Easy Hikes in the Dolomites - Part 3: St. Magdalena in Villnoess

This was a bittersweet photo, capturing the picture-perfect bottom half of the world-famous postcard view of the Italian Dolomites, with the idyllic village of St. Magdalena resting like a jewel among lush green subalpine pastures.



But it wasn't quite complete as the top half -- the majestic, vertical rock face of the Geisler peaks, one of the most recognizable symbols of the Dolomites -- was all covered in mist in this unpredictable mountainous microclimate. The pictured Baroque chapel of Ranui is another landmark most often photographed with the Geisler in the background, but it wasn't to be during our 2-night stay in early autumn.



These were our last two days in the Dolomites, as part of our 23-day journey down the full length of Italy from the Austrian border to the heel of the boot, though the scenery would appear more German than Italian to the uninitiated. South Tyrol used to be the southernmost part of Austria until early 20th Century, and everything from the wooden alpine architecture to the "danke schön" from the bus drivers all indicated just how distanced from Rome we were.



On this day we moved from Ladin-speaking Val Gardena to the German-speaking valley of Villnöss, from one of the region's most popular resorts to a sleepy hamlet better known to photographers than to casual tourists. While the two valleys are only 5 km apart on opposite sides of the same mountain, getting from Ortisei to St. Magdalena took us two bus transfers and 90 minutes through some spectacular mountain roads.



Our home base in the valley was the historical village of St. Magdalena, a loose collection of timber houses located at the farthest end of the valley before the paved road zigzagged up towards the alpine meadows. Despite the unpredictable weather we would attempt two easy hikes -- a section of the Adolf Munkel Weg at the foot of Geisler mountain, and the spectacular Panoramaweg, legendary among photographers and the main reason for our stay in Villnöss.



Upon arrival at St. Magdalena we quickly dropped off our bags at a little family-run Pension, having no time to recover from our morning hike at Seceda before setting out for our second of the day. The Panoramaweg from St. Magdalena to St. Peter was supposed to be a short 2 km stroll on a well-maintained path thought to be accomplishable within an hour, which turned out to be a gross underestimation on my part.



Near the trail head of Panoramaweg stood one of the most photographed buildings in the entire Dolomites, the famous steeple of St. Magdalena's village church as featured in numerous promotional brochures for the Villnöss valley and for South Tyrol as a whole. Small and unimposing as this gothic church might appear from up close, its claim to fame would be justified from a different perspective at the opposite hillside.



This was exactly what we came to Villnöss for: the iconic panorama that coined the name Panoramaweg, a view of St Magdalena with its 15th Century church in the warm afternoon glow, surrounded by grassy meadows in the shadow of the Dolomiti peaks of Sass Rigais and Fermeda.



Sadly it turned out to be our only chance to enjoy this spectacle as the entire valley would become shrouded in fog the next day. After spending an awestruck 20 minutes we continued onward in the direction of St. Peter, taking the Panoramaweg for part of the journey and switching to the lower Sonnseitenweg (sunset way) in the second half of the hike.



The mid section of the hike traveled through some heavy woods before the slopes opened up into subalpine pastures teeming with the locally prominent Brillenschaf sheep. What was anticipated to be a 60 minute stroll turned into 130 minutes, and it was 18:00 when we finally reached the outskirts of St. Peter.



Under a golden sunset we finished our hike at the baroque parish church of St. Peter, the valley's largest village and perhaps a more convenient base for our hikes than St. Magdalena in retrospect. I would have loved to spend more time to explore, but we had to hurry up for dinner before catching the last bus of the day at 19:50 back to St. Magdalena.

The best surprise of the day came from an outstanding local restaurant at this remote corner of the Dolomites. This wasn't ritzy Cortina d'Ampezzo or even Ortisei -- this was middle-of-nowhere in Italian or even Austrian terms where nobody would expect a restaurant of this calibre.


Pitzock
On St. Peter's main road, near the chapel of St. Michael

Prior to our trip I had heard of this restaurant being described as pretentious or expensive by other reviewers. But if you trust my tastebuds, I would venture to say that it served excellent food at fitting prices -- not cheap, but reasonable for the quality of ingredients presented.


Even after two hikes all it took to fill our stomachs were one Antipasto, one Suppe, two Primi, and of course some crispy homemade wafers which went exceptionally well with herbed cream cheese from the local Brillenschaf sheep. Even better was the soft and succulent sheep ham, so delicate and unoffensive in flavor that my wife couldn't detect any trace of the gaminess typical of lamb. The Schinkenspeck was also top notch in an Antipasto that, despite its relatively high price tag of 12.5 euros, wouldn't be considered overpriced in similar restaurants in Bolzano or Verona.



The next course became my wife's favorite soup of our entire trip, a Cappuccino of Porcini dominating with the robust, woody flavor of wild harvested Boletus and topped with a delicious Porcini foam. While the portion was arguably small for 8 euros, no mushroom fan should be able to complain about the depth of flavor in this little cup of concentrated creaminess.



My own favorite was this porcini-infused Mushroom Risotto, served with some deep-fried Chanterelle and a towering crisp of cheese that tasted somewhat of Parmigiano but was more likely locally sourced. I would have loved a grilled rack of Brillenschaf lamb, except we were running dangerously close to the departure of the last bus. For this reason alone I would have preferred to stay at St. Peter instead of the sleepier St. Magdalena, just to have a proper 3 hour dinner at Pitzock, the way the locals do.

Bill for Two Persons

Speck with Lammschinken	12.5 Euros
Steinpilzcappuccinno	8.0 Euros
Schwammerlrisotto x 2	23.0 Euros
Glass of Mueller-Thurgau	3.2 Euros
Glass of Prosecco	3.0 Euros
Bottle of Mineral Water	4.0 Euros
Coperto x 2	3.0 Euros
TOTAL	56.7 Euros (CAD$79.4)

The next morning we took our fourth and final hike of our four days in South Tyrol, taking the morning bus up to Zanser Alm at 1680 m above sea level. Our initial plan was to start out from Zanser Alm, hike to Tschantschenon Alm and take the popular Adolf Munkel Weg to Geisler Alm before hiking back down to Zanser Alm.



Except this alpine weather was so changeable that the brilliant sunshine from the previous afternoon had completely given way to heavy cloud covers amid a temperature drop of nearly 10 degrees. For safety reasons we shortened our hiking route, cutting the 9.4 km hike by a third and enjoying only a small section of Adolf Munkel Weg.



Starting from 1680 m we hiked up to the 1900 m alpine meadows of Glatschalm, a patch of grassy pasture dotted with the typical Tyrolean grey cattle and centred by a rustic mountain Rifugio. At 38 euros per person per night this would be ideal for a relaxing weekend stay, except for the 40 minute uphill hike to get there.



Taking Trail 36 to Glatschalm, we kept traveling southward towards the intersection with Adolf Munkel Weg (Trail 35) where we turned left towards Tschantschenon Alm. Upon reaching Tschantschenon Alm we would turn north again and walk downhill back to Zanser Alm.



Despite the inclement weather we did hike a portion of the dramatic Adolf Munkel Weg almost directly beneath the majestic 3100 m peak of Sass Rigais. Venturing too close to the slopes wouldn't be smart however due to frequent rockslides underneath these crumbling limestone peaks.



The cloud-covered peaks of the Geisler mountains would have been spectacular on a clear day as I have often seen from fellow travelers' photos. This was an easy hike of 6.4 km with only 270 m of elevation gain along some gentle slopes, which we finished in a little over two hours in light drizzles.



At 12:45 we arrived in time for lunch at the homey little alpine inn of Zanser Alm, a working farm with its own pastures, a cattle pen and a rabbit enclosure, conveniently located between the bus terminal and the Adolf Munkel Weg.



This secluded Gasthof would have been a perfect home base in better weather, perhaps in the warmer months of July or August, to sleep in the midst of nature for a very reasonable 30 Euros per person, or 45 for half-board. The Adolf Munkel Weg is just 20 minutes uphill, and it's even possible to hike up to Seceda or Rasciesa and take the cable car / funicular to Ortisei in the neighboring valley.



Perhaps it was the hiking in cool weather, but we worked up enough appetite to dare taking on one large soup, one pasta, one dish of Knoedels AND a Bauerntoast on top of everything. Our feast started with this wonderful Cremesoupe of autumn squash, so creamy and sweet with the flavor of organic pumpkin that we rarely taste in the cities.



Our first Primo came in the form of Penne with Wild Mushrooms and Speck. While this wasn't the Porcini that I was hoping for, I had to appreciate the availability of wild harvested mushrooms at such an out-of-the-way mountain lodge.



Next came perhaps the most famous of all Tyrolean dishes, three fist-sized, old-fashioned fried Knoedels to fill our guts after a full morning's hike. In a twist of patriotism (or political mockery?) the three Knoedels, or Canederli in Italian, came unabashedly in green, white and red -- spinach, herbs and beets.



The Italian colours on our plate came as an amusement at this German-speaking, former Austrian province at the northeastern corner of Italy, less than an hour's drive from the border. Political observations aside my favorite flavor was spinach, followed by beets, in a dish of Knoedels / Knedliky / Knedli better than anything I ever came across in Central Europe (Knoedelland, as a friend of mine would say). Seriously I had never once finished a dish of Knoedels, mainly due to their sheer mass rather than any suggestion of unpalatability, until this meal.



And the Bauerntoast you ask? We barely finished a quarter and packed up the rest back to our hotel room. That's the inconvenience of staying at the tiny village of St. Magdalena -- only one walk-in restaurant remained open in the off-season, and the excellent Pitzock at the neighboring town of St. Peter was closed on Sundays. This filling rye bread with layers of delectable Tyrolean Speck and Cheese would become our dinner for the night.

Bill for Two Persons

Cremesuppe with Squash	5.5 Euros
Penne with Wild Mushrooms, Speck and Tomatoes	8.0 Euros
Canederli Tricolore	8.0 Euros
Bauerntoast with Speck and Cheese	9.5 Euros
Weissbier x 2	9.0 Euros
TOTAL	40.0 Euros (CAD$56.0)

On the way back we got off the bus one stop early to visit St. Magdalena's other famous landmark, the private church of Johanneskapelle with its Baroque spire and 17th Century frescoes. We made an attempt, 7 months in advance, to book a two-night stay at the historic Ranuihof which owns this chapel, but never received a reply and settled for a small Pension closer to the village centre.



But we certainly couldn't complain about the warm hospitality from Haus Florian, a 4-room operation run by the friendly Heinrich and his family, despite my terrible spoken Italian and even worse German. For two nights we enjoyed a comfy room with a balcony facing the quiet side of the house, and notably Satellite TV with more Austrian and Bavarian TV channels than Italian ones.



The convenience of a 3 minute walk from the bus stop was indispensable, and needless to say one could always count on ginormous Austrian-style breakfasts to be served in subalpine South Tyrol. However as I pointed out, St. Magdalena wasn't an ideal base in retrospect due to the lack of a supermarket at the village centre, and that the only walk-in restaurant (Edelweiss) apparently stops serving food around 19:30, based on our experience of walking in one night looking for dessert.



That said, we did thoroughly enjoy our time in the serene valley of Villnöss, worlds away from our 9-to-5 job in the city. Passing by St. Magdalena's fire station I came across the most beautiful vintage fire engine, in pristine condition and probably still ready for action if called upon. Is that a Mack? Please leave me a comment if anyone knows the history of this vehicle.



This concludes our four easy hikes in four days in the Dolomites, certainly one of my favorites among the outspread and distinct regions of Italy. The next morning we would begin another segment of our 23-day journey with a 3.5 hour train trip from German-speaking Brixen to the Italian heartland of Emilia-Romagna, spending the next 3 nights in historic Bologna.

Easy Hikes in the Dolomites - Part 2: Seceda to Pieralongia

My wife's most memorable hike in the Italian Dolomites, and probably anywhere in the world, was a relaxing stroll across Alpine pastures of 2400 m in the company of woolly donkeys and dairy cows.



This was Day 2 in the Dolomites when we tackled two spectacular and yet easy hikes in one day, beginning in the morning with this mostly-flat trail underneath the magnificent vertical cliffs of Fermeda, and shifting in the afternoon to the postcard-worthy Panoramaweg of St. Magdalena.



Compared with the more strenuous hike on Day 1, this was a relative breeze assisted by easy access to the trail head by cable car, minimal elevation gain (~150m), two Rifugi along the route for light lunches and refreshments, and a short roundtrip of about 90 minutes if one doesn't stop for the breathtaking views along the route.



But don't prejudge a trail by its effortlessness -- the plateau of Seceda is widely considered one of the most photogenic locations in the Dolomites, which puts it among the best of the entire Alps. In fact the landscape was just as dramatic as our previous hike from Selva to Passo Cir and Passo Gardena, except that this trail was much less demanding in terms of time and effort.



To me that is the allure of the majestic Dolomites, combining some of the most stunning mountain scenery in the world with such unbeatable accessibility that even smaller children and senior hikers can enjoy with ease. And did I mention the optional interaction with herds of farm animals on these endless alpine pastures?



Our home base for these hikes was lovely Ortisei, one of a series of villages in the Ladin speaking enclave of Val Gardena, small enough to retain its ethnic minority charm and yet large enough to offer the conveniences of well-stocked supermarkets and frequent public transport.



This was the view from our balcony at Garni Dr. Senoner, a contemporary style, family-run hotel located within a 3-minute walk from the village square. Curiously hotels in South Tyrol are not required to install bidets, which seemed standard everywhere else we traveled in Italy.



A ginormous Tyrolean breakfast kick-started our morning pre-hike routine with offerings of Schinkenspeck and Salame, local cheeses and alpine milk, an assortment of cakes and our favorite -- the most scrumptious Cornetti fresh from the oven.



In Ortisei we were spoiled with the availability of three cable cars/funicular, one leading to the largest alpine grassland in Europe at the famous Alpe di Siusi, one to Rasciesa for sweeping views of both Val Gardena and Val di Funes, and the one we decided on -- the Ortisei-Furnes-Seceda series of cable cars whisking us up to an altitude of 2400 m for our hike.



When we booked two nights in Ortisei the original plan was to spend one full day at Seceda/Col Raiser and a half day on Alpe di Siusi, but the entire Val Gardena is so blessed with an abundance of excellent hiking opportunities that we ended up replacing Alpe di Siusi with an amazing guided hike to Passo Cir. Ideally we should have stayed a couple more days at Ortisei, but that would have to be left for a future trip.



A gorgeous view of Torri di Fermeda awaited the moment we stepped off the cable car, a testament to the accessibility to awe-inspiring mountain scenery that has made the Dolomites legendary among hikers and casual tourists alike. The clear and relatively flat Trail 1 led in the direction of the razor-sharp peaks, and that was the route we would take.



To the southwest loomed the misty peaks of the Sassolungo, symbol of Val Gardena and its string of Ladin speaking communities. On this clear day hikers came in a wide range of nationalities and age groups, some with babies in tow or on backpack carriers.



From Trail 1 we would take a short detour on Trail 6 towards the cliff edge of Forcella Pana. The fog had cleared and the pinnacles of Fermeda, as well as the mighty 3000 m summit of Sass Rigais were all in clear view behind daredevil paragliders.



Under these brilliant blue skies the southeasterly vista stretched across Val Gardena, past the town of Santa Cristina towards the border of Veneto. The rocky summits of Cir, the destination of yesterday's hike, hid beyond the mountain ranges on the left side.



The expansive southern slope of Seceda / Fermeda can't be more perfect for easy day hikes: a plethora of well-maintained trails, cable car access from either Ortisei or Santa Cristina, and numerous rest stops in the form of rustic alpine rifugi.



Aside from serving up hearty Tyrolean staples to sooth the hikers' hungry stomachs, many of the rifugi also offer half-board overnight stays for serious trekkers on multi-day journeys on the plateau. I would have loved a couple nights in the high mountains but couldn't quite reconcile the practical constraints on this trip.



A quick 30 minute walk led to the cliff edge at the precipitous mountain pass of Forcella Pana, where one could take in the much of the historical Tyrolean landscape beyond Brixen all the way into North Tyrol in modern day Austria.



At Forcella Pana Trail 6 split into two branches, an impossibly treacherous northern spur scrambling down the near vertical cliffs to the shaded side of the Fermeda peaks, and a much gentler southern spur which we took to rejoin the main hiker thoroughfare of Trail 1.



Amid the steep grassy slopes small herds of dairy cows roamed with the dexterity and sure-footedness I previously thought impossible for such large and seemingly clumsy bovines. We often bought Tyrolean dairy products in supermarkets everywhere we traveled in Italy, and on this day we would run into the source of the legendary Südtiroler Alpenmilch.



From Trail 1 we took a quick detour to Rifugio Troier for a quick toilet break. A few minutes' walk to the south would lead to the seasonal lagoon of Lech da Iman, and further downhill the cable car of Col Raiser would connect to the neighboring town of Santa Cristina.



Wherever we hiked we were never far from a wayside crucifix, historically erected as part of the peasants' age-old religious rites to protect the rifugi and travelers from avalanche and other unforeseeable calamities in this hostile alpine environment.



The newly renovated and airy Rifugio Troier would have been the perfect lunch spot if we didn't pack a picnic already in my backpack. Next to the Rifugio was a small livestock pen that would have been an integral feature of a working farm in the old days, but has now been relegated to a petting zoo.



After a short break we hiked back up to the intersection with Trail 2B and continued east towards Pieralongia. This was exactly one week before the annual ritual of Almabtrieb when these cattle would be herded from their summer mountain pastures to their wintering stables in Santa Cristina in the valley.



Amid the serenading by cowbells we had our first glimpse of Pieralongia's twin rock spires, peeking over the ridge like rabbit ears in front of the barren moonscape of Puez mountain. This was less than an hour from the cable car station, on a true beginner's hike compared with yesterday's steep and snow-covered ascent up Passo Cir.



Fellow hikers were already having some light lunches as we arrived around 11:15 at the old and weathered Rifugio Pieralongia, a tiny mountain hut that offered no overnight lodging, only simple meals of Schinkenspeck, yogurt and homemade sweets.



Another weathered crucifix stood in the shadow of Rifugio Pieralongia. Historical isolation from the rest of the world and inhospitable climates had made Tyroleans staunch in the face of natural adversities and at the same time deeply faithful to their religious roots.



At the end of 2.8 km we stood before famous twin spires of Pieralongia, one of the most recognizable landmarks along Val Gardena's countless hiking trails. Our original plan was to spend one full day enjoying the hike from Seceda to Pieralongia to Col Raiser, but as we shortened our hike to a half day this would be our furthest point of travel.



Here came the surprise of the day. Dozing off underneath the rocks was a small herd of friendly donkeys, exceptionally tame and grown heavy with fur in this alpine climate. As laughable as these creatures might appear, they served on these rolling mountain trails as crucial caravans, the preferred means of transport for food and supplies from the nearest cable cars to the Rifugi huts here in the Alps.



My wife's favorite moment started with her massaging this little black donkey on the forehead ...



... and soon every visitor adopted a donkey for petting in a wildly comical scene. My wife's favorite donkey even returned to her later, prodding her for another massage. It was an enjoyable day both for the hikers and the residents.



Meanwhile the mighty Pieralongia was being conquered on this day by a father leading his young son to stand at the apex of the rock. As intimidating as the near-vertical climb may seem, the easiest route is rated only Level II on the UIAA scale.



It was almost noon when we took the winding path back towards the Seceda cable car. We could have taken the Col Raiser cable car to Santa Cristina instead, but we had to return to Ortisei and pick up our luggage in time for a 14:30 bus to Klausen Station.



But first we had to take a minor detour to sidestep the same dairy cows that we met earlier, which were now blocking our path to the gate for Trail 1. I wouldn't want to pass between two 600 kg behemoths.



On the trail back we enjoyed this fantastic view of Steviola and the massive Sella in the far horizon. In another three months these slopes would become glistening white and the crisscrossing chairlifts would be loaded with skiers from the alpine resorts along Val Gardena.



This 90 minute trail took us nearly 3 hours in the course of various delightful distractions, returning us to Seceda station at 12:45. Here we had our picnic lunch at the top of Seceda, complementing our view of the Sassolungo with some Sterzinger Alpenmilch yogurt and Speck sandwiches that we purchased at the local SPAR supermarket that morning, before taking the cable car back to our hotel at Ortisei.



This was our last hike in Ladin territory before we moved north into the German-speaking realm in the rest of South Tyrol. In two hours we would check into our next hiking base in the neighboring valley of Val di Funes / Villnöss, where a late afternoon hike awaited.