The Italian Dolomites have some of the most magnificent mountain scenery on the planet and some of the most iconic. High rocky spires and rugged mountain ranges are interspersed with gentle valleys and idyllic mountain villages. The Dolomites are also home to the world's highest concentration of via ferratas, mountain routes or climbs protected by a series of cables, metal rungs, stakes and ladders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many via ferratas were originally built to aid the movements of Alpine military units during the First World War, and now represent one of the major attractions of the Dolomites. They are a series of protected routes, with fixed cables, ladders and even bridges across gorges, which facilitate the ascent to places normally reserved for expert climbers. In recent years, old war routes have been restored and many new routes have been added to give a network of routes around the entire Dolomite region. Some of the new ferratas are 'sport routes', often technically quite hard, as can be seen in our evaluation of the qualities. The Italian Alpine Club, CAI (Club Alpino Italiano), regularly checks, maintains and marks the routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n