Monte Siera

The Sappada section of the Alpine Club (CAI) describes it as a ‘colossal pyramid’ towering over the basin. It is made of Triassic dolomite and limestone, like Creta Forata and Cimon beside it: a single great block of rock. It belongs to the Pesarine Dolomites, which are Carnic Alps: ‘Dolomites’, here, is a geographical name, not the UNESCO title.

The summit lies entirely within the municipality of Sappada. The first ascent dates from the nineteenth century: the local CAI gives 1880, another source 1878.

Whoever chooses a house in Sappada reckons with Siera twice. The first time is the view: it is the mountain you have in front of you, to the south-east for those in the centre, closer and higher for those at Cima Sappada. The second is the light: around the winter solstice the midday sun is low, and the outline of Siera and the Clap stands above it for part of the day. In December the hours of direct sun vary greatly from one hamlet to another; within a few weeks they rise again.

It is a calculation on the terrain model, without trees or buildings, and you will find it hamlet by hamlet on the hamlet pages. For a particular house, the exact spot is what counts.

Rifugio Monte Siera stands on the Pian dei Larici, at the top of the chairlift that climbs from Cima Sappada. In summer 2026 it was the only lift in Sappada in the regional summer calendar, open every day from 4 July to 6 September. On foot you get there in just over an hour, along the Longrone path. From the hut you see Cima Sappada, Val Sesis and the Peralba group, which stays hidden from the hamlets.

The two normal routes climb by gullies, to the south and to the west, and the CAI grades them for experienced hikers with equipment, with grade one and grade two moves. They are not hikes: this is mountaineering terrain, to be tackled with a guide if you do not know it.