Val Civetta (Dolomites)

Val Civetta

Alleghe – Taibon Agordino | Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site

Val Civetta is a charming and verdant valley in the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site located in the Province of Belluno, Veneto Region.

Val Civetta in the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site — Mount Civetta as seen from the top of the Mont Alt di Pelsa

Val Civetta extends at the foot of the mighty “Wall of Walls” of Monte Civetta, roughly covering the naturally delimited portion of territory between Rifugio Coldai and Prati di Pelsa, just before reaching Rifugio Vazzoler.

Val Civetta is located, as far as the SOIUSA International Alpine Classification is concerned, within the Moiazza-Civetta Group in the Zoldo Dolomites or Agordino Dolomites Supergroup; as for the Dolomites UNESCO World Natural Heritage classification, Val Civetta falls within the 3rd of the 9 officially recognized systems by the Dolomiti UNESCO Foundation, namely the Pale di San Martino – San Lucano – Vette Feltrine – Belluno Dolomites System. Institutionally, Val Civetta is part of the Belluno municipalities of Val di Zoldo, Alleghe, and Taibon Agordino.

Beautiful lakes of the Dolomite Alps — The Coldai Lake at the foot of Mount Civetta

Regarding the purely scenic aspect, Val Civetta is one of the most impressive and famous areas of the Dolomites; the splendid valley that opens at the foot of the Kingdom of the 6th Grade (what Buzzati defined as “the most beautiful rock face in the Alps”) immediately strikes with the grandeur of the Dolomite environment, strongly accentuated by a very limited human impact on the area. Despite this characteristic, Val Civetta is easily accessible even to less trained hikers, who can ascend to Rifugio Coldai practically effortlessly from both Zoldo Alto and Col dei Baldi di Alleghe thanks to the Ski Civetta ski lifts.

Ski Civetta in the Dolomiten — Ski Civetta – Pic courtesy of Newspower

In addition to its exquisitely scenic aspect, Val Civetta is the site of the first human settlements in the Dolomite area and the scene of important historical and archaeological finds, as emerged from recent excavation campaigns by ARCA and from the famous discovery of the boundary inscriptions of Monte Civetta.

Wonderful landscapes on the Dolomites, Italy — Mount Civetta

In Val Civetta there are three refuges: Rifugio Adolfo Sonnino al Coldai, Rifugio Attilio Tissi al Col Rean, and Rifugio Mario Vazzoler. Continuing towards Listolade (Municipality of Taibon Agordino) in Val Corpassa, one reaches Rifugio Capanna Trieste, while near Prati di Pelsa there is also Malga Pelsa. There are therefore many convenient support points for hikers, while leaving the wild and bucolic appearance of Val Civetta practically intact.

The classic excursion in Val Civetta on the Agordino side starts from Alleghe and reaches Listolade, in order to use the Alleghe Funivie (Ski Civetta) lifts for the ascent to Col dei Baldi and the negative elevation gain towards Listolade. The famous Transcivetta mountain running race, on the other hand, runs through Val Civetta in the opposite direction, from Listolade to Piani di Pezzè. It is a long excursion that requires the whole day; at the same time, however, it is technically very simple, and highly recommended for lovers of the Dolomites UNESCO. Once in Listolade, public transport or taxi services available in the area can be used to comfortably return to Alleghe.

Tourist Information Offices:

Ufficio Turistico di Alleghe
Tel. +39 (0)437 523333
consorzio@alleghe.info

Go to: Natural Attractions in Agordino