Alta Via 2

The Alta Via 2 is the harder, higher, and less-walked of the Italian Dolomites' two main high routes — 174 km from Bressanone in the north to Feltre in the south, traversing some of the Dolomites' most dramatic mountain groups (Puez-Odle, Sella, Marmolada, Pale di San Martino, Alpi Feltrine) over 13 stages. Where Alta Via 1 is a moderate rifugio-to-rifugio walk, AV2 demands more — bigger daily climbs, unavoidable via ferrata sections, and the famous traverse of the Marmolada glacier as an optional crux.

The trail is walked north-to-south, starting at the Plose cable car above Bressanone and finishing at Feltre. Highlights along the route include the rolling Puez-Odle plateau, the dramatic Sella massif with its WWI tunnel installations and the Pisciadù via ferrata descent (mandatory chain-handhold section), the Marmolada (the Dolomites' highest peak at 3,343 m and the AV2's most exposed pass), the Pale di San Martino plateau — a moonscape of pale dolomitic rock with the Rosetta cable car as a useful bail-out — and the wilder, less-walked Alpi Feltrine in the south. Total elevation gain across the 13 stages is around 13,000 m. The route is more remote than AV1; some valleys have no road access and a missed booking at a remote rifugio can mean a long detour.

The walking season is late July to early September; outside that window, the higher passes have residual snow and the via ferrata sections are dangerously slippery. Equipment requirements are more serious than AV1 — climbing harness, helmet, and proper via-ferrata lanyard set (€100 to rent in Bressanone or Cortina). The trail is well marked with CAI numbers but exposure on the via ferrata sections demands a head for heights. Rifugi cost €60–90 per night dortoir with half-board; book ahead in July and August. Most AV2 hikers consider this one of the most challenging long-distance routes in Western Europe outside the GR20.