The Merano 2000 mountain station serves as the starting point for our summit tour on the Monte Ivigna and is accessible by gondola from Falzeben near Avelengo or by cable car from the Val di Nova near Maia Alta in Merano. Up at this high altitude, we follow signs no. 3 and then no. 19A towards the Kuhleiten Hut. The wide path is easy to walk, and the inclines are gentle at first.

The route then becomes slightly steeper as we hike past the St. Oswald Chapel. The Punta delle Laste and the Laste di Verdines tower above us in the western ridge of the Sarentino Alps. We reach the Forcella Sant'Osvaldo gap, where our trail meets the trail coming up from the Taser High Route via the Streitweide alpine pasture. However, we do not descend here but continue uphill.

Step by step, the path becomes rougher and steeper, soon turning into a stony, eroded ridge trail. Steep green meadows lie to the left and a sheer drop to the right, while the surrounding views continually improve. A fork in the path presents two options: head left to the Piccolo Ivigna (Kleiner Ifinger, or Small Ivigna), or right to the Picco Ivigna, the main summit which is 25 metres higher.

Anyone choosing the second option should have climbing experience and a good head for heights. Those who, like us, prefer hiking to climbing, take the path to the left. A few steps later we reach the summit of the Piccolo Ivigna at 2,554 metres above sea level and can enjoy the panorama.

This stretches from the Ortles Alps and the Adamello Glacier across the Brenta Dolomites to the Monte Baldo in the mountains of Lake Garda. To the east we see the Dolomites with Mt. Sasso Putia, the Marmolada, and the Catinaccio and Latemar Groups, while the Texel Group, the Oetztal Alps, and the Stubai glaciers tower to the north. A truly memorable sight! We descend via the same route and treat ourselves to a stop at the Kuhleiten Mountain Hut. After almost four hours, we arrive back at the Merano 2000 mountain station.

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Author: AT

Experienced: August 2013
Last updated: 2026

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