Summit · south of the valley

Terza Grande

The Terze, at the end of the valley to the west

Terza Grande, 2,586 m, is the highest of the Pesarine Dolomites and the second highest of the mountains of Sappada, after Peralba. It stands far off, to the south-west, and according to the calculation the summit stands clear only from the easternmost hamlets; from the western ones the nearer mountains hide it. The routes to the top are for experienced hikers.

Summit altitude: 2,586 mSource 1CAI Sezione di Sappada and OpenStreetMap: the two sources agree · 6 October 2026
Group: Terze group, Pesarine Dolomites
Other names: Plichenkofel (German)according to OpenStreetMap: to be confirmed on a map
The summit is visible from: 2 hamlets out of 15borderline from 10 more

Real footage · Sappada

One of the Olbe lakes, above Sappada: a small alpine lake in a hollow of pastures, with the outline of the Terza Grande behind in the haze. Photo: Sebi1, public domain, Wikimedia Commons. Cropped.

The three Terze

There are three Terze: the Grande, the Media and the Piccola, which closes the basin to the west above the Piave gorge. The Grande and the Media are joined by the Croda Casara and stand on the municipal boundary; the summit of the Piccola is already in Veneto. From the Olbe lakes, writes the Alpine Club (CAI), Terza Grande appears as a ‘singular, sharp pyramid’.

From home

From the village the Terze are the backdrop to the west. But the summit of the Grande is the hardest to see: it stands behind all the others, and a nearer ridge is enough to hide it. The calculation gives it in view only from the easternmost hamlets, borderline from most of the others, hidden from the westernmost. Terza Media, standing further forward, comes out in view from every hamlet; the Piccola from almost all.

The passes, for walkers

For walkers the goals are the passes. The Passo della Digola is reached from Borgata Palù in two and a half hours on path 313, an old military road that the tourist board rates easy. The Passo Oberenghe, the notch between the Terze and the Clap that is clearly seen from the village, takes about four hours on path 314.

The summit

‘The normal routes, never easy, are reserved for experienced hikers’, warns the Sappada CAI. The mountaineering history begins with the surveyors, who in 1820 attempted the summit from the Passo Oberenghe, and continues with the guides of the late nineteenth century.

Computed on the terrain model

Which hamlets can see it

It is the summit that counts: the Terze massif is seen from almost the whole village, the highest point of the Grande only from the east.

The horizon seen from Cima Sappada, computed on the 10 m terrain model with the eye 6 m above the ground. Same scale horizontally and vertically. Trees and buildings are not included: it is a calculation, not a photograph.

2 hamlets see it 10 borderline 3 hamlets do not see it

Method: from the reference point of each hamlet, with the eye 6 m above the ground, on the 10 m terrain model (computed on 7 October 2026). ‘In view’ means that at least twenty metres of summit remain clear; ‘borderline’ means less than that is clear, or less than that is missing: there we make no claim. It holds for the centre of the hamlet, not for every house; trees and buildings are not taken into account.

Paths, with the figures from the route sheets

Getting there

From Borgata Palù, on paths 313 and 314, towards the two passes. These are long outings: the ascent times are in the table.

Routes: waymark, length, ascent, ascent time and grade
Section	Waymark	Length	Ascent	Time, ascent only	Grade
From Borgata Palù to the Passo della DigolaOld military road.	313	—	—	2 h 30 min	easy
From Borgata Palù to the Passo Oberenghe	314	—	—	4 h	moderate

Source of the figures: Consorzio Sappada Dolomiti Turismo, «Escursioni da non perdere» · 6 October 2026

T tourist path · E hiking · EE experienced hikers · EEA experienced hikers with equipment (Italian Alpine Club scale). The words ‘easy’, ‘moderate’ and ‘difficult’ are those of the local tourist board, where no Alpine Club sheet exists. A dash means the source does not give the figure.

The route sheets, the Italian Alpine Club warns, ‘cannot be regarded as a substitute for the presence of a professional mountain guide’. This page even less so: it helps you choose, not set off.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the highest mountain of the Pesarine Dolomites?

Terza Grande, 2,586 m.

Can Terza Grande be seen from Sappada?

The group can, from almost every hamlet. The summit of Terza Grande, according to the calculation on the terrain model, stands clear only from the eastern part of the village.

Sources

Facts checked against the sources on 7 October 2026