Dolomites hiking
29 June 2022
Phil Heaton
Two and a half hours by bus took us to Cortina d’Ampezzo, famous for the 1956 Winter Olympics and giving its name to a series of highly popular and successful Ford motor cars. It is in the heart of the Dolomites. The guide book says “Cortina is considered to be Italy’s most exclusive resort, the winter playground of film stars and royalty”. We were there in summer.
Three nights at the hotel Alaska (?) gave us two full days of hiking. The local bus took us to Cinque Torri on day 1 and to Tre Cime di Lavaredo on day 2. The weather was perfect.
The mountains are formed of mineralised coral from the Triassic era which was the uplifted by the collision of the European and African continental plates and subsequent erosion by wind, sun, rain and ice, sculpting cliffs and spires and spikes. This is quite a contrast to the more usual alpine scenery of glaciated valleys and peaks.
Cinque Torri was delightful as we climbed 400 metres from Cianzope through forest to the outcrop of rocks at 2137 metres, meeting only a few other hikers. A road allows cars to reach the Refugio, but being Friday, it was not too busy. We walked to Refugio Scoiattoli, Nuvolau col, Averau col and down to Passo Falzarego for the bus back to Cortina – a total of 10 miles. It is definitely a major WOW.
The remains of the fighting between Italy and Austria in WWI are evident with huts, sheds and trenches. The warfare must have been horrendous, especially during winter months, when re-supply and simply staying alive because of the cold, were immense challenges.
Our second day to Tre Cime had even more spectacular scenery. The bus goes all the way to Refugio Auronzo at 2320 metres …. and so do hundreds of cars, and a few hundred more. It was Saturday. It was very busy, so that at times we were walking in columns of people in the popular anti-clockwise route. The view down the Val de Marzon to Giraiba was, unlike the Basilica San Marco in Venice, truly awesome. We had stops at Rifugio Lavaredo and Rifugio Locatelli, and back to Auronzo for some well-earned beers. A total of 11 miles and another outstanding WOW.
Cortina itself has many restaurants and cafes with a strong Austro-German gastronomic influence which provided us with a very nice change of cuisine.
A return trip for more hiking is on the cards.
Photos in the Gallery.