From the Pulpito mountain station via the Alfredo Serristori Mountain Hut to the glacier tongue of the Piccolo Angelo
Image gallery: Mountain tour to the Angelo Piccolo
The Pulpito Cable Car takes us up from Solda to the mountain station at 2,351 metres above sea level, where we begin our tour at a very leisurely pace. We hike northwards and slightly downhill along the wide trail no. 12 into the Valle di Zai valley. After crossing the Rio Zai stream, we reach the junction for trail no. 5, which leads us up to the Alfredo Serristori Hut (Düsseldorfer Hütte).
The hut features a sun terrace with panoramic views of the mountain trio of the Ortles, the Monte Zebrù, and the Gran Zebrù, and serves delicious South Tyrolean cuisine. Behind the hut, the route continues through a striking landscape of delicate greenery, rugged rocks, and tarns.
We then ascend into a barren, rocky terrain where it is not always easy to follow the sparse markings between the boulders. We stay on trail no. 5 until we reach the junction for the Croda di Cengles, then follow path no. 5B towards the Passo di Zai. This 3,224-metre-high pass in the Lasa Mountains connects the Solda Valley with the Lasa Valley.
Passing small tarns of meltwater, we eventually reach the glacier tongue of the Piccolo Angelo (Kleiner Angelus), which flows into a lake. We have now crossed the 3,000-metre mark. Its big brother, the Angelo Grande (literally: Big Angel), is the second-highest peak in the Lasa Mountains.
They are a subgroup in the Ortles Alps. The recent heatwave has left the glacier's ice sheet fragile, forcing us to abandon our plan of climbing to the summit. Instead, we enjoy the crisp air and the rugged landscape before returning along the same route. A longer tour in the same area, also with a stop at the Alfredo Serristori Hut, leads you to Mt. Croda di Cengles.
Author: ED
Experienced: August 2015
Last updated: 2026
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- Starting point:
- mountain station of the Pulpito Cable Car in Solda (2,348 m a.s.l.)
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- Overall time:
- 04:30 h
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- Total route length:
- 13,0 km
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- Altitude:
- from 2.348 m to 3.001 m
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- Altitude difference (uphill | downhill):
- +681 m | -681 m
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- Signposts:
- no. 12, 5, 5B (towards the Passo di Zai)
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- Destination:
- glacier tongue of the Piccolo Angelo (3,001 m a.s.l.)
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- Resting points:
- Alfredo Serristori Mountain Hut (June to early October)
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- Recommended time of year:
- Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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- Download GPX track:
- Mountain tour to the Angelo Piccolo
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- More information:
- The overall time shown above refers to the walking time only, not including breaks or stops.
If you want to undertake this hike, we recommend checking the weather and trail conditions in advance and on site before starting this hike!
