1,300 metres of elevation gain. Old snow and steep gullies are common, so bring crampons. There are no support points on the way.

The first survey measured Piz Popena at 3260 m, nearly 30 m higher than Monte Cristallo, and it was long taken for the group's highest summit. Paul Grohmann doubted this in 1877, and the Cristallo is in fact 69 m higher. A 1910 summit book recovered by CAI Cortina members in 1981 holds entries by Angelo Dibona, Emilio Comici and Ettore Castiglioni.