Suspended Between Clouds and Memory: The Thrill of the Via Ferrata Ivano Dibona
If you think the Dolomites are merely a spectacular postcard backdrop to admire at sunset, prepare to change your perspective. On the Monte Cristallo massif, overlooking the Cortina d'Ampezzo basin, winds a route that will literally take your breath away, not just because of the dizzying altitude, but due to the weight of the memory it holds: the Via Ferrata Ivano Dibona. We are not talking about a simple trail for hikers seeking recreation, but an authentic open-air museum, a pilgrimage along the indelible scars left by the First World War.
A Bridge Between Hollywood Fiction and the Abyss The start of the itinerary, shortly after Forcella Staunies, immediately delivers a rush of pure adrenaline. You know the famous 90s action movie Cliffhanger, starring Sylvester Stallone? Well, the spectacular suspension bridge seen in the film is not in the Colorado Rockies at all, but right here. At an impressive 27 meters long, it holds the record as the longest suspension bridge of all the Dolomite via ferratas. Crossing it, as it sways imperceptibly under your steps with absolute emptiness beneath your boots, requires a steady pace and a total absence of vertigo.
The White War: Surviving at Three Thousand Meters Long before the American cameras arrived, however, these jagged peaks were the dramatic stage of the "White War." Between 1915 and 1917, Italian Alpini and Austro-Hungarian Kaiserjäger didn't just fight each other; they had to face a far more ruthless enemy: nature. At an altitude of nearly three thousand meters, with constant blizzards and temperatures plummeting below -30°C, avalanches (the so-called "white death") and frostbite wiped out entire battalions, claiming more victims than bullets and artillery ever did. Walking along the ferrata, you will constantly pass by old bunkers carved into the dolomite rock, trenches, and the remains of barracks incredibly clinging to the precipices.
A Heroic Bivouac Embedded in the Rock Continuing along the long high-altitude ups and downs, you will come across one of the most surreal architectural sights in the Alps: the Carlo Buffa di Perrero Bivouac, at Forcella Padeon (2,760 meters). This is no ordinary hut, but a former military barracks literally wedged by force into a natural recess of a vertical rock face. Inside, the soldiers were protected from the elements and invisible to enemy fire.
The bivouac is named after Colonel Buffa di Perrero, an intrepid Savoyard officer who in October 1915 personally led a desperate assault on the ice of Mount Cristallo: struck twice by enemy fire, he refused to be evacuated and continued to command his men for another two days, earning the Silver Medal of Military Valor. Recently, the structure (whose roof had collapsed under heavy snow) was masterfully restored in just seven days by the men of the 6th Alpini Regiment, in a logistical feat requiring helicopters and high-mountain techniques. Today it offers six beds and a warm refuge for those undertaking the traverse.
Ready for the Challenge? Here’s What to Know Today Don't be fooled by the enthusiasm: the Ivano Dibona is an extremely demanding excursion. Although the technical climbing difficulties are moderate (classified as EEA - Expert Hikers with Equipment), it is a very long route (over 11 kilometers) that will keep you busy for 8 to 10 hours in an isolated and exposed environment.
Making things even "spicier" is the 2016 closure of the historic gondola lift that used to ascend to Forcella Staunies. Those who want to start from there today must hike up a loose gravel gully for almost 800 meters of elevation gain: sheer torture for the calves. For this reason, guides and expert hikers increasingly recommend doing the route "in reverse" (clockwise), starting from Ospitale and gradually ascending the entire ridge, only to use the brutal Staunies gully as a quick final descent route.
Whether you are hunters of breathtaking panoramas or history buffs searching for answers, this trail will leave its mark on you. When you finally reach the valley with your muscles burning, you will realize one thing: the fatigue of a day of sport is a wonderful luxury, when compared to the unspeakable endurance of those who had to fight for their lives on those peaks a hundred years ago.