RollingRock
Active member
Short Version: After putting in over 8 hours of editing, our documentary of our 114 mile trek on the Alta Via 2 trek in the Italian Dolomites is finished! The montage is pretty incredible and can I say “WOW”! While pictures don’t do the trip justice, they do manage to convey the majesty of the Alta Via 2.
>>Click Here To View Slide Show
Long Version:
Jon, Tom, Mark and I spent the first two weeks in September 2013 hiking the Alta Via 2 in the Italian Dolomites. Our ten day trek that would take us through some of the most stunning scenery the Dolomites has to offer, including the Plose, Puez-Odle, Sella, Pale di San Martino and Alpi Feltrine mountain groups.
Alta Via 2 is a 114-mile long Italian mountain trail that crosses the Dolomites. The trail is almost entirely in the alpine zone, between 5,900 ft. and 9,800 ft. most of the time, with about 30,000 feet ascent [and descent in total. Our backpacks weighed about 23 pounds. It travels from the primarily German speaking north to the Venetian plains where Italian is predominantly spoken.
The first part of the trip is primarily on rock and views of distant mountain ranges, and I would describe the mountains here as stunning, unlike anything we’ve seen. It also had the most trekkers and day trippers. The second half of the trip has spectacular meadows and on trails that seemed like they were carved in the side of the mountain. Moreover, the 2nd half of the trip has far fewer trekkers and day trippers.
The Dolomites were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI. So as we began, we had lots of German food and as we trekked further south it transitioned to Italian. German food included Knödel [bread dumplings in different sauces], Goulash [shredded beef in a brown sauce], Wiener Schnitzel [pounded veal in bread crumbs]...we even had charbroiled Swine oxen at Rheingold Messner's family farm/restaurant! Italian food included Polenta, Spiz [pan fried cheese with cream], Pasta, Spaghetti, Carpaccio [rare meat sliced] that could be served as a appetizer or with another dish, and Canderdelli [bread dumplings in a broth]. The food was delicious and we found the wine at the Refugio's were inexpensive compared to ordering it in a village.
The towns at the start had both German and Italian names. German seemed to the predominant language at the start and then transitioned to Italian further south...I would say around Malga Ciapela. There also is a language called Ladin that is still spoken although we did not run into anyone who spoke it. That said, our Via Ferrate guide told us he could speak it and the region Ladin begins on the trek is at Passo Gardena and ends at Passo Pordoi. He indicated that in order for this region to keep its culture/language the kids spend a half day in school speaking in Ladin and the other half in Italian. Some of the people working in the Refugio’s spoke both Italian and German so sometimes we had to find a translator or use sign language to get our thoughts across...Refugio Boe and Refugio Boz come to mind. At Refugio Boz they asked me if I spoke French and since I did, we were good to go! Tom spoke fluent German so he was very helpful. I bought an small Italian phrasebook but really did not need it. We really tried to use common greetings and phrases with everyone so they would at least feel we were at least attempting to communicate in their own language. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. Most of the trekkers we met were either from Austria, Germany and Italy; from the U.S. we only met one couple who came from California.
We spent our nights in the mountain huts, called “Refugio’s” in Italian. They all offered lodging, hot meals, wine/beer and showers; most offered private rooms as well as the traditional bunk rooms arrangements. We always chose the half pension and usually there were about 3 choices for dinner. Breakfast was always simple with a variety of bread rolls with butter, jam, nutella and hot coffee. This is luxurious compared to the Appalachian Mountain Huts and much less expensive; an average of $60 per night for lodging, dinner and breakfast!There were a couple that did not have drinkable water so we had to purchase bottled water that they had for sale. We relied on Refugio’s for lunch except for our last three days where the trail was much wilder and remote. Each Refugio had its own unique stamp. For each Refugio we visited, we stamped our books with the intention of turning them at the end in Feltre to collect our AV2 pin.
The Refugio’s that we stayed in beside the road were really inns so they offered private rooms, private showers and much better breakfast/dinner choices. I would say our favorite roadside at Hotel Tyrolia at Malga Ciapela. It was the same price of mountain Refugio that included a private room/showers with a balcony view, swimming pool, and the best breakfast/dinner we had from a ‘roadside’ Refugio. The ‘mountain’ Refugio’s were all very good; each with its own character. Our favorite has to be the last, Refugio Boz. It was an old stone farmhouse with a wood stove that was managed by Daniel and his wife. Since there were only 4 trekkers spending the night [including Jon and myself], we received personal service. The food for dinner was all from local farms and it was outstanding!
Using a guidebook, a series of maps I ordered and research off the Internet, I had a good working knowledge of the trek such as trails, Refugio's, and access points. The maps were particularly helpful with understanding the route described in the guidebook. As we did our trek, I obtained a better working knowledge each day. I reserved a guide to meet us at Passo Gardena and take up us to climb the Via Ferrate Tridentina. I emailed all the huts ahead of time and was able to secure reservations without making a down payment; there was only one hut [Puez] I was not able to reserve and of course, it was full when we got there. We went from one hut to the next for ten days and did not have much flexibility if we were to encounter bad weather. It would have been a hassle to contact all the other Rifugios to change our reservations if we had to hold back due to bad weather.
The trek basically went up into the mountains from a valley/road/pass. We went down to a valley/road almost every day. There were a lot of skiing areas in the first half that had either a gondola or cable car operating. Accordingly three times we used either a gondola or cable car to help us with some of the ascents and descents. It did feel like cheating to use them as some other Alta Via 2 trekkers we met refused to use them; however we certainly were not the only ones using them! We were able to cover more miles and saved time.
The guidebook and signs listed times versus kilometers. We found that we rarely made the book/sign time. We did take a lot breaks to take pictures and enjoyed long lunches at the Refugio’s. I would add 15 minutes for every hour.
Some helpful pointers and information in the Cicerone Guide that needs to be updated:
- At the Venice airport, ignore the ticket machines next to the luggage carousels. Pick up your luggage and go out the doors to reach the public transportation ticket counter. Get a ticket for the bus that goes to Mestre Train Station.
- At the train station, get the train to Bressanone/Brixen [the final destination for the train is Brenner]. Ask the ticket attendant which platform the train will appear and check the display monitors periodically in case it will appear in a different platform. The train ended up appearing in a different platform for us and since we don't understand Italian, we ended up missing it and having to wait for about 90 minute for the next trail.
- There is no longer any bus service from Lago di Fedeia and Passo Fedeia to Malga Ciapela. Malga Ciapela no longer has an ATM machine.
- The only ATM machine on the entire AV2 is at Passo San Pellegrino.
- The rifugios in the first half only took cash so carry plenty with you.
- The rifugios from the start to Rifugio Rosetta were quite full; many were sold out. Highly recommend you make reservations ahead of time. After that, the rifugios seem to have ample lodging without needing reservations.
- Jon and I typically don’t use trekking poles but we found having at least one was extremely helpful if not essential due to the amount of rock rubble and scree on the ups and downs!
- I highly recommend purchasing the maps [see below]. The guidebook does a decent job for route finding but since we had to follow route numbers on many occasions versus an Alta Via 2 blaze the maps assured us we were making the correct turns!
- I would recommend staying at Park Hotel Feltre at the finish in Feltre. The owner will pick you [and any other trekkers who need a lift] up at Croce d’Aune for 15 Euros and drive you to the Hotel. Believe me, once you finish, the last thing you want to do is make the long hike to Feltre! We set a pre-arranged time with the owner to pick us up which he forgot so make sure you have his phone number to make a call. The Hotel is in the center of town, next to the train station, clean, and provides a good breakfast in the morning: www.parkhotelfeltre.it
>>Click Here To View Slide Show
The trip Log will be in the subsequent post.
>>Click Here To View Slide Show
Long Version:
Jon, Tom, Mark and I spent the first two weeks in September 2013 hiking the Alta Via 2 in the Italian Dolomites. Our ten day trek that would take us through some of the most stunning scenery the Dolomites has to offer, including the Plose, Puez-Odle, Sella, Pale di San Martino and Alpi Feltrine mountain groups.
Alta Via 2 is a 114-mile long Italian mountain trail that crosses the Dolomites. The trail is almost entirely in the alpine zone, between 5,900 ft. and 9,800 ft. most of the time, with about 30,000 feet ascent [and descent in total. Our backpacks weighed about 23 pounds. It travels from the primarily German speaking north to the Venetian plains where Italian is predominantly spoken.
The first part of the trip is primarily on rock and views of distant mountain ranges, and I would describe the mountains here as stunning, unlike anything we’ve seen. It also had the most trekkers and day trippers. The second half of the trip has spectacular meadows and on trails that seemed like they were carved in the side of the mountain. Moreover, the 2nd half of the trip has far fewer trekkers and day trippers.
The Dolomites were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire before WWI. So as we began, we had lots of German food and as we trekked further south it transitioned to Italian. German food included Knödel [bread dumplings in different sauces], Goulash [shredded beef in a brown sauce], Wiener Schnitzel [pounded veal in bread crumbs]...we even had charbroiled Swine oxen at Rheingold Messner's family farm/restaurant! Italian food included Polenta, Spiz [pan fried cheese with cream], Pasta, Spaghetti, Carpaccio [rare meat sliced] that could be served as a appetizer or with another dish, and Canderdelli [bread dumplings in a broth]. The food was delicious and we found the wine at the Refugio's were inexpensive compared to ordering it in a village.
The towns at the start had both German and Italian names. German seemed to the predominant language at the start and then transitioned to Italian further south...I would say around Malga Ciapela. There also is a language called Ladin that is still spoken although we did not run into anyone who spoke it. That said, our Via Ferrate guide told us he could speak it and the region Ladin begins on the trek is at Passo Gardena and ends at Passo Pordoi. He indicated that in order for this region to keep its culture/language the kids spend a half day in school speaking in Ladin and the other half in Italian. Some of the people working in the Refugio’s spoke both Italian and German so sometimes we had to find a translator or use sign language to get our thoughts across...Refugio Boe and Refugio Boz come to mind. At Refugio Boz they asked me if I spoke French and since I did, we were good to go! Tom spoke fluent German so he was very helpful. I bought an small Italian phrasebook but really did not need it. We really tried to use common greetings and phrases with everyone so they would at least feel we were at least attempting to communicate in their own language. Everyone we met was very friendly and helpful. Most of the trekkers we met were either from Austria, Germany and Italy; from the U.S. we only met one couple who came from California.
We spent our nights in the mountain huts, called “Refugio’s” in Italian. They all offered lodging, hot meals, wine/beer and showers; most offered private rooms as well as the traditional bunk rooms arrangements. We always chose the half pension and usually there were about 3 choices for dinner. Breakfast was always simple with a variety of bread rolls with butter, jam, nutella and hot coffee. This is luxurious compared to the Appalachian Mountain Huts and much less expensive; an average of $60 per night for lodging, dinner and breakfast!There were a couple that did not have drinkable water so we had to purchase bottled water that they had for sale. We relied on Refugio’s for lunch except for our last three days where the trail was much wilder and remote. Each Refugio had its own unique stamp. For each Refugio we visited, we stamped our books with the intention of turning them at the end in Feltre to collect our AV2 pin.
The Refugio’s that we stayed in beside the road were really inns so they offered private rooms, private showers and much better breakfast/dinner choices. I would say our favorite roadside at Hotel Tyrolia at Malga Ciapela. It was the same price of mountain Refugio that included a private room/showers with a balcony view, swimming pool, and the best breakfast/dinner we had from a ‘roadside’ Refugio. The ‘mountain’ Refugio’s were all very good; each with its own character. Our favorite has to be the last, Refugio Boz. It was an old stone farmhouse with a wood stove that was managed by Daniel and his wife. Since there were only 4 trekkers spending the night [including Jon and myself], we received personal service. The food for dinner was all from local farms and it was outstanding!
Using a guidebook, a series of maps I ordered and research off the Internet, I had a good working knowledge of the trek such as trails, Refugio's, and access points. The maps were particularly helpful with understanding the route described in the guidebook. As we did our trek, I obtained a better working knowledge each day. I reserved a guide to meet us at Passo Gardena and take up us to climb the Via Ferrate Tridentina. I emailed all the huts ahead of time and was able to secure reservations without making a down payment; there was only one hut [Puez] I was not able to reserve and of course, it was full when we got there. We went from one hut to the next for ten days and did not have much flexibility if we were to encounter bad weather. It would have been a hassle to contact all the other Rifugios to change our reservations if we had to hold back due to bad weather.
The trek basically went up into the mountains from a valley/road/pass. We went down to a valley/road almost every day. There were a lot of skiing areas in the first half that had either a gondola or cable car operating. Accordingly three times we used either a gondola or cable car to help us with some of the ascents and descents. It did feel like cheating to use them as some other Alta Via 2 trekkers we met refused to use them; however we certainly were not the only ones using them! We were able to cover more miles and saved time.
The guidebook and signs listed times versus kilometers. We found that we rarely made the book/sign time. We did take a lot breaks to take pictures and enjoyed long lunches at the Refugio’s. I would add 15 minutes for every hour.
Some helpful pointers and information in the Cicerone Guide that needs to be updated:
- At the Venice airport, ignore the ticket machines next to the luggage carousels. Pick up your luggage and go out the doors to reach the public transportation ticket counter. Get a ticket for the bus that goes to Mestre Train Station.
- At the train station, get the train to Bressanone/Brixen [the final destination for the train is Brenner]. Ask the ticket attendant which platform the train will appear and check the display monitors periodically in case it will appear in a different platform. The train ended up appearing in a different platform for us and since we don't understand Italian, we ended up missing it and having to wait for about 90 minute for the next trail.
- There is no longer any bus service from Lago di Fedeia and Passo Fedeia to Malga Ciapela. Malga Ciapela no longer has an ATM machine.
- The only ATM machine on the entire AV2 is at Passo San Pellegrino.
- The rifugios in the first half only took cash so carry plenty with you.
- The rifugios from the start to Rifugio Rosetta were quite full; many were sold out. Highly recommend you make reservations ahead of time. After that, the rifugios seem to have ample lodging without needing reservations.
- Jon and I typically don’t use trekking poles but we found having at least one was extremely helpful if not essential due to the amount of rock rubble and scree on the ups and downs!
- I highly recommend purchasing the maps [see below]. The guidebook does a decent job for route finding but since we had to follow route numbers on many occasions versus an Alta Via 2 blaze the maps assured us we were making the correct turns!
- I would recommend staying at Park Hotel Feltre at the finish in Feltre. The owner will pick you [and any other trekkers who need a lift] up at Croce d’Aune for 15 Euros and drive you to the Hotel. Believe me, once you finish, the last thing you want to do is make the long hike to Feltre! We set a pre-arranged time with the owner to pick us up which he forgot so make sure you have his phone number to make a call. The Hotel is in the center of town, next to the train station, clean, and provides a good breakfast in the morning: www.parkhotelfeltre.it
>>Click Here To View Slide Show
The trip Log will be in the subsequent post.
Last edited:
