My final day in Dolomite country had arrived and I was still waiting for my first look at the Dolomites. I woke up in thinking, hoping, praying – please, please, let me see at least one dolomite today.
There were a few clouds in the sky when we departed Bressanone/Brixen right after breakfast but I refused to allow them to dash my belief that the Dolomites would appear. We drove south on the highway, then east on a steep and winding mountain road, up and up and up, towards the Val Gardena, right into the heart of Dolomite country.
And then suddenly, we saw them, through the bus window – Dolomites! Right in front of our eyes!
In addition to being in Dolomite country, we were also in the land of Ladin. I knew practically nothing about this third official language of the South Tyrol prior to my trip. It dates back nearly 2000 years. The base of the language is Latin, i.e. the vulgar Latin spoken by the soldiers of the Roman army, which fused with the Celtic language of the inhabitants of the alpine valleys. In the border areas, there were later borrowings from German and Slavic languages. Today, it is spoken by 4.5 percent of the people in the South Tyrol, primarily in isolated villages in five remote alpine valleys. There is even a weekly newspaper published in the Ladin language.
Our first stop of the day was in Selva di Val Gardena (Wolkenstein in German), the highest and easternmost village in the Val Gardena valley. It’s nestled beneath the Selle group of Dolomites at an elevation of 1563 meters (5128 feet, nearly a mile).
With its spectacular mountain scenery, Selva has become a year-round holiday destination. The area offers 25 miles of trails for downhill skiing. In warmer months, plentiful opportunities for hiking and mountain biking attract tourists. We asked about mountain climbing but our tour leader told us that the Dolomites are difficult to climb because they’re made of a relatively soft stone that crumbles easily.
The village residents are clearly proud of their Ladin cultural heritage. The Ladin flag was flying in the meadow where we parked the bus. It has equal bands of sky blue, white, green – blue for the skies, white for the snow-capped peaks of the Dolomites, green for the meadows and pastures.
We stopped for coffee and restrooms in a cozy wood paneled café/bar that was crowded with locals (all men). Woodworking is one of traditional handicrafts practiced by the Ladin people for centuries. In one of the village shops, I was very impressed with the intricacy of some of the carved pieces. Although I couldn’t buy anything large, I couldn’t resist purchasing a couple of small souvenirs.
Once we left Selva, we turned north towards the Val Badia, another one of the five valleys where Ladin villages are located. The valley is 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) long and the villages were so isolated from each other that three distinct dialects developed over the centuries. During World War 1, the border between Austria-Hungary and Italy cut through this area, with Austria-Hungary controlling the high ground. Italian soldiers were stationed in the mountains for three years in defensive positions. Many died from the bitter cold and lack of supplies.
Traveling east to the Badia valley, we made a photo stop along the mountain road.
I was even able to take some fairly decent photos from the windows of the bus although it was impossible to capture the wide-open vistas or the very steep hillsides where calmly grazing sheep or cows seemed to defy gravity.
We stopped again for photos in Corvara, in the Badia valley.
We reached our destination in the Alta Badia region around 11am and met up with our Ladin guide, Richard, who led us on a hike in the area of La Ila, one of the Ladin villages.
The village is located at an elevation of 4700 feet and the scenery was breathtaking. Some of the World Cup alpine ski races take place on nearby slopes. According to Richard, tourism has been developing rapidly here since the 1980s.
The area is known for its golden Haflinger horses, a breed that originated in the mountains of the Tyrol. They’re often called Cappuccino horses because of their golden color.
Our hike led us past a lovely chalet.
This day in Dolomite country was certainly one of the highlights of the trip. On the drive back to Bressanone/Brixen, I realized that my time in northern Italy was drawing to a close. We had one more evening in Bressanone. The following day, we’d make a brief stop in the Valsunga in the Trentino province the OAT Northern Italy trip came to an end. I could hardly believe that I’d already been away from home for three weeks.
I took advantage of the remaining afternoon hours in Bressanone/Brixen to take a closer look at its Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the adjoining cloister. The original structure dates back to the late 10thcentury. However, it was rebuilt in the 12th century in the Romanesque style and again in the mid-18th century in the Baroque style.
Even more impressive (in my opinion) was the cloister, which is covered in a wealth of Romanesque and Gothic frescoes from the 14th and 15th centuries. I was amazed at the vibrancy of the colors in the depictions of Biblical scenes and medieval life.
I spent some time at an outdoor table munching on a slab of pizza and watching people pass by.
Early the following morning, I took a final stroll through the old town, savoring the scenes of life in this very special part of Italy.
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