The Giau Pass ( it, Passo di Giau) (

Ladin Ladin may refer to: * Ladin language, a language in northern Italy, often classified as a Rhaeto-Romance language *Ladin people, the inhabitants of the Dolomite Alps region of northern Italy See also *Laden (disambiguation) * Ladino (disambigua ...

: ''Jof de Giau'') (el. 2236 m.) is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

in the

Dolomites The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...

in the province of

Belluno Belluno (; lld, Belum; vec, Belùn) is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomites region ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. It connects

Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...

with

Colle Santa Lucia Colle Santa Lucia (; Ladin language: ''Col'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northwest of Belluno. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of ...

and

Selva di Cadore Selva di Cadore is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about north of Venice and about northwest of Belluno. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 557 and an area of .All dem ...

. It is located at the center of a vast mountain pasture at the foot of Nuvolau (2,574 m) and dell'

Averau Averau (2,649m) is the highest mountain of the Nuvolau Group in the Dolomites, located in the Province of Belluno, northern Italy. It lies between the Falzarego Pass and the Giau Pass. The mountain is usually climbed from its northern face, whic ...

(2,647 m) from which you can easily reach the Monte Pore (2,405 m). Impressive is the view west towards

with the

Pale di San Martino The Pala group (also known as Pale di San Martino) is the largest massif of the Dolomites, with about 240 km² of surface, located between eastern Trentino and Veneto (province of Belluno), in the area between Primiero (valleys of Cismon, Canali, ...

, Cime D'Auta,

Marmolada Marmolada (Ladin: ''Marmolèda''; German: ''Marmolata'', ) is a mountain in northeastern Italy and the highest mountain of the Dolomites (a section of the Alps). It lies between the borders of Trentino and Veneto. The Marmolada is an ultra-pr ...

Piz Boe Piz may refer to: * Piz Gloria, a mountain-top restaurant in Switzerland * Piz Buin, a mountain * Piz Dolf, a mountain * Piz Segnas, a mountain * Piz Buin (brand), a suncream brand * Piz (river), a river in Russia * Stosh "Piz" Piznarski ''Veron ...

and Setsass, just to the east towards the valley of

, with

Tofane Tofane is a mountain group in the Dolomites of northern Italy, west of Cortina d'Ampezzo in the province of Belluno, Veneto. Most of the Tofane lies within ''Parco naturale delle Dolomiti d'Ampezzo'', a nature park. Peaks The highest peaks of ...

, Croda Rossa,

Pomagagnon Pomagagnon is a mountain of the Dolomites in Belluno, northern Italy. It has an elevation of and is the southernmost mountain of the Cristallo Group Cristallo () (tedesco: Kristallspitze) is a mountain massif in the Italian Dolomites, no ...

Cristallo Cristallo is a glass which is totally clear (like rock crystal), without the slight yellow or greenish color originating from iron oxide impurities. This effect is achieved through small additions of manganese oxide.R. W. Douglas: ''A history of ...

Croda da Lago Croda da Lago is a small mountain chain in the central Dolomites in Veneto, northern Italy, just east of the Giau Pass. The highest peak of the group, the Cima d'Ambrizzola has an elevation of 2,715 metres. The range is very popular with hikers ...

, etc.

Accessibility and Territory

Passo Giau is comprised in the territories of

San Vito di Cadore San Vito di Cadore is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto. It is from Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Dolomites and is next to Monte Antelao. The town is primarily a winter sport resort, but tourism is ...

, and

. The road that goes up from Selva di Cadore has 29 tornanti and 3 tunnels for protection against avalanches, while the side towards Cortina is more easily passable. It is an interesting alternative to get to Cortina from Agordino area also because the road of Passo Giau, unlike the Passo Falzarego road is passable by trucks and coaches. However, despite the efforts made over the years, the winter season is often compromised by the avalanches that come down to block the uncovered parts of the road.

Mountain Huts

Rifugio Passo Giau (2236 m) - Colle Santa Lucia Rirugio Da Aurelio (2175 m) - Colle Santa Lucia Rifugio Fedare (2000 m) - Colle Santa Lucia Malga Giau (1900 m) - San Vito di Cadore

Maratona dles Dolomites bicycle race

Since 1988 the Giau Pass is the sixth and steepest of seven Dolomites mountain passes riders cross in the annual

Maratona dles Dolomites The Maratona dles Dolomites (Ladin for "Dolomites Marathon"; it, Maratona delle Dolomiti), is an annual single-day road bicycle race covering seven mountain passes in the Dolomites. Open to amateur cyclists, the Maratona—with 9,000 riders ...

single-day

bicycle race "Bicycle Race" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was released on their 1978 album ''Jazz'' and written by Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. It was released as a double A-side single together with the song "Fat Bottomed Girls", rea ...