FORGET SKIING, SUMMER IS THE BEST TIME TO EXPLORE THE SUD TYROL

by YouShouldGoHere
September 7, 2015
in Do This, Go Here
0

[VAL BADIA, ITALY] — You read a lot of about skiing in the Dolomites of Italy, but I can’t believe how little is written about how amazing the Dolomiti are in summer. In the winter, rates are high, availability is low and restaurants are hard to get into. But in the summer, what they call the “off season”, the rates are a fraction of winter, the crowds are small and you almost have the hiking trails to yourself.

The Dolomites are aren’t just one range, but dozens. Kinda confusing, especially for me, to piece it all together. It’s all called “Dolomites” or “Alto Adige” and “Süd Tyrol” … and in a part of Italy that was once part of Austria. So the names are always in three languages. But no matter what you call it, go there.

I’ve previously posted pics from the Brenta range. These are just from Val Badia (or also called Alta Badia!), a spectacular valley that is just a fraction of the Dolomites greatness. I can’t wait to go back and figure out the rest. I recommend basing out of the cute as a button San Cassiano village, a glamorous little ski village, but in the summer is a fraction of the price. Go for a week or more. You can spend that in a single valley. Go for two or more and explore the other ranges.

This posts shows you want a single sliver of the amazing Dolomites, the Val Badia. So little time, so much to explore:

You can see how the Val Badia is just a fraction of the great Dolomites. The lower righthand corner.

Here’s an AWESOME article in the NY Times about hiking in the same general area. I couldn’t believe it posted two weeks after I returned! I think the author took the exact same hike within a week or two of when I was there. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/travel/italy-dolomites-hiking-trekking-camping.html

And here’s another article from Conde Nast Traveler about skiing in the Dolomites/Sud Tyrol, but a good resource for the hotels in the area. and a little photo essay from that story here. And another CN Traveler story from 2013 on new hotels in the Dolomites.

CLICK ON THE PICS BELOW TO OPEN UP THE GALLERY, WITH DESCRIPTIONS

: After passing through the stupendous Val Gardena, you top the Garden Pass and the Val Badia opens before you.

: An entire valley, ringed by one dramatic uplift after another.

: This is what you get hit with when you first enter the Val Badia valley after the pass.

: Centurions of the valley…

: So if you drive along in the Dolomites, it is just one spectacular valley of soaring monoliths after another. And you move from valley to valley and formation to formation.

: There are lots of towns along the Val Badia with hundreds of great places to stay. But I loved staying in the cute little alpine village of San Cassiano.

: The dramatic mountains are always a backdrop whereever you are in San Cassiano

: San Cassiano/St. Kassian/San Ćiascian in ‪#‎SudTyrol‬ or ‪#‎AltoAdige‬ or ‎Dolomiti‬. Like everything in this region of ‪‎Italy‬ it has three names. But a gorgeous little ‪‎village‬ ringed by steep cliffs and a great base to ‎explore‬ the endless ‪‎valleys‬ of the ‪Dolomites‬

: A perfect and quiet little alpine town to base, with lots of shops and great restaurants.

: You can see how many trails and lifts –endless– and the trail I just highlighted in pics.

: A great easy hike is to take the 15 back up and divert to Santa Croce refuge. Perfect 3 hour hike with lunch stop. Then you can take a lift down to La Villa and bus back.

: From the 12, you hook up to the 15 that will take you down to San Cassiano and pass this gorgeous spot that makes the nine hours worthwhile. You can also hike up to this point in an hour and a half from San Cassiano. I highly recommend the latter.

: A great easy hike is to take the 15 back up and divert to Santa Croce refuge. Perfect 3 hour hike with this ideal lunch stop. Then you can take a lift down to La Villa and bus back.

: Fin.

WATER ON THE TRAIL — ALTA BADIA from YouShouldGoHere on Vimeo.

On the main road to Cortina d’Ampezzo, you zigzag up the Valparola pass and THAT is where the Front Lines used to be during the WWI. The Austrians had carved a long frontier amongst the high ridgelines to dump ammunition down on the Italians below. They carve intricate troop trails all throughout the spine of these mountains, dotted with rifugi for the troops to rest up. This is also a ski area, so you can even take a massive gondola up to the top and scurry about from mountain to mountain, or take the Via Ferrati to the far extremes and then down the mountain.

: This used to be the front lines between the Great War between Austria and Italy. A strategic ridge loaded with old army trails

: All of those rocks are not natural. This used to be the Austria/Italy Front Line in WWI and all of those rocks are blown from thousands of shells lobbed on the fort.

: Museum of War at the former WWI front lines

: Museum of War at the former WWI front lines

: Museum of War at the former WWI front lines

: The Italians just bombed the shit out of this place. Many trails still have live shells around. Once hit, the Austrians abandonded it but left the lights on so the Itailians could waste another thousand shells trying to blow it up without knowing nobody was home.

: At the top of the Valparola Pass you can take this huge gondola to the top of the amazing bluff and get right in it.

: Even if it is cloudy, just wait….

: I heard a noise through the clouds, then slowly they parted and say some people walking toward me. Had no idea they were there

: I heard a noise through the clouds, then slowly they parted and say some people walking toward me. Had no idea they were there

: I heard a noise through the clouds, then slowly they parted and say some people walking toward me. Had no idea they were there

: Every minute, more and more mountains showed. I only saw half of what’s really there. It is stupendous

: All along this steep range, the Austrians had a network of firing positions to lob on the Italians below.

: Or just drop rolling bombs straight down on their heads.

: You can’t tell, but these people are standing atop a 3000 ft dropoff, about to head down the via ferrait trails. — a trail with iron holdins that the Austrian troops used to safely mobilize across these scary high peaks.