Unterwegs. Aufgefallen.

South Tyrol

South Tyrol: Four autumn days in the Dolomites

On our first afternoon the Postweg above Lajen gives us a glimpse of the mountains we’ll be exploring. We climb Seceda, keep stopping for the light on the Seiser Alm and come home with two churches from the Villnöss valley. In photographs, at least.

A walker on a meadow path heading towards a red-leaved tree.
On our first afternoon we follow the Postweg from Lajen towards St. Peter.
A brown cow grazing below the snow-dusted Sella massif and the steep face of Langkofel.
Cattle are still grazing along the Postweg. Beyond them rise the Sella massif and Langkofel.
Dark timber beams frame a patch of snowy mountain scenery.
A glimpse of the snow on the Sella massif through the timbers.
Yellow and red treetops below wooded slopes and the cliffs of Sella and Langkofel.
By late October there’s snow on the summits, while the slopes of Val Gardena are still in their autumn colours.
A white church among autumn trees with Langkofel in the distance.
We turn back just short of St. Peter. From the path we can see the church with Langkofel behind it.
A brown and white cow beside a tree, facing the camera.
A roadside encounter on the walk back to Lajen.
Red hotel façade with ornate white trim and balconies overlooking a paved street.
Next morning in Ortisei, on the way to the Seceda cable car. Parts of town are decidedly smart.
A walker steadies herself with one hand on a steep dirt track alongside netting.
The cable car has stopped at Furnes. We continue on foot, first through woodland and then up a ski run.
Successive blue ridges beyond a valley, with snow on the most distant range.
As we climb, the view opens up westwards across the valley to the snowy ranges on the horizon.
Milky coffee in a glass on a metal tray with mountains out of focus behind.
Three hours and 900 metres of climbing later. Coffee first.
A pale crucifix stands out against a deep blue sky.
On Seceda we look straight up for a change.
A narrow grassy ridge leads towards the jagged Geisler peaks above a sheer drop.
On the ridge we recognise the view of the Geisler peaks from photographs. The path skirts the edge. That 360-degree panorama will stay with us.
Snow lies on the broad ledges of pale cliffs above wooded autumn slopes.
Turn away from the Geisler peaks and there’s the Sella massif on the other side.
The seated figure on the Luis Trenker monument in Ortisei rests its head on one hand against yellow autumn leaves.
Back in Ortisei. This monument commemorates Luis Trenker, born here and later known as a mountaineer, actor and film director.
A white cloud drifts over a sunlit rocky summit.
Late afternoon. One last look at Langkofel.
A path and bench in the shade of golden larches with a cliff in the distance.
From Seis we take the gondola up to Compatsch. Our walk across the Seiser Alm begins among the larches.
Rolling meadows and strips of woodland stretch towards a long mountain range.
Meadows and small patches of forest spread across the plateau. For part of our loop we follow the Hans-und-Paula-Steger-Weg.
Pieces of golden pancake dusted with icing sugar, with a small cup and bowl behind.
Kaiserschmarrn, the local torn pancake, at the Tirler on the Seiser Alm.
A golden larch beside a dark timber hut on a green meadow.
The return path crosses open meadows dotted with larches and mountain huts.
Golden and dark green trees on a slope beneath grey clouds.
The light keeps changing as we cross the plateau. For a while the sky gives little hint of what’s to come.
Golden meadows below a line of trees and high rock faces.
Then a gap opens in the clouds and we stop walking. There’s too much to look at.
An orange patch of sunlight on a jagged rock face above dark slopes.
The Geisler peaks from the Seiser Alm. Through a telephoto lens it almost feels as though we’re back on Seceda.
Langkofel and Plattkofel above golden meadows and autumn larches.
Langkofel and Plattkofel have been with us all the way round. Now they catch the low autumn sun.
A group of yellow larches stands out against a darker forested slope.
A stand of larches at the edge of the forest, their yellow needles lit from behind.
Two light-maned horses grazing in a sunlit mountain pasture.
Just before Compatsch we pass horses grazing beside the path.
Jagged dark pinnacles and snow-filled gullies beneath a bank of cloud.
Across the plateau the shaded gullies between the pinnacles are already full of snow.
A sunlit rock pinnacle and tiered cliffs above a dark hillside.
As our walk comes to an end the hillside is in shade. Above it, Sella and Langkofel still catch the evening light.
A grey cow wearing a bell lies on green grass.
On the day we leave we drive into the Villnöss valley. Our first encounter is a grey cow in a meadow.
The church and houses of St. Magdalena among green slopes below the Geisler peaks.
Standing above St. Magdalena, we can see why people come from so far away for this hillside.
Slanting sunbeams reach across the meadows of St. Magdalena below the peaks.
A little later shafts of sunlight fall across the meadows of St. Magdalena.
The small white church of St. Johann in Ranui in a green meadow below forest and mountains.
St. Johann in Ranui. The forest begins just behind the little church. Beyond it rise the Geisler peaks.