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.
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