Passo Rolle between Lagorai and Pale di San Martino

Landscape between Lagorai and Pale di San Martino

At Passo Rolle, the quartz-bearing porphyries of the Lagorai range, whose colours range from red through reddish brown to green, meet spectacularly with the pale, towering sedimentary peaks of the Pale di San Martino. The pass is dominated by Cimon della Pala, which rises to 3,186 metres. The Val Venegia also shapes the surrounding landscape: the Rio Travignolo runs through the valley, while the path through Val Venegia opens up sweeping panoramic views of the Pale di San Martino.

In the Passo Rolle area, large parts of the Pale di San Martino and Lagorai Orientale Natura 2000 sites can be explored. The two Laghi di Colbricon are among the area’s most distinctive natural attractions. The glacial lakes lie at 1,909 and 1,922 metres respectively, near Rifugio Colbricon. Above Passo Rolle, there is also a high-altitude lake with marshland and reeds in the municipality of Primiero San Martino di Castrozza. The area containing this lake belongs to Paneveggio Pale di San Martino Nature Park and is classified as an integral reserve, with the highest level of legal protection provided for habitats and species.

Hiking, snowshoeing and cycling

The Trekking del Cristo Pensante begins at Baita Segantini. From Passo Rolle, the hut can be reached easily on foot via trail marker 710 in about 40 minutes to one hour. Another access route leads through Val Venegia: after a broad plateau, the trail follows wide switchbacks to Baita Segantini.

The route to the Laghi di Colbricon can be continued to San Martino di Castrozza. The walking time is about two hours, and from there a scheduled bus takes approximately 15 minutes to return to the Passo Rolle car park. For snowshoeing, the Passo Rolle–Laghi di Colbricon route is an easy hike from Malga Rolle to the lakes. It passes through part of the Paneveggio forest and offers views of the Pale di San Martino and Lagorai.

Experienced cyclists also have a clearly defined option: the Paneveggio Expert Bike is a panoramic route through Val Venegia to Baita Segantini and Passo Rolle. It is approximately 22 kilometres long, has around 600 metres of elevation gain and takes about four hours.

Passo Rolle is also home to a challenging black ski run with significant gradients and a compact snow cover, suitable for experienced skiers. The range of activities therefore extends from an easy snowshoe hike to demanding mountain and winter sports experiences.

History along trails and at historic structures

Baita Segantini was built in 1936 by the artist Alfredo Paluselli. Alfredo Paluselli lived at Baita Segantini in solitude for 35 years. The site therefore represents not only distinctive mountain architecture, but also the personal story of an artist whose life was closely connected with this remote building.

However, the area’s history reaches further back. The Mesolithic site at the Laghetti del Colbricon provided the first evidence of human presence at high altitude after the Last Glacial Maximum. Five Mesolithic sites have been identified in the Passo Rolle area, including sites near Malga Rolle.

Trenches and positions from the First World War are still visible along the trails around Passo Rolle. The Trekking del Cristo Pensante route passes through tunnels and military installations from the First World War and reaches the large iron cross and the Cristo Pensante statue. The Seggiovia Paradiso chairlift at Passo Rolle goes up to the Tognazza ridge; from there, the First World War positions on Monte Cavallazza and the Sentiero della Pace to the Laghetti di Colbricon can be reached.

Getting your bearings around the pass

State Road 50 from Predazzo leads into Paneveggio Nature Park and runs for about 15 kilometres there, to just beyond Passo Rolle. Baita Segantini can be reached from Passo Rolle via a 3-kilometre gravel road; in summer, a shuttle bus service is also available. Passo Rolle connects San Martino di Castrozza with the other Dolomite valleys. This allows you to combine landscapes, hiking destinations, historical traces and different levels of sporting challenge in a single mountain stay when planning your trip.

Discover more destinations

Find more destinations for your trip to Italy here: Ronchi Valsugana, Cembra, Ragoli, Montagnaga, Pieve Di Bono, Bocenago, Marilleva 900 and S. Cristoforo.

To the higher-level travel overview: Trentino.