Still a bit anxious that we had booked ourselves into a place that necessitated a car, we hunkered down last night and did enough research to formulate a game plan for maximizing our stay here. Before you smirk at our travel amateurism, let me say that I've never researched something more in my life, and the resources online were less than helpful for planning this leg of the trip. Much faith was placed in only a handful of reviews and the pictures of the scenery. Waking up a bit late this morning, we planned to be out the door by 10:30am. Our plan was to walk through the famous canyon of Sottoguda, a destination for ice climbers all over the world, and then take a gondola from Malga Ciapela to the top of the Marmolada Glacier, the tallest point in the Dolomites. And this is exactly what we did.
We subsisted on snacks we had, some food stocked for us by our host, and some fresh bread she handed to us on the way out, and we marched up the road toward the canyon. The village of Sottoguda is small and adorably quaint, very much what I was expecting. The surrounding mountain scenery is breathtaking in and of itself, but today was a very drawn out crescendo, and this village walk was just pianissimo.
Our host gave us cards for free entrance to the canyon, and as we continued to walk and the walls grew steeper, we became increasingly excited for this remote retreat we had picked for ourselves. It was here that we were also introduced to the first reminder that this region marked the Italian-Austrian front of World War 1, as we passed numerous informative signs and memorials on the side of the road. The stream rushed alongside the road, the chilly canyon air felt crisp, and it's lush walls loomed impressively overhead. It was the perfect start to a perfect day.
We rounded a corner some 30 minutes of picture-taking, ambling, and jogging later, and there stood Marmolada, the imposing face standing out clearly against the clear blue sky. Before long we were at the Malga Ciapela gondola, shelling out 44 euros for our lift tickets--44 euros well spent. The gondola ride was thrilling, and the excitement continued to build as we approached the first stop, where we would transfer to the second stop, Punta Serauta. There we got off and wandered around the entrance to get our bearings. We passed the gift shop and the inviting cafe, with jaw-dropping panoramic views, and headed downstairs to the museum built to commemorate the World War 1 theater that took place here, marking the Italian-Austrian front. The museum was incredibly powerful, very informative, and boasted panoramas out the window that brought the old pictures and footage to life--as we could even see the Austrian Alps out the windows. After the museum visit, I felt that our excursion took on greater meaning for me, as I couldn't help but picture the war efforts that took place in what I imagine winter would transform into a very inhospitable place.
Outside, we took a few photos before hopping on the last leg of our gondola journey to the Punta Rocca terrace, with 360 degree views of the Swiss and Austrian Alps and the neighboring mountain zones of Italy and the Dolomites. It was spectacular, and I'll let photos speak for themselves. We spent a considerable amount of time up there, and I dared to walk out a very short crampon-less distance on to the glacier itself for some photos before we got too cold and headed back to Serauta.
There, we decided to head down on foot a short ways to a nearby masses of mountain overlooking the valleys below. It was here where the relics and shadow of war still lingered, as the tunnels, caves, and cables that wound their way seemingly endlessly through the mountain once held over 600 men during the war. The labyrinths and watch towers were incredibly exciting to navigate and scramble--a feat that felt much more daring (read: sketchy) than anything ok the John Muir Trail. One cave extended so far, it got too dark and icy to continue to its end. Gorgeous icicles hung from the caverns, and small strategic windows poked through to form lookouts gazing upon the surrounding mountains and passes. The entire journey was exhilaratingly, offering breathtaking views over the steep ravines and mountain faces, and a very raw sense of the history that took place here. My only regret on the day was that we didn't get an earlier start to allow us time to reach the end of the maze of tunnels and cables. But we made the absolute most of the large section was did get to explore before heading back for the last gondola of the day back home.
After a quick stop in the gift shop (yes, I got a keychain for the collection), we took the gondola down to Malga Ciapela, noticing the darkened sky and encroaching clouds. The friendly woman at the gift shop said we were fortunate to have such a beautifully clear day on the mountain. A peaceful walk back through the canyon and the village, and we were home, ready for dinner.
Per our host's recommendation, we headed back up the road a few minutes to the Hotel Montanara. We got there at 6 but dinner didn't start until 7, so we ate a delicious gelato instead, not as good as yesterday's but still hitting the spot. For dinner, we enjoyed a vegetable soup, some spinach ravioli for Maddie, and some wild deer, polenta and mushrooms for me. It was very good. I would say I will continue to crave my delicious Venetian pizza slightly more...but it was good mountain fare. You'd think not a soul lived in the village by how quiet it was, but it made for a romantic, peaceful walk back home, where I set about posting up next to the bathroom, one of the only places with reliable enough wifi to post my snapchat stories.
After a little research into tomorrow's itinerary, we are now ready for bed and could not be happier! Tomorrow: lounging by the lake at Alleghe!
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