Travel

The trip to Dobbiaco was marked by many small uncertainties, timing, delays, the type of details that seem insignificant at first, but can have a disproportionate impact. A delayed departure, a short layover in Venice, figuring out if there would be enough time to catch the bus… In the end, all went smoothly. Just enough margin to arrive without rushing.

We made a brief stop in Cortina d’Ampezzo, one of the most important ski resorts in the world and host of the last Winter Olympics. It is noticeable how much more different everything is to the rest of Italy, even from a quick stop. The atmosphere is also a bit more polished, more focused on high-end tourism.

Dobbiaco is a very popular tourist town, and that is apparent immediately. Restaurants fill up fast, especially in the evenings, and unless you have made a reservation, it may be difficult to find a place to dine. It’s the kind of place where logistics matter more than you expect.

The first afternoon was pretty low-key. A short walk through the town center, a few stops for photos, mountain gear shops, church, small streets and references to one of its most famous neighbors, Gustav Mahler. The composer spent his summers here at the beginning of the 20th century, finding in these landscapes the stillness he needed to work.

As you head towards the lake, the path opens. Lago di Dobbiaco appears gradually, framed by trees, with the Hotel Baur am See quietly situated on the main shore.

It’s a calm place. Very easy to photograph. Reflections are clean. Compositions are fairly straightforward. Along the lake, groups of coots quietly cut through the water. Small details, but they add movement to the scene.

A family cycled along the path leading from the village to the lake, the atmosphere remained very relaxed and natural. The first afternoon wasn’t about standout moments. It was more about getting used to the flow, the light and the weather.

The next morning changed all of that.

Stage 1. Lago di Braies – Rifugio Pederü

Distance: 18.07 km · Elevation Gain: +1343 m · Elevation Loss: −1242 m · Technical Difficulty: Difficult

The bus to Lago di Braies left quite early, around 7:15 AM, and took approximately 30 minutes. Getting on the first bus allowed me to arrive before most people, and before the lake becomes what it usually is, a hotspot for tourists.

At that hour, Braies was empty.

The pier was closed. The boats were tied up. The lake was absolutely still. And because of the clear sky, the lake showed its full range of colors, deep turquoise, almost surreal. This color comes from fine minerals, dolomitic sediment, suspended in the water that scatter the light, a common phenomenon throughout the entire region.

There is a very short period of time when nothing moves. As I walked around the lake, a single paddle surfer crossed the water, the only disturbance in the most absolute quietness.

Later, from the top of Seekofel, the same lake would look completely different, the boats were moving, people were everywhere, and the whole atmosphere had been transformed.

Many visitors treat Braies as an endpoint. Most visit the lake alone and depart. The Alta Via 1 begins precisely where most people stop. After the lake, the route goes along the right-hand side and then turns upwards. The first part of the route is relatively flat. Then the climb begins.

It is a steep climb. Forest, rocks, roots. Predominantly spruce and pine. The forest is dense enough to keep the light out. The path is clear, but constantly climbing. Further up the mountain, the terrain opens up. The forest is replaced by rock and lower-growing vegetation. The temperature drops rapidly and the Seekofel becomes visible.

The View from Seekofel

It is optional, but one of the best parts of this leg of the route. When going to the summit, it is highly recommended to leave the backpack at the bottom of the mountain. The route will return to the same spot, and the climb to the summit will be much easier without the extra load.

At the summit, the landscape transforms. The terrain is pale and fractured. The scale of the land expands below you. Lago di Braies lies below, and in the distance the Tre Cime can be seen. They stand out enough even from a great distance, and you know you can’t leave the Dolomites without seeing them.

Alpine ibexes roam freely at the summit, gliding across the rocky terrain with the ease of walking on flat ground. The air feels thinner and the views leave you speechless.

Going down from Seekofel is quicker. The weather changes, less sunlight, stronger winds, cooler temperatures and an uneven rocky terrain. Back at the base, Rifugio Biella indicates that we are returning to the primary route. After that, the route becomes easier, the paths expand and branch out into a range of alternatives. More people.

Along the way, there are some short conversations about the route, the weather, where you’ll go next or how many days will it take for you to complete the route. They don’t last long. But each conversation brings little bits of new information. Little perspectives that enhance the journey.

The landscape begins to turn green again, meadows and scattered refuges. We arrive to Fodara Vedla, a collection of buildings, a church, animals grazing nearby. Voices can be heard in Ladin, German or Italian, some in English too, mostly from tourists or locals giving indications.

The route down to Pederü is long, steep, slippery and unstable. The strain builds in the legs.

Pederü feels more like a rural hotel than a mountain hut, larger and more comfortable. It’s also the last place on the route where you’ll find this level of comfort. Special mention goes to Pederü’s à la carte menu, an incredible end for the first stage.

Stage 2. Rifugio Pederü – Rifugio Lagazuoi

Distance: 18.79 km · Elevation Gain: +1627 m · Elevation Loss: −425 m · Technical Difficulty: Moderate

The second day started early. The first section was through forest, mostly shaded and dominated by conifers. It was a while before the scenery opened up.

And when it did, it was the Fanes Valley. Large open fields and a river cutting through the land. Animals roaming freely, goats, cows and distant cabins. One of the most well-rounded sections of the route. A detour to Lavarella is worth doing.

Lavarella is a small occupied village. It provides a human element to the route. A sense of continuity beyond the trail itself with incredible morning light. Further along, back into the main route, Lago di Limo. The water displayed the same tones as earlier, slightly greener, shaped by the same minerals in suspension. Under the right lighting, the green intensified. In one moment, a couple attempted to bathe their dog, and the scene became strangely memorable.

The route continued through smaller valleys. Some wildlife, marmots, horses crossing the path. The terrain remained manageable.

A Lake Between Stone Walls

The final section to Lagazuoi was different. The climb started gradually from the Fanes plateau and became progressively steeper. Vegetation almost disappeared and led to a more rocky terrain. And suddenly the view opened up.

The first sight of Lago Lagazuoi after reaching the summit could be seen through a narrow passageway formed by steep rock walls. At first glance, the area seemed confined, until the landscape gradually unfolded into one of the most striking views of the Alta Via 1.

The lake sits below, deeply colored, and surrounded by steep inclines. The route down to the lake was direct, a classical zigzag protected by wooden planks, well-structured and visually stunning.

From there, the final climb began to Rifugio Lagazuoi, at 2,752 meters. The fog rolled in quickly and the visibility dropped. The path to the rifugio was broken, turning into a lunar landscape, and could only be followed by the white and red markings found along the route.

Many of the tunnels from WWI could be seen from the outside. Hinting at a deeper story that would be revealed the day after. Despite the fog, there were a few times when the mist allowed for a quick photo. And through the haze, one could see the silhouettes of the Civetta and Pelmo for the first time.

At the top, the surroundings felt almost surreal. The peaks rise and fall behind the layers of mist. Never completely visible, but an incredible thing to witness. Before reaching the refuge, the day had exceeded the expectations of the morning and from the day before.

It had been an incredible journey so far, Braies at dawn, Seekofel, the meadows of Fanes and the descent to Lagazuoi. Each one very different from each other and offering not only great photography, but different feelings as well mixed with sweat and effort.

At 2,752 meters, it was time for a rest.

2025 was a year of reflection and transformation. A time to change habits, build new ones, live more fully, appreciate the small moments, and take on new challenges.

Travel has always felt like a necessity to me. It’s one of the few things that forces you to let go of what you think you know, to accept new realities, and to see the world in ways you may not have even realized existed.

It’s also a way of understanding culture beyond what books can tell you. Walking through a place, speaking with the people who live there, or simply observing everyday life allows you to connect ideas that were once just theory, scattered facts and curiosities gathered over the years through a persistent sense of curiosity.

Many hikers see the trail as an end in itself. For me, it has always been another way of traveling, a window into a unique reality. It may not offer grand monuments, but it gives you landscapes, nature, wildlife, and the feeling of following paths that others have walked before.

And it brings something more, a much needed at that time personal challenge, the act of moving forward, of completing each stage, one step at a time.

In the summer of 2025, after hearing the name “Dolomites” many times without giving it much thought, I decided to look into it more closely. That’s when I came across a route that seemed to bring together everything I was looking for, set in a truly unique environment, the Alta Via 1.

A demanding journey, around 150 kilometers, with roughly 10,000 meters of elevation gain and loss, that felt like the perfect balance of beauty, effort, and discovery.

From that moment on, it became an obsession. A place I knew I had to go.

The Sea that became Rock

About 250 million years ago, this place was a shallow tropical sea filled with coral reefs and marine life. What are now vertical walls of rock were once living organisms submerged in water.

Eventually, those reefs turned to stone. Then, when the Alps formed, they were raised up to create the mountains we see today.

That’s probably why in 2009 the Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only for their beauty, but for something less visible, their geological value. This is one of the few locations in the world where that conversion from coral to mountain can be studied. The mountains here didn’t erode like those in other places, because they weren’t mountains. They were coral turned to stone.

You can feel the difference while walking. The rock feels lighter and brittle, and when you strike the ground with your poles, you can hear a characteristic metallic sound.

Enrosadira

For the local residents, that rosy glow that ignites the walls of the mountains at sunset has a curious name, Enrosadira, known in English as Alpenglow. According to legend, King Laurin, who ruled over the dwarves, had a hidden rose garden among the peaks. He was betrayed, and he cast a curse on his garden so that no one could see it either by day or by night, but he forgot the twilight. It is only then that the garden blooms once again on the rock.

Beyond mythology, science explains that it is the chemical composition of the dolomite rock that reacts to low light. And it is such an incredible thing to witness! There are certain moments of the day when Civetta turns so intensely red that it seems to produce its own energy. In those moments, it is almost impossible to do it justice with a photo; the camera cannot capture the dynamic range of a light that doesn’t seem to originate from the sun, but from within the rock itself.

Then the wind drops the temperature quickly and the light starts to fade faster than expected. The mist slides from one peak to another and covers everything around you in a few moments.

Not everything can be photographed, nor should it be. Some images last only seconds, shifts in the light while you are moving. But part of traveling is realizing that, not to save every moment, but to simply witness when they occur.

An Ancient Frontier

This region had been part of the Habsburg Empire for almost a century. Even today, evidence of that legacy can be seen in every detail, in the paths that mark the itinerary, in the architecture, the food, the customs and the language. German remains the primary language in most villages. In other areas, such as Val Badia, they speak Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language that has survived in these isolated valleys for centuries.

When the Romans were in control, this was the province of Raetia. It marked the boundary between the Mediterranean world and the lands of the Barbarian territories. For them, these mountains were a territory to cross when going to battle.

Later, that frontier role returned. During WWI, the Dolomites became one of the harshest mountain fronts of the war. Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops dug tunnels into the rock and lived in extreme conditions at altitudes above 3,000 meters, where the cold and the altitude worked against them.

In some sections of the route, the trail appears to be nothing more than a simple path. The rock is hollowed out, the walls show artificial cuts, and suddenly you realize that others were here before for very different reasons. You walk over excavations carved during a war, along paths that armies have used for centuries.

Today, those same footsteps form one of the most fascinating aspects of the journey, and the contrast is difficult to ignore.

A well-rounded Trail

Alta Via 1 is one of the top multi-day hiking trails in Europe. It is not technically challenging in the classical Alpine sense, but it is physically demanding, with constant elevation changes and varied terrain. The route is designed to be completed in approximately ten or eleven days, but I planned to complete it in seven.

It is not a trail for everyone, though its growing popularity may suggest otherwise. Each day requires something different. Sometimes it’s the terrain, other days, the distance or the weather, which doesn’t always cooperate, sometimes is the unexpected what can make a difference. Or it can simply be the exhaustion and the accumulation of days. The body adapts, but not without resistance.

In the past decade, the Dolomites have become a highly recognizable destination, largely due to social media. Places like Tre Cime attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, many in search of an Instagramable moment. Yet you only need to go a few kilometers farther for the crowds to disappear.

On the Alta Via 1, there are stretches where time seems to stand still and silence surrounds you. Valleys where sheep graze, where the most constant sound is that of cowbells. Meadows where the rhythm is set by the terrain, and where human presence does not disrupt the landscape.

The rifugi (mountain huts) help maintain that balance. More than mere accommodations, the rifugi are places of connection. At seven in the evening, long communal tables fill with strangers who, after a short conversation, begin sharing maps as if they were old friends. The effort of the day gives way to long discussions, simple meals, and the shared feeling of having arrived there in much the same way. Outside those walls, the rest of the world continues to move at an unstoppable pace.

There is something in that environment that encourages connection, perhaps the shared effort, or perhaps the absence of distractions.

Staying in the present

With each passing day, the backpack begins to feel less like a burden and more like an extension of your body. There is a quiet mysticism in the austerity of the hiker. You realize you can be deeply happy with eight kilograms on your back and a camera.

Accumulated fatigue creates a mental state in which you stop projecting into the future and instead anchor yourself in the present moment, in the next step. In the end, the Alta Via 1 is not measured in distance, but in the number of unnecessary thoughts you leave behind along the trail.

The route changes constantly. There is no single view of the Dolomites. Instead, there are many, layered throughout the journey. And that, perhaps, is what makes the Alta Via 1 unique.

The adventure starts now.