Rifugio Dibona - Torre Aglio (Via Ferrata Gianni Aglio)

Access to the starting point:
First, drive to Cortina d'Ampezzo (you can get here via Border crossing Rateče or Predel to Trbiž / Tarvisio and then take the motorway towards Udine to the Tolmezzo exit. From Tolmezzo, follow the road towards Ampezzo and the Passo della Mauria mountain pass. The road then descends and leads to a crossroads where you turn left (possibly right) towards Cortina d'Ampezzo. At all subsequent junctions, follow the signs for Cortina d'Ampezzo. Or from the Primorska side, take the motorway towards Trieste. Continue on the Italian motorway towards Padua, but only as far as the motorway junction where you continue towards Veneto and Belluno. Near Belluno, the motorway ends and we continue towards Cortina d'Ampezzo at the next junctions and then follow the signs for the Passo di Falzarego Alpine pass. Follow this ascending road to where a road forks off to the right in the direction of the rifugio Dibona hut (the fork is at about 1700m). The initially tarmac road leads us higher up to a crossroads where we continue along the lower road on the left (Duca d'Aosta hut on the right) and follow it to the parking lot behind the Dibona hut.

Path description:
From the parking lot, continue along the dirt road past the gate. Follow this road to a marked junction, where you turn right onto a wide mulatier marked "Rif. Camillo Giussani". The wide path then climbs slowly and, at a left-hand bend, leads to a marked crossroads.
The path continues upwards towards the Camillo Giussani hut, and we turn right towards the Pomedes hut. The path initially crosses the scree under the steep cliffs to the east and quickly leads to the start of the protected Via ferrata Astaldi. The sheltered path crosses the south face of Punta Anna on ledges. The trail is well protected by a cable car and is not too technically demanding. The sheltered path soon ends and an easier path (421) joins from the Dibona hut on the right. The ascent follows the dwarf pines and the scenic route soon leads to the Pomedes hut.
From the hut, continue left following the signs "Via Ferrata Punta Anna". The path leads past the top station of the cable car and then climbs up the scree to enter the climbing part of the route.
The climbing route crosses the wall slightly to the left in the first part of the ascent and climbs steeply a few times. The route then becomes slightly more difficult and climbs almost vertically towards the ridge. The ascent follows a very exposed and very scenic ridge. The difficulty continues unabated and the route continues to follow the ridge for the most part, with only a few places where the ridge retreats to the left west side. Later, the ridge only becomes slightly less steep and there follows a slightly less difficult but unprotected climb to the summit of Punta Anna.
From the summit, continue along the ridge and soon the path from the Camillo Giussani hut joins from the left. From the crossroads, walk along the ridge for a short distance, then the path turns right and climbs steeply across a steep gully. The path then leads to the eastern, less steep slopes, where it soon reaches a crossroads. To the right, the Giuseppe Olivieri trail leads back down towards the Pomedes hut and the Ra Valles hut, where there is an intermediate gondola stop.
We continue left on the Ferrata Gianni Aglio, where we are directed by the sign "cima". A less demanding climb up to the ridge follows. On the ridge, continue right and the path becomes slightly more difficult again. There are a few vertical climbs and a few crampons and ladders to help you. The path then follows the ridge to the left and leads to a notch below the Torre Aglio tower. From the notch there is a difficult vertical climb and then a short exposed scramble over steel cables to reach a crossroads. Straight ahead the path leads to Tofana di Mezzo, and we continue left along a steep uphill path. The steep climb along the cliff is not too long and leads us in a few minutes to a very scenic summit.
The route described is extremely difficult and is only suitable for experienced mountaineers with sufficient fitness and compulsory self-guidance.
You can descend from the summit by backtracking a little and following the Giuseppe Olivieri trail back to the Pomedes hut. Alternatively, continue to Tofana di Mezzo and descend from there using the gondola.

On the way: Rifugio Pomedes (2203m), Punta Anna (2731m)

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