August 9th. I’d been meaning to climb Cesare Piazzetta – the ferrata to Piz Boè – for three years. Logistics and shifting plans kept pushing it back, nothing more dramatic than that, until living relatively close finally allowed me to take on this challenge.
I went early, partly for the majestic sunrise views over the Dolomites, but mostly for a reason that mattered more once I was actually on the wall: this ferrata is known for drawing people who don’t necessarily have the strength to get through its opening section, and it doesn’t give you many ways to pass someone once you’re committed. Starting at 4:40 meant I had the whole wall entirely to myself – no one visible on the approach, no one ahead of me at the crux. That mattered more than the light.
After parking at the side of the road near the German soldiers’ cemetery (free parking for those who don’t mind walking 800m towards the car after descending to Passo Pordoi at the end) I started up through roughly 400 meters of grassy hillside – warm and humid from the previous night’s rain, cooling off once the trail moved onto rock. An hour later I was at the base of the ferrata. Gear on, a snack, a few minutes taking in the Dolomites at dawn – equal parts excitement at finally being here and a clear read on what the first section was about to demand. I started climbing at 6:00.
The rating doesn’t lie. The first meters make the case immediately: the rock gives you almost nothing, no holds for fingers or feet, so the cable becomes the only thing between you and gravity. You pull yourself up on sheer strength, and a slight overhang through that section pumps your arms harder the longer it goes. There’s no single crux move to grind through and be done with – it’s sustained, steady effort that, in the moment, felt like it would never end.
After 25-30 meters of that, the ferrata eases into something moderately difficult. After the suspended bridge it eases further still, then eventually shifts into scrambling and a walk over gravel and rock to the top.
Piz Boè, 3152m, 7:30am. Gear off, a proper coffee from the hut, rewarding views that made the effort feel proportionate. Quite proud of the time it took for me to get there, I enjoyed the summit in silence without rushing anywhere, taking plenty of photos of the many Dolomite groups that open up from Piz Boè. After that, I started down at 8:00.
I usually hate the descents so much, that I wish to someday be able to just paraglide down instead of torturing myself, but that morning I felt surprisingly energetic. The descent was long, but easy enough that I ended up running most of it, and the rocky hiking trail was packed with people working their way up the long and steep zigzag approach. Running past them the other direction earned a few side-eyes – fair enough, I finally understood what the trail runners must feel when passing hikers on their way up. Somewhere in there I passed a couple speaking Lithuanian, stopped for a quick chat, then kept moving. There was only one goal left for the day – to get back to the hotel in time for a shower before checkout. A few clouds rolled in on the way down, which I was grateful for – that summer’s heatwave had been relentless, and for once the descent didn’t cook me completely.
Back at the car by 9:10. Four hours thirty, total – at least an hour faster than I’d planned, and I made the shower before checkout with time to spare.
Is Via Ferrata Cesare Piazzetta worth it?
Short answer: yes. Genuinely hard at the start – hard enough that it earns its reputation in the first thirty meters – but that difficulty fades fast, and the ferrata itself isn’t long. The reward was concentrated right where the difficulty was: that opening section, and the views the whole way after it. A solid 8 out of 10.
What I can’t stress enough – don’t attempt this without real upper-body strength and solid prior via ferrata experience. The opening meters don’t forgive a shortage of either.