Rifugio Lagazuoi: WWI Tunnels and Dolomite Sunsets
The Lagazuoi massif above the Falzarego Pass in the central Dolomites carries within it a history that is visible, walkable, and sometimes crawlable. The mountain was contested ground during the First World War between Austrian and Italian forces, and the tunnel system driven through its interior — galleries used for observation, passage, and explosive mines — is one of the best- preserved examples of high-altitude mountain warfare anywhere in the Alps. The Rifugio Lagazuoi sits at the top of it all, and is one of the most characterful overnight stops on the Alta Via 1.
The position
The Rifugio Lagazuoi is reached either by cable car from the Falzarego Pass (2105 m) — a 5-minute ride depositing guests directly at the hut terrace — or by hiking the WWI tunnel route from the base of the massif (approximately 2 hours). The cable car access makes the hut unusual in the Dolomites: it receives day visitors as well as trekkers, and the sunset terrace is one of the most famous viewpoints in the region, crowded on fine summer evenings with people who rode up for the panorama.
The view from the Rifugio Lagazuoi terrace takes in the Dolomite core: the Tofane massif to the north, the Cinque Torri group below to the southwest, the Marmolada (3343 m, the highest Dolomite peak) on the southern horizon, and on clear days the Brenta Dolomites and the beginnings of the Adamello group. In evening light, the Dolomite rock — built from the calcium carbonate of ancient coral reefs — glows orange, then pink, then deep purple.
The WWI tunnel museum
The Lagazuoi mountain was at the front line of the Italian-Austrian conflict from 1915 to 1917. Both sides drove tunnels through the limestone, seeking to undermine the other's positions and plant explosive charges. The Italian galleries remain largely intact and have been restored by volunteers since the 1970s into a walkable underground museum.
The main tunnel exits near the cable car base station. Descending through it takes 30–45 minutes: low ceilings requiring stooped walking in places, original wooden planking where preserved, ventilation shafts opening onto vertical cliff faces, and at several points, the observation slots that Austrian or Italian soldiers used to monitor the terrain below — the same terrain across which visitors walk today.
The scale of the effort involved in building these tunnels — by hand, at altitude, in winter, under fire — is difficult to comprehend. The Lagazuoi tunnel system is not a sanitised memorial; it is a raw physical record of what the war meant at 2750 m.
The rifugio
The Rifugio Lagazuoi has been managed by the same family since the 1960s. It accommodates approximately 80 guests in dormitories and a small number of private rooms. The kitchen is one of the better-regarded in the Dolomite hut network — fresh pasta and polenta feature prominently, and the wine selection reflects the proximity to the Veneto and South Tyrol production zones.
The terrace faces west and southwest: the evening meal service runs alongside the sunset, which from late June through late August means dinner in direct sunlight until after 21:00. This is the combination — extraordinary view, good food, warm light — that makes the Rifugio Lagazuoi terrace a specific place in the landscape of European mountain travel.
Alta Via 1
The Rifugio Lagazuoi is one of the flagship stages on the Alta Via 1 — the high-level Dolomite traverse from Lago di Braies to Belluno. It marks the midpoint of the route and is the natural overnight on the stage between the Rifugio Scotoni (reached from the north) and the Rifugio Averau or Rifugio Nuvolau (heading south toward the Cortina d'Ampezzo area).
The stage from the Rifugio Lagazuoi to the Rifugio Nuvolau — crossing the Forcella Ambrizzola and passing through the Cinque Torri — is one of the finest single days on the Alta Via 1. The terrain is spectacular, the route marking is excellent, and both huts at either end of the stage are worth the effort.
Practical notes
The cable car operates June through October and on weekends in late May. The last cable car down is typically at 17:00 or 18:00 — arrivals after this time must either have booked a night in the hut or be prepared for the 2-hour descent on foot. The path down via the WWI tunnel closes at certain times; the standard walking descent via the Falzarego Pass trail remains accessible.
Booking is by phone or email directly with the rifugio. High season (July– August) fills weeks in advance, particularly for the Alta Via 1 trekking season.
The WWI tunnel as heritage experience
The Lagazuoi tunnel system is one of the best-preserved examples of WWI mountain warfare infrastructure in the Alps. The Dolomite front — the "Mountain War" (Gebirgsfeld) — was fought between Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces for three years on terrain that the western front generals could barely imagine. Positions were established at 2500–3000 m; tunnels were driven through rock by both sides to undermine enemy positions; mine explosions created the craters still visible on the landscape.
The tunnel through the Lagazuoi massif descends approximately 1000 m through the mountain from near the summit to the valley floor. Walking the tunnel (helmet provided; torch required) takes 45–60 minutes and passes through the original wartime galleries. The smell, the darkness, and the scale of the engineering — drilled by hand by soldiers under orders in conditions of extreme cold and danger — is one of those experiences that reframes the landscape entirely. The peaceful summer walking terrain of the Alta Via 1 was a combat zone within living historical memory.
The Dolomites WWI Outdoor Museum (Museo all'aperto) — the broader network of preserved fortifications, trenches, and positions across the Dolomite front — is connected by trail systems. The Lagazuoi positions are among the best preserved; the Cinque Torri area nearby has further accessible fortifications. A visit to the Cortina d'Ampezzo WWI Museum before tackling the tunnel provides useful historical context.
The sunset and overnight experience
The Rifugio Lagazuoi's terrace faces west across the Tofane massif and the Ampezzano valley toward the Belluno Dolomites. The sunset view — the Tofane towers turning pink and then deep red as the sun drops behind the Monte Cristallo group — is among the most celebrated in the Dolomites. Guests who have arrived by cable car for dinner sometimes extend to an overnight simply because the prospect of leaving before seeing the sunset is too great a sacrifice.
The overnight itself brings a different reward: the post-sunset alpenglow on the Tofana di Rozes (3225 m), the emergence of stars in the thin air at 2752 m, and the pre-dawn quiet before the first cable car arrives with the day crowd. The Alta Via 1 walkers who leave at 07:00 have the terrace entirely to themselves in the first hour of light.
Explore on the map
The Rifugio Lagazuoi, Rifugio Nuvolau, and Rifugio Averau — the core Alta Via 1 huts in the Dolomite high country — are all plotted on the Open the map.