Monte Peralba
The Geographical Characteristics
.the Peaks Monte Peralba with its 2649 m a.s.l. is among the highest peaks of Comelico. Together with the Col di Caneva and the non-Comelian Monte Chiadenis it forms the Peralba Group. The mount stands in the North-East corner of Val Comelico and marks the regional border between Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia. From its slopes, especially on the South side, countless water sources emerge which, joining together, form the Piave River. The summit can be reached by three signposts, including the normal route named Giovanni Paolo II in honor of the Pope’s climb in 1988.
.the Valleys The West side of Monte Peralba overlooks the Val Visdende dominating it as the highest peak, while the South side initially faces the plateau of the Col di Caneva and then the narrow Val di Sesis, which leads to the territory of Sappada. The North Side jumps with the end of the Italian-Austrian border line ending in the narrow Passo dell’ Oregone going to form the Val Oregone.
.the Rivers The well-known Fiume Piave originates right on the slopes of Monte Peralba. In fact, on its Southern side the mountain is rich in small water sources both at the Sorgenti del Piave Refuge and around the Col di Caneva, but also along the climb to the Calvi Refuge. To the North, the Rio Oregone carries downstream the water that descends from the large rocky slabs and enters the Cordevole Torrent. On the South-West side, the Giao Rosso collects the last remaining water sources and also brings them to the Cordevole Torrent.
Political borders
The crest of Mount Peralba also marks the border between the Veneto region and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region; In fact the whole north side of the mountain is located in the municipality of Santo Stefano di Cadore, while the south side is in Sappada. A small stretch between the Passo dell’ Oregone and the Passo del Castello marks the border with the Austrian state.
The Approach
.from Val Sesis The preferential way to approach the paths that lead to the summit of Monte Peralba can be reached by taking the Provincial Road SP-22 towards the north, along the Val di Sesis starting from Cima Sappada. By car you can reach the plateau where the mountain rises and we can leave the vehicle in convenient parking lots near the departures. Road that is always very busy in high season and requires some attention in some places due to the slope and the rather narrow carriageway.
.from Val Visdende Little used the access from Val Visdende due to the lengthening of the road, but also because it starts from a lower altitude. Leaving the car at 1300 m a.s.l. in the Costa d’Antola locality, you must first reach the 1800 m a.s.l. of Passo del Col di Caneva and then begin to climb Monte Peralba itself. Access from Val Visdende is however very welcome, especially following the CAI-134 trail that leads to the Passo dell’ Oregone.
The Climb
To reach the top of Monte Peralba we have 3 different routes. The normal and simpler route faces it starting from the Passo del Castello located at the North-East corner of the mountain; We begin the climb that soon leads to high altitude without particular difficulties. Just before reaching the ridge that leads to the top, the climb is facilitated by a metal rope that winds in a rather quiet gully. Once at the top along via Giovanni Paolo II we can choose to take a ring route and descend from the mountain along its entire ridge towards the west, thus progressively descending to the Sorgenti del Piave Refuge. This very panoramic and rather long way allows us to enjoy the panorama of the Val Visdende and to peek at the numerous remains of the First World War present on site. Alternatively there is also a via ferrata, called Ferrata Sartor, which starts near the Calvi Refuge and reaches the top vertically by climbing to the South-East platelets of the mountain.
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