The highest peak in the Dolomites at 3,343 metres, the Marmolada dominates the southern horizon of the range and carries the last significant glacier in the Dolomites on its north face. The summit is reached by a three-stage cable car from Malga Ciapela — one of the most dramatic cable car rides in the Alps, rising nearly 2,000 metres — with views at the top extending across the entire range on a clear day.
The summit plateau has a small museum dedicated to the WWI history of the Marmolada, including artefacts from the "City of Ice" tunnel complex blasted into the glacier by Austrian troops in 1916–17. The south face of the mountain, by contrast, is sunny and accessible: the ski slopes below Passo Fedaia are long and varied, and the famous Via Ferrata della Marmolada (known as the Via Ferrata Eterna degli Aquilotti) tackles the south wall in a route of modest technical difficulty but considerable exposure.