Here we are finally back on the road outside of our Swiss borders... and given our huge crush in 2019, we couldn't wait to return to South Tyrol in the heart of the Dolomites. For this new adventure of one week (only) but this time at the end of June, we decided to focus on the Alpe di Siusi and to tour around the Sasso Piatto & Sasso Lungo.

-> Alpe di Siusi [ 3 Nights ]

During our first roadtrip in the Dolomites,Dolomiti • Salve Alto Adige 1/2 & Dolomiti • Grüss Gott Südtirol 2/2, we were a little frustrated with our one and only day on the Alpe di Siusi. So for this first stage, we decided to take our time and book 3 nights directly on the Alpe di Siusi. As mentioned in our previous article in 2019, Dolomiti • Grüss Gott Südtirol partie 2, ccess to the Alpe di Siusi is restricted to cars. Cars can only go up before 9am or after 5pm and only in Compatsch, the entrance village of the altipiano, after this time, you can only access by cable car or bus. This restriction is desirable to limit the traffic on the altipiano... but a bit frustrating for those who like to stroll at late hours like us. So this year we booked in the beautiful and high perched Hotel Goldknopf to make the most of our stay.

Hôtel goldknopf

The Goldknopf Hotel did not disappoint us! First of all, the modern but mountainous style makes us feel good right away. The natural swimming pool is beautifully integrated into the landscape... we could see marmots playing around it in the evening. The position of the hotel, in height, allows us to have a 180° view on the massif of Sciliar, the Alpe di Siusi, the Odle, the Sasso Piatto and the Sasso Lungo... and not to mention the delicious restaurant... every evening a delight!

E-bike

To ride the Alpe di Siusi from top to bottom and from left to right, we rented e-bikes for the 3 days at Sport Hans (for a few euros more, they drop them directly at your accommodation)... During our stay, we didn't stop pedaling in all directions and going from one hütte to another to enjoy the landscape, to take pictures, to drink Italian espresso (what we missed) and to eat speck, canederli and alpine cheese and sometimes to protect ourselves from a rain shower... Here is a non-exhaustive list of the hütte not to be missed Edelwiess Hütte, Zallinger Hütte, Baita Sanon, Tüenehütte… we let you discover the Alpe di Siusi in pictures.

-> Selva Gardena [ 2 Nights ]

It's time to leave the alpine pasture to reach the nearby Val Gardena, the next step of our mini roadtrip. We pass by Castelrotto that we had visited in the rain in 2019 with its imposing bell tower and continue our descent by Ortisei, to finish our road at the bottom of the valley in Selva di Gardena. This village is turned towards the outdoor activity, that's obvious as soon as we arrive... sports stores, pubs, ski lifts in all directions... it makes us want to come back in winter... who knows next time we could put our skis on to go down those slopes!

Our hotel for these 2 next nights, the Hotel Freina, is central and allows to use the bus and the ski lifts without taking the car. The welcome is family and very friendly, you almost feel like you are part of the family. You will find the father at the bar and at the reception, the mother who seems to be everywhere and the children who manage the restaurant! A beautiful cohesion emanates from this family full of good mood and good advice on the region.

Seceda

We wanted to see the Seceda again with the meadows... we saw it and much more... lightning, hail and storm were also part of the story. We reached the top of the Seceda by the double cable car that leaves from Ortisei... then we enjoyed the view but also to discover the Seceda covered with a magnificent meadow full of buttercups... a very yellow carpet. After having juggled between rain, sun and small hail we had lunch in the shelter of the Troier hütte as in 2019... we would have liked to try the Daniel Hütte but well, we were a little wet... We then went down to the chairlift next to the malaga La Neidia via the path n°1, 4A & 2C via the Lech da Iman, to then go back up to the top of the Seceda and there to find ourselves in the heart of the storm blocked with 3 other tourists in the shelters in the arrival of the chairlift... You don't need to know the details. To avoid going back down by the double cable car and lengthen the walk, you could go back down in the Val Gardena via the Raiser Pass or the Rifugio Firenze to finally reach Santa Cristina... For us it will be for another time!

Ortisei & Chiesetta San Giacomo

After having recovered our spirits and succeeded in going down to Ortisei... (it was not won with the wind and the hail). We stroll in the pretty and mundane pedestrian city center of Ortisei... an espresso at Cafè Corso was well come to give us again a small blow of whip and to set out again for a small walk direction the Chiesetta San Giacomo. Go up to the village of Sacun from Ortisei by car (about 5 minutes) or by bus, then take the path n°6B that crosses the meadow and the forest... mystical with all the rain... the bands of fog were dancing to finally totally dissipate as soon as we arrived at the little church.

Vallunga

For this 2nd day in the Val Gardena, we decide to go to explore the Vallunga... a beautiful valley... we immediately have this impression to be in Zion in the USA... steep cliffs, vegetation... We wanted to see a small ephemeral lake on the path n°14 which appears only in spring at the melting of the ice, but unfortunately, it was already dry. We would advise to do the Vallunga in e-bike rather than on foot, we would have preferred!

Passo Sella

This afternoon, it's time to leave the Val Gardera and head for our last stop of this mini roadtrip, the Val di Tires, but first we stop at the Passo Sella at the Malga Sella, for a small dish of speck and an apple strudel. Then we reach the Refuge T. Demets between the Sasso Piatto and the Sasso Lungo with rather original eggs... 2 maximum per cabin and standing, we had a good laugh!

After having admired the view on both sides: on one side the Alpe di Siusi and on the other the passo Sella, il Gruppo de Sella & the Marmolada... we take the path n°525 via rocky terrain and meadow full of Buttercups to go back down and join our guide for the next part of the route towards Tires!

-> Tires [ 2 Nights ]

Val di Tires

We arrived at our last stop in Tires, in a nice hotel all renovated and also managed by a whole family, the Alpinhôtel Vajolet! The weather seems to be calming down and we can enjoy our traditional spritz on the nice terrace from where we can see the Torri Vajolet at the bottom of the valley.

Rosengarten • catinaccio

Let's go for the discovery of the Catinaccio... we turn back to reach Carezza and go up to the Rifugio Paolina via the Paolina chairlift. From there we take the path n°539. There are quite a few people on this part which does not require a huge effort. But the view is magnificent on the Latemar despite the desolation of the forest due to the storm of the beginning of 2019 which has sacred the surrounding forest (a really impressive massacre of trees). We first reach a giant bronze eagle, Christomannos monument, which evokes Theodor Christomannos who dedicated his life to the renovation of the famous Dolomite road that connects Nova Levante/Welschnofen to Cortina. We then reached the Rotward Hütte via trail no. 549... but on the way there we met Pietro... quite a character who holds the Baita Pederiva right next door! So we had a little Italian coffee... and we stayed there chatting, looking at the landscape, eating a minestrone, a krauti salad and some delicious deserts. Our basic idea was to see if we could make the tour of the Rotwand via the trail n°551 but well, we were there, enjoying the sun in good company. We went back down to Carezza through forest and meadow via trail n°548, 1A, 6A... a very nice alternative!

In the area, there is the lago di Carezza not to be missed... we had done it in 2019 and we decided not to go back there to privilege our end of day in the Val di Tires... but you can see our pictures in the 2019 article Dolomiti • Salve Alto Adige [Italia] 1/2.

Wuhnleger POND

Back in the Val di Tires, we stop at San Cipriano, to admire the small church of the same name with the Rosengarten and the Torri di Vajolet in the background... then we go up by car to the beginning of the path n°6 that we follow on foot until the fork of the n°4A and then the n°4 in order to reach, quite painfully in about 40 minutes, (the tiredness of the previous days is felt...) the Wuhnleger pond... which gives us the most beautiful view on the mountain range of the Rosengarten and the Torri di Vajolet. We will stay a while playing with the clouds, the evening light and the mirror in the pond... A nice last evening!

Bolzano

It's time to come down from the mountain... it's sad, it's with a heavy heart that we leave these beautiful mountains, but to certainly come back! We make a last stop in Bolzano as in 2019 to enjoy the nice pedestrian city center... do our last speck shopping and a new little Tyrolean hat for Tracy... before joining our Switzerland!

• un canederli, un pò di speck e uno strudel per favore ! •

FIND ALL OUR ARTICLES ON OUR ROADTRIPS IN THE DOLOMITES

Here are the maps we used, because the Lonely Planet Dolomiti (only in Italian) is really not detailed enough. The Tabacco maps are very accurate and useful for off-the-beaten track walks. They are easily obtainable in Compatsch or in any sports store in the Dolomites or on Amazon.