As tradition dictates, this year too a commemorative ceremony will be held in memory of the visit of His Holiness John Paul II, one of the most beloved and influential popes of all time, to the Marmolada.
Besides the extraordinary panorama that can be admired from the highest peak of the Dolomites, the Punta Rocca station is in fact also home to a Grotto Chapel carved into the rock by the Alpini, where the “Madonna of the Snows” is kept, consecrated by John Paul II in 1979. It is right here, on Thursday, August 30, at 11:00 am, that a Holy Mass will be celebrated in the presence of the highest authorities, the Alleghe choir, an armed guard of honour and the bugler of the Julia Alpine Brigade.
Afterwards, the faithful will gather in prayer at the “Serauta” memorial stone, donated by the City of Perugia in memory of the fifteen infantrymen still buried at Forcella V, and visitors will be able to tour the famous Great War Museum, which houses precious relics of the First World War, the conflict that in 1915-1917 turned the Marmolada into the grim setting of fierce fighting between Italian troops and those of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This museum, the highest in Europe (Punta Serauta, 3,000 m), is easily reached by cable car from Malga Ciapela and can be visited free of charge every day from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.
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