Mountain tour to the Angelo Piccolo

Alpine tour from the mountain station of the Pulpito Chairlift via the Serristori Mountain Hut until the glacier snout of Mt. Angelo Piccolo

Map See map
Starting point of our alpine tour is the Pulpito Restaurant at the mountain station of the chair lift from Solda.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The first section of the path no. 12 is a wide driveway.
Foto: AT, © Peer
View on the valley with the village of Solda.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Now our route proceeds along a path through the high alpine landscape beneath the Vertana mountain (Vertainsspitze).
Foto: AT, © Peer
The path no. 14 proceeds slightly downhill into the Valle di Zai valley.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Wet meadows at the Zaybach stream. We are surrounded by wild nature.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The shepherd is looking towards the Gran Zebrù mountain (Königsspitze). Our descent along the path no. 5 proceeds in the opposite direction.
Foto: AT, © Peer
View up to the Schöneck-Spitzen peaks.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The Rif. Alfredo Serristori mountain hut (Düsseldorferhütte or also Zaytalhütte) at 2,721 m asl. is the last hut on our way.
Foto: AT, © Peer
A pond near the Rif. Serristori mountain hut.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Rocks and wetlands characterize the landscape behind the hut.
Foto: AT, © Peer
View back.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The path no. 5 continues to ascend. In the background the summit cross of the Croda di Cengles (Tschenglser Hochwand) is visible.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The glaciers of the Angelo Grande mountain (Hoher Angelus).
Foto: AT, © Peer
Stones, rocks, wasteland…and in between the gorgeous blue gentian blooms.
Foto: AT, © Peer
This is the path no. 5… Carefully we walk step by step from stone to stone,
Foto: AT, © Peer
We follow the marker to the Passo di Zai ridge.
Foto: AT, © Peer
These small lakes are located beneath the Croda di Cengles mountain face like two turquoise eyes.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Wherever it is possible nature breathes life into the rocky desert, like here, chrysanthemums in the slipstream of a stone.
Foto: AT, © Peer
We still walk along path no. 5.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Here, at about 3.000 m asl., the glacier snout of the Angelo Piccolo mountain ends at the moment.
Foto: AT, © Peer
The heat wave has made the ice cap fragile, today it is too dangerous to climb up the summit.
Foto: AT, © Peer
Like this we “only” enjoy the view on the very particular landscape before we start our way back.
Foto: AT, © Peer

In Solda (Sulden) we take the chairlift up to the mountain station of the Pulpito (Kanzel) at 2,351 m a.s.l. Here our tour starts quite comfortably, along the wide path towards north (marker no. 12). Slightly downhill into the Zai Valley, then across the Rio Zai stream until the junction we walk along the path no. 5 uphill to the Alfredo Serritori Mountain Hut (Düsseldorfer Hütte or Zayhütte, 2,721 m a.s.l.). Behind the mountain hut we explore a magic landscape with rocks, little waterfalls and delicate green meadows. Then we have to hike uphill again and reach a bleak rocky area.

Sometimes it’s not easy to follow the sporadic markers between the rocks. We stay on the path no. 5 until the junction to the Croda di Cengles mountain face, then we follow the marker no. 5B towards the Passo di Zai ridge (Zayjoch). Past small lakes we finally reach the glacier snout of Mt. Angelo Piccolo (Kleiner Angelus, literally: Small Angel) at about 3,000 m a.s.l. which runs into a lake.

The heat wave of the last weeks has made the icecap of the glacier fragile, so it's not possible to climb up the summit. We enjoy the fresh air and the rugged landscape before we start our way back along the same route.

Author: AT

difficulty: moderate route with lake with lifts