Walks in Selva Val Gardena, Italian Dolomites

The Dolomites of northeastern Italy are, as their name suggests, mountains of dolomitic limestone, which form an outlier of the Alps. Hidden between their jagged peaks, the Val Gardena is a long, east-west valley with the resorts of Ortisei, San Cristina and, finally, Selva at its upper end. Selva is surrounded by meadows and then, as the valley walls steepen, by spruce and larch forest, above which rise the grey cliffs of the surrounding mountains. The eastern end of the valley is blocked off by the massive, statueless plinth (to paraphrase Reginald Farrer) of the Sella Group, a row of twelve 2900m peaks, but more spectacular still, to the southeast, is 3181m Saslonch, an eruption of cliffs, pinnacles, teeth and towers, cleft, as if cut by an axe, by the Dantersasc valley. As dusk approaches, the setting sun turns the western faces of the high peaks to orange then pink then finally a deep purple-red - this phenomenon is known as enrosadira. It is said that the location of King Laurin's hidden mountain kingdom of the dwarves was given away by his rose garden: cursing the flowers, he forbade them ever to flower by day or by night, but forgot to include dusk.

The book contains 17 routes based on walking from, or catching buses from, the popular Val Gardena resort of Selva - though the routes are also practical from nearby San Cristina and Ortisei.

Selva, at an altitude of 1475-1600m, at the broad top end of the valley, is a hugely popular tourist destination, particularly for winter skiing. It hosts the FIS Ski World Cup, but its position also makes it an ideal centre for summer walking in the hills, mountains, valleys, woodland and meadows around.

San Cristina. Set at an altitude of 1390-1450m, San Cristina has two centres, the lower centred around the main church, Raiffeisen bank and tourist office, the upper at Dosses by the large Maciaconi supermarket and at the foot of the Col Raiser road. Just above and behind the village is the Planetary Way (see following). A major by-pass road through two tunnels to the south of San Cristina has been under construction for several years.

Ortisei, at an altitude of 1150-1320m, is the largest of the three urban areas, and has much more of a small town feel, with its old houses, squares and churches, set at the junction of the Gardena and Anna rivers.

The walk routes vary, from straightforward walks through the valley, to energetic, high-altitude hikes. Routes are described as part-day or full day walks, although there are plenty of refuges if you wanted to overnight in the countryside.

5 walks are based on walking from Selva, plus 1 using a cabin-lift from there.
2 walks are based on walking from San Cristina, plus 5 using chair/cabin-lifts from there.
3 walks are based on using a cabin-lift from Ortisei.
1 walk is based on using the bus from Selva/San Cristina/Ortisei to Lake Fedaia (via Canazei) and/or Pordoi Pass.

Of the walks, 8 are in the 1.5-3 hours' walking range, 5 take around 3-4 hrs, 2 take around 4-5 hrs and 2 take around 5-6 hrs - assuming you are a reasonably good walker.

8 walks are between 4-8km, 6 walks are between 9-15km, 3 walks are between 18-22km.
(8 walks are between 2.5-5 miles, 6 walks are between 5.5-10 miles, 3 walks are between 11-14 miles.)

There are large-scale maps within the text, showing Selva, San Cristina and Ortisei.

The 44-page book is A5 size, with a card cover. The book is supplied in a tough A5 plastic sleeve.

Book first published 2010; slightly updated 2012.

ISBN 978-1-905333-11-0

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