# Italy's mountains, summit by summit

> Punta Dufour reaches 4,634 m, Corno Grande 2,912 m, and Etna's published height depends on the source. What the Alps and Apennines really measure.

URL: https://myitalia.it/themes/mountains
Last updated: 2026-09-02

Italy's high ground splits into two systems with different rules: the Alps, where Punta Dufour reaches 4,634 m (15,203 feet) and glaciers still hold, and the Apennines, where the highest point is Corno Grande at 2,912 m (9,554 feet) and the last glacier is disappearing.

## Monte Rosa: 30 summits over 4,000 m

Punta Dufour reaches 4,634 m (15,203 feet) and is the second highest summit in the whole Alpine chain, on the meeting point of Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont and the Swiss canton of Valais. The massif around it counts 30 summits above 4,000 m and 220 sq km of glaciers, and the glacier figure shrinks with every survey.

At Punta Gnifetti, 4,554 m (14,941 feet), stands the Capanna Regina Margherita, the highest hut in Europe. Punta Dufour itself sits on the border, so the highest summit lying entirely inside Italy is a different peak, and we have not verified which.

## The Matterhorn and a date that matters

The Matterhorn measures 4,478 m (14,691 feet) and rises above Valtournenche in Valle d'Aosta on the Italian-Swiss border. The regional source gives that figure; the geodetic surveys of IGM and swisstopo, which we did not check, work in the range of 4,477 to 4,478 m.

It was first climbed on July 14, 1865 from the Swiss side by Edward Whymper's party, and shortly afterwards from the Italian side by the rope led by Jean-Antoine Carrel, the guide from Valtournenche. The two ascents are why the mountain has two names and two national stories.

## The Apennines top out at 2,912 m

Corno Grande reaches 2,912 m (9,554 feet) above Campo Imperatore in Abruzzo, inside the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga national park, and it is the highest point of the Apennines. That is 1,722 m lower than Punta Dufour, and it is reached from a plateau at road height, which changes the kind of day it takes.

Below the west face lies the Calderone, which the park authority describes as the southernmost glacier in Europe. Several glaciological studies now classify it as a residual ice body rather than a true glacier, so expect the wording to change at the next survey.

## Etna: the height that keeps moving

Etna has 3 published heights and no single official one: the INGV factsheet gives 3,324 m, the civil protection department 3,350 m, and the INGV drone survey of July 7, 2024 measured 3,369 m (11,053 feet) on the eastern rim of the Voragine, the highest value ever recorded on the volcano.

Earlier surveys give 3,354 m in December 2023 and 3,347 m in August 2021, both on the South-East crater. The number changes with each eruptive phase, which is why it must always carry its date. What the volcano is doing now is on the [volcanoes page](/themes/volcanoes).

## One trail that links all of it

The Sentiero Italia CAI covers 7,900 to 8,000 km in over 500 stages and touches all 20 regions, from Santa Teresa Gallura in Sardinia to Muggia, on the Slovenian border near Trieste. It crosses Sardinia, Sicily, the Apennines and the entire Alpine arc.

It is maintained by the Club Alpino Italiano rather than by a national park authority, so stage descriptions and signposting quality vary by section. Regional detail is on the [Valle d'Aosta](/regions/valle-d-aosta), [Abruzzo](/regions/abruzzo) and [Trentino](/regions/provincia-trento) pages.

## FAQ

### What is the highest mountain in Italy?

Punta Dufour on Monte Rosa, at 4,634 m (15,203 feet), is the second highest summit in the Alps and stands on the border between Valle d'Aosta, Piedmont and the Swiss canton of Valais. Which summit is the highest lying entirely in Italy is a separate question we have not verified.

### How high is the Matterhorn?

4,478 m (14,691 feet), on the Italian-Swiss border above Valtournenche in Valle d'Aosta. It was first climbed on July 14, 1865 by Edward Whymper's party from the Swiss side, and shortly after from the Italian side by the rope led by Jean-Antoine Carrel.

### What is the highest peak in the Apennines?

Corno Grande, at 2,912 m (9,554 feet), in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga national park in Abruzzo, above the Campo Imperatore plateau. Beneath it lies the Calderone, described by the park authority as Europe's southernmost glacier.

### How tall is Etna?

It depends on the source and the year. The INGV factsheet says 3,324 m, the civil protection department 3,350 m, and an INGV drone survey in July 2024 measured 3,369 m on the rim of the Voragine crater. Any figure needs a date attached.

### Is there a long distance trail across Italy?

The Sentiero Italia CAI runs 7,900 to 8,000 km along the main mountain chains in over 500 stages, from Santa Teresa Gallura in Sardinia to Muggia near Trieste, crossing Sicily, the Apennines and the whole Alpine arc.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Punta Dufour del Monte Rosa raggiunge 4.634 metri ed e' la seconda cima piu' alta dell'intera catena alpina; il massiccio segna il confine tra Valle d'Aosta, Piemonte e Canton Vallese. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/banca-dati/7/monti-e-ghiacciai/gressoney-la-trinite/catena-del-monte-rosa-punta-dufour-m-4634/1735) | medium | 2035-12-31 |
| Il massiccio del Monte Rosa conta circa 30 cime oltre i 4.000 metri e circa 220 km quadrati di ghiacciai; alla Punta Gnifetti (4.554 m) sorge la Capanna Regina Margherita, il rifugio piu' alto d'Europa. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/banca-dati/7/monti-e-ghiacciai/gressoney-la-trinite/catena-del-monte-rosa-punta-dufour-m-4634/1735) | medium | 2030-12-31 |
| Il Cervino (Matterhorn) misura 4.478 metri e sorge sul confine italo-svizzero sopra la Valtournenche, in Valle d'Aosta. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/scoprire/grandi-montagne/monte-cervino) | medium | 2035-12-31 |
| Il Cervino fu salito per la prima volta il 14 luglio 1865 dal versante svizzero dalla cordata di Edward Whymper; poco dopo fu salito dal versante italiano dalla cordata guidata da Jean-Antoine Carrel. | [Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta - lovevda.it](https://www.lovevda.it/it/scoprire/grandi-montagne/monte-cervino) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Corno Grande del Gran Sasso d'Italia, con 2.912 metri, e' la vetta piu' alta dell'Appennino; si trova nel Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga, in Abruzzo, sopra Campo Imperatore. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/man_dettaglio.php?id=140267) | medium | 2035-12-31 |
| Alle pendici del Corno Grande si trova il Ghiacciaio del Calderone, indicato dall'Ente Parco come il ghiacciaio piu' meridionale d'Europa. | [Ente Parco Nazionale del Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga](https://www.gransassolagapark.it/man_dettaglio.php?id=140267) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| Le quote di riferimento dell'Etna pubblicate dalle fonti istituzionali non coincidono: la scheda INGV riporta 3.324 m s.l.m., la scheda del Dipartimento della Protezione Civile 3.350 m, mentre il rilievo con droni INGV del luglio 2024 ha misurato 3.369 m sull'orlo della Voragine. | [INGV](https://www.ingv.it/etna); [Dipartimento della Protezione Civile](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/vulcanico/vulcani-italia/etna/); [INGV - blog INGVvulcani](https://ingvvulcani.com/2024/07/10/la-voragine-fa-la-voce-grossa-e-diventa-la-nuova-vetta-delletna/) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| La quota massima dell'Etna misurata dall'INGV e' 3.369 metri, raggiunta dall'orlo orientale del cratere Voragine dopo i parossismi del luglio 2024: e' la massima altezza mai misurata sul vulcano. | [INGV - blog INGVvulcani](https://ingvvulcani.com/2024/07/10/la-voragine-fa-la-voce-grossa-e-diventa-la-nuova-vetta-delletna/) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Il Sentiero Italia CAI si sviluppa per circa 7.900-8.000 km lungo le principali dorsali montuose italiane ed e' uno dei sentieri escursionistici piu' lunghi al mondo. | [Club Alpino Italiano - Sentiero Italia CAI](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/faq/); [doc 2](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Il Sentiero Italia CAI e' articolato in oltre 500 tappe e collega tutte le regioni italiane. | [Club Alpino Italiano - Sentiero Italia CAI](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/faq/) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Il Sentiero Italia CAI parte da Santa Teresa Gallura, in Sardegna, e termina a Muggia, in provincia di Trieste, attraversando Sardegna, Sicilia, l'Appennino e l'intero arco alpino fino al confine sloveno. | [Club Alpino Italiano - Sentiero Italia CAI](https://sentieroitalia.cai.it/faq/) | medium | 2028-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/theme.montagna.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Ximonic (Simo Räsänen). License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tre_Cime_di_Lavaredo_from_Monte_Specie,_Val_Pusteria,_Trentino-Alto_Adige,_Italy,_2025_October.jpg

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