AMONG THE DOLOMITES, WITH NOTES UPON SOME TOURS AND ASCENTS
To many who visit Tyrol the most interesting district of this
delectable land is the Dolomite region, which forms by far the greater
part of the South Tyrol Highlands and offers not only unique
opportunities for climbers, but also much impressive and beautiful
scenery.
It is only in comparatively recent years that the Dolomite of
south-eastern Tyrol has become a popular holiday-ground of tourists
and travellers. But a few decades ago it was--except to geologists, a
few artists, mining experts, and the more enterprising climbers--a
_terra incognita_, a region scarcely more known to the general
travelling public than the centre of Africa. Even nowadays it is far
less frequented by western European holiday-makers than it deserves to
be.
Formerly there was some excuse for an ignorance and neglect which a
lack of easy transit, good roads, and railways to near-by points might
be held to condone. But at the present time so much has been done to
throw open this fascinating mountain district to the traveller,
rest-seeker, and artist that the excuse can no longer be urged.
Concerning the climate, scenery, people, and accommodation now offered
to travellers, much can be said in praise. Indeed, regarding all of
these, it would be difficult to say everything one might without
running the risk of being accused of partiality or exaggeration.
In this portion of Tyrol (as, indeed, may be said also of others) one
still meets with hospitality and courtesy at inns and rest-houses
which are not chiefly based upon the expectation of personal
aggrandisement or monetary reward, just as one still finds quietude
wedded to splendid scenery and beautiful prospects not yet exploited.
In the Dolomite region, though its popularity is yearly increasing,
one can yet happily meet with comfortable hotels, which are not
overrun by the type of tourist for whom a good dinner is more than
fresh air and scenery, and dress clothes and gorgeous costumes of an
evening a _sine quâ non_. In a word, we have found that the Dolomite
region is free from many of the disadvantages of Switzerland--that
most exploited of European countries, and the one in which nowadays
perhaps the least quietude and rest is to be found--and provides a
playground for the mere pedestrian as well as a most attractive region
for the exercise of the climbing instinct.
It must be admitted, however, that in the less frequented passes and
valleys one has occasionally to "rough" it in a mild kind of way, and
that one needs to be a good and enduring walker to "do" the region on
foot. But although some of the inns in the lesser known valleys are
yet somewhat primitive, the cooking is usually good, and the beds,
though the linen may be coarse, will be found almost without exception
spotlessly clean.
It may be added that French is of little use in the Dolomites, except
in the hotels at the most frequented tourist resorts, such as Toblach,
Cortina, Karer See, Bozen, etc., Italian and German being generally
spoken--the former almost everywhere in the region; the latter chiefly
in the Gader Thal, Grödener Thal, and the district north of the
Ampezzo Thal; although in scattered hamlets south of the latter, here
and there one finds peasants speaking both.
The Dolomite region is most accessible from the Venetian frontier,
Bozen, or Bruneck; and the true Dolomite district, which contains all
that is most magnificent as regards scenery and attractiveness to the
mountaineer and geological student, lies midway between the points we
have mentioned, and covers the comparatively small area of some fifty
miles by forty miles.
Even nowadays there remain many peaks in the Dolomites yet untrodden
by the foot of, at least, modern man, as well as numberless delightful
paths amid exquisite scenery, where flowers carpet the earth and tiny
streams make their water-music. Along which by-ways, from sunrise to
sunset, one can travel amid the great silence of the hills without
meeting a single fellow-wayfarer. Many of the summits are upwards of
10,000 feet in height, and they who first climb their rocky walls,
deeply fissured sides, and ice- and snow-clad peaks, will have
accomplished tasks not inferior to those performed by the intrepid
mountaineers of the past who have scaled the great heights of the Alps
or the Himalayas.
[Sidenote: THEORIES OF ORIGIN]
Ever since geologists have speculated and argued concerning the origin
and nature of natural phenomena, there has been a conflict of opinion
amongst Tyrolese, German, and French geologists in particular
concerning the Dolomites. But although speculations have been many,
and various plausible theories have from time to time been advanced,
it may, we think, safely be said that none have been absolutely proved
or universally accepted. Baron Richthofen is perhaps the ablest
exponent of what is commonly known as the Coral Reef theory of origin,
and this has of late years been largely accepted by leading geologists
of different nationalities.
[Illustration: ALPENWIESE, ON THE SEISER ALP]
Baron Richthofen bases his theory chiefly upon the following points:
"(A) The isolated nature of the mountains themselves, and the fact
that their sides are frequently so steep and clear-cut as to preclude
any suggestion that they have been so made by the ordinary processes
of attrition, and that in general form they resemble atolls. (B) That
in their substance there are often found fossils and deposits of a
strictly marine character very closely resembling those found in coral
reefs; in addition to which the configuration shown by many of the
peaks is almost exactly similar to that found in the coral reefs of
to-day, with precipitous and almost perfectly vertical sides, where
they would have been (if the coral-reef theory is the correct one)
constantly scoured by the tide, and with much less precipitous sides
on the inner or lee side. (C) The fact that there is no trace
discernible of any volcanic origin. (D) They also, in their general
shape and lines, enclose spaces in a similar way to that which coral
reefs invariably enclose." There are many other points of resemblance
advanced in Mr. G. C. Churchill's exhaustive "Physical Description of
the Dolomite District," into which it is, however, unnecessary here to
enter more deeply.
Of the Schlern, the magnificent peak which rises from so wild and
picturesque a wooded ravine to a height of 8402 feet, Baron Richthofen
makes the positive assertion that it is a coral reef, and that its
entire formation is owing, like that of the "Atolls" of the Pacific
and Indian Oceans, to animal activity and deposit.
The Dolomites, which may be said to stretch between the Eisack, Etsch,
and Puster-Thal towards the south-east, and extend over the Tyrol
border into the Venetian district, derive their name from the
well-known geologist, Dolomieu, who lived in the eighteenth century,
and during the latter part of it travelled extensively in Tyrol, and
was the first to call the attention of scientists and others to the
peculiar structural formation of the southern mountain ranges. It may
be briefly here said that their material is largely limestone, but is
distinguished from the other chalky Alps by a special admixture of
magnesia. The fact that long ages ago the sea must have covered this
region, and did so for a period of long continuance, is proved by the
circumstance that, when climbing, one often finds on the very summits
of the highest peaks fossilized sea-shells. Many authorities are
inclined to the belief that some at least of the Dolomites have been
assisted in their growth, if not actually formed, by volcanic
agencies, and this theory is borne out by the fact that craters are
traceable in some of them even to-day. But whatever may be the true
origin of these magnificent peaks, there can be no doubt regarding
their unique formation.
It may be urged by some that the Dolomites do not possess the severe
and apparently unapproachable majesty of the snow-clad Middle Alps,
with their mighty glaciers and fields of perpetual snow; but as
regards their beauty of colour, the wildness of their romantic
scenery, closely connected with the most lovely and panoramic of
landscapes, they are unequalled, just as the climate of the district
in which they stand is delightful and invigorating.
In this comparatively small area one has a variety of scenery
unsurpassed by any, so far as we know, on the Continent of Europe.
Within the confines of the Dolomite region one has the wide range of
lofty mountains and terrific cliffs, in places reminding the traveller
of the cañons of the Rocky Mountains, with pinnacles, battlements, and
towers, rearing themselves on every hand like ruined and Titanic
fortresses, yet with their wildness softened in a measure by their
beauty of colour when gilded by the sunrise or bathed in roseate hue
of sunset light. Between the lofty peaks which rise skyward into the
very vault of heaven, as it seems to the wayfarer at their feet,
stretch lovely, winding Alpine valleys, often well-wooded and with
turf of a most delightful greenness strewn with myriads of Alpine
blossoms. Through valleys sweet with the odours of pinewoods and
flowers run rushing torrents or more quietly flowing streams, which
often have their origin in tiny, dark-blue Alpine lakes set amid
environing pine forests, in whose tranquil waters are reflected the
towering rocks and secluded woods which surround them.
To these beautifully situated spots, which are peopled by happy and
friendly disposed peasants, come year by year an increasing number of
travellers from other countries of Europe and from America, flocking
into all the more frequented parts intent upon enjoying the beautiful
scenery over which hangs, during the summer months, a vault of
deep-blue sky, looking all the bluer by contrast with the snow-clad
Dolomite peaks, whose grandeur and fascinating beauty are not easily
forgotten by those who have once gazed upon them.
[Sidenote: TOURING FACILITIES]
One of the great advantages of touring in the Dolomites to
pedestrians, and cyclists more especially--although cycling provides
plenty of "collar-work"--is the wonderful network of roads which cross
the country in all directions. The surface of these roads is generally
excellent, although several of them reach altitudes of between five
and six thousand feet above the sea. The gradients have been well seen
to, the road ascending by winding curves up the hillsides mostly by
such easy stages as enable them to be traversed either on foot, in a
carriage, motor-car, or even on a bicycle without much difficulty or
fatigue. In this manner one reaches the open, sunny plateaux and
ridges which serve to divide the separate groups of mountains one from
the other, where the traveller can almost always find accommodation in
good modern hotels or in well-arranged and modernized inns.
It is in the possession of these numerous well-managed and excellently
appointed hotels and inns that the Dolomite region excels; and they
are of such variety as regards size and the kind and cost of
accommodation which can be obtained at them, that almost all tastes
and purses can be suited. This has been more especially the case
during the last decade, in which new routes have been opened up, and
further and adequate hotel accommodation provided. Huge buildings,
affording every possible comfort and modern convenience, patronized by
the wealthy visitor, hotels on a less grand scale, suited to the
requirements of the well-to-do middle classes, and yet more modest,
though not less well-managed and comfortable, establishments, where
for an almost incredibly small sum pedestrians and tourists of more
restricted means can obtain excellent food, are all to be found in the
Dolomite region. In the larger hotels at the more noted resorts, of
course, one finds much the same "life" as that prevailing at such
places as Ischl, Semmering, Pontresina, St. Moritz, and Lucerne, where
bands play during dinner, ladies wear elaborate Parisian toilettes,
men dress for dinner, and climbing is, for most of the visitors, quite
a secondary consideration to that of enjoying "smart" society. In the
smaller places one finds greater simplicity and, to our thinking,
greater charm, with more of the life of the people in evidence and
less of the exotic.
But the Dolomites themselves present many attractions to the climber,
and yet provide numerous ascents which can be undertaken by the
comparatively untrained and inexperienced. This is largely owing to
the fact that they consist chiefly of isolated groups of mountains of
great height, but which, owing to their isolation, are not approached
by long and toilsome journeys ere the actual climbing itself
commences, such as is often the case with the greater peaks of the
Central Alps. Numbers of the higher ones, reaching to upwards of 9000
feet in height, may be ascended without any great fatigue by well-made
paths, thus providing for the tourists who are not expert climbers
plenty of exercise with just those elements of adventure and
inspiration which prove the greatest charms to all climbers, and the
reward at the end which comes to those who penetrate the higher
regions of a purer atmosphere, and a larger outlook upon the glorious
beauties of mountainous districts.
There are, of course, many other Dolomite summits which can only be
ascended, and should only be attempted, by practised and hardy
climbers, for whom great heights and the risks attending their ascent
possess no terrors. It is generally conceded that the district
provides both for the inexperienced and most experienced climbers some
of the most interesting mountain ascents in Europe. In the Dolomite
region, especially of recent times, climbing has made extraordinary
progress. Summits, the ascent of which a few years ago was looked upon
as a great achievement by even good climbers, are now scaled by
numbers of people every year; and each year brings additions to the
conquered peaks, some of which were a decade ago looked upon as
absolutely unclimbable, and likely to remain so.
The Dolomites are, indeed, gradually becoming as well known to
climbers and would-be climbers of even the countries of Western Europe
as are the Swiss Alps, and annually a larger number of lovers of
Alpine scenery take their holidays in this region; and of late years
the district has been visited by many even in winter time. In summer,
although much accommodation has already been provided for tourists, it
is, up to the present, decidedly insufficient for all the visitors who
flock to this region during the months of July, August, and September.
It is, therefore, advisable for any one who wishes for a comfortable
time during those months to secure rooms in advance at all places
which are to be visited, more especially at those centres of
attraction to which the greater number of tourists are in the habit of
gravitating.
[Sidenote: DOLOMITE GROUPS]
The Dolomites may be divided into the following groups, running from
east to west.[20] (1) The Sextner Dolomites, the most important
summits amongst which are the Drei Schuster Spitz, 10,375 feet, which
is ascended generally from the Fischelein Boden; the Elferkofel,
10,220 feet; the Zwölferkofel, 10,150 feet; Oberbacher Spitz, 8700
feet, and the Drei Zinnen, 7897 feet, two absolutely bare peaks of
sulphurous limestone, streaked with pale orange, rising grandly and
boldly from behind the Monte Piana plateau like two huge scored and
fissured fingers of a Titanic hand. (2) The Ampezzaner Dolomites,
with Monte Cristallo, 10,495 feet, with its many peaks veiled by
snows, glassing itself in the agate green waters of the lovely
pine-environed Dürren See. Monte Antelao, 10,710 feet; the three
Tofanas, ranging in height from 8565 feet to 10,635 feet; and the
Sorapis, 10,520 feet. (3) The Agordinischen Dolomites, with the
Nuvolau, 8685 feet; Monte Pelmo, 10,395 feet; and Monte Civetta,
10,565 feet, whose western face from Caprile was unascended till as
recently as 1895, when Messrs. Raynor and Phillimore, with two Ampezzo
guides, made the ascent. (4) The Grödener Dolomites, which embrace the
beautiful Rosengarten, the Schlern, 8415 feet; the Sella-group,
including the Sellajoch, 7275 feet; Rodella, 8155 feet, and other
lesser peaks; and the Geislerspitzen, with its highest peak, Sas
Rigais, 9930 feet. (5) The Fassaner Dolomites, consisting of the
groups of the Latemar, 9166 feet; the Marmolada, the highest of all
the Dolomites, a huge group with several peaks, including the Puntadi
Penia, 11,020 feet; the Marmolada di Rocco, 10,820 feet, and other
magnificent and lofty summits; and the Pala Group, including the
Cimone Della Pala, 10,450 feet, the Pala Di San Martino, 9830 feet,
and the Pala Della Madonna, 8336 feet.
There are numberless interesting and picturesque excursions to be made
in this charming region of the Dolomites, but the space at our
disposal will only permit of the mention of a few of the most
accessible, interesting, or picturesque.
[Illustration: MISURINA LAKE]
INNICHEN THROUGH THE SEXTEN THAL TO LAKE MISURINA.
Innichen, reached from Toblach through a beautiful pine (larch)
forest, is a prettily situated townlet on the Puster Thal road, with
good accommodation for visitors. It possesses a fine monastery church,
dating from the thirteenth century, which is one of the most
interesting and unique buildings in Tyrol. It contains some very
extraordinary and grotesque figures and faded frescoes, and a small
chapel built in imitation of the Holy Sepulchre by one of the
villagers, who once made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The road leads
a little below past the village into the Sexten Valley, the principal
hamlet of which is Sexten, or St. Veit, which is nowadays a charming
and much-frequented summer resort, where one may wander amidst almost
illimitable pine forests, and enjoy fresh mountain air and quietude
surrounded by exquisite scenery. From Sexten one reaches in about an
hour Fischlein Boden, by way of Moos, along a beautiful path through
the pine woods, from whence one obtains an admirable view of the head
of the valley, with the Drei Schuster Spitze, the Oberbacher Spitze,
Drei Zinnen, Elferkofel, Zwölferkofel, and Rothwand, and an almost
unrivalled vista of snow peaks. From this point, passing the Zsigmondy
Hut, 7320 feet, one comes to the Bacherjoch. From the Zsigmondy Hut,
the Elferkofel and the Zwölferkofel may be ascended, both of which
are, however, very difficult. Over the Bacherjoch a footpath leads to
the Drei Zinnen Hut on the Toblinger Riedel, 7895 feet, on past the
celebrated Drei Zinnen to the pretty Misurina Lake, tree-bordered and
mountain environed, one of the most charming and picturesque spots in
the Dolomites.
TOBLACH THROUGH THE AMPEZZO THAL TO SCHLUDERBACH AND CORTINA.
From Toblach there is an excellent excursion through the Ampezzo
Valley to Schluderbach and Cortina. The starting-point is situated on
the watershed of the high Puster Thal, and is a great place for
consumptives and different forms of fresh-air cures. It is visited by
people from almost all parts of the world, and in consequence the
hotel accommodation is excellent and even luxurious. The village of
Toblach itself is at the head of the Ampezzo road, which here leaves
the Puster Thal at an altitude of nearly 4000 feet, and leads due
south, passing between the Sarlkofel, 7740 feet, on the right, and the
Neunerkofel, 8418 feet, on the left. The Puster Thal railway, which
comes within about a mile of the village, makes Toblach easily
accessible, and it is in the neighbourhood of the station that the
huge modern hotels are built, acting, as it were, as gateways to the
beautiful Ampezzo Valley. The road through the latter is a magnificent
one, well suited for motoring if care be taken in descending some of
the sharp curves which lead down into Cortina; and especially
beautiful upon such an evening in June as we traversed it, just as the
sunset hues were illuminating the higher peaks with that roseate glow
which is destined too soon to fade to purples and through them to the
slatey blues of twilight.
From Toblach the ascent is very gradual to the pretty and romantically
situated Toblach Lake; and thence one passes on to Landro at the head
of the valley of the Schwarze Rienz, where rise the lofty and
snow-clad Drei Zinnen with the waters of the Dürren See, jade green
and beautiful in colour, with Monte Cristallo with its cap of eternal
snow and its glacier, the Piz Popena and Monte Cristallino, rising in
the background. From the Dürren See to Schluderbach, 4730 feet, is a
distance of less than two miles; and here, too, one finds a
beautifully situated village surrounded by fine scenery, and provided
with excellent accommodation for tourists whether they be but passing
along into Italy or inclined to make a lengthy stay.
[Illustration: A ROAD THROUGH THE DOLOMITES]
SCHLUDERBACH--CORTINA.
From Schluderbach the road passes over the boundary between Tyrol and
Italy, through a beautiful forest, past a deep ravine, down to
Ospitale, 4835 feet, situated at the base of the Crepa di Zuoghi, 6745
feet, and afterwards skirting the Peutelstein or Podestagno, 4945
feet, by a wide though sharply curving road skirting precipitous
slopes and crossing the deep gorge of the Felizon by the Ponte Alto,
down to Cortina d'Ampezzo, 4025 feet above the sea, reached by
carriage from Toblach in about seven hours, and distant from it just
over twenty miles.
[Sidenote: CORTINA]
Cortina is beautifully situated on the left bank of the River Botta,
with the fine Tre Croci Pass (which takes its name from the three
large wooden crucifixes) opening away behind the town eastward, and
the Tre Sassi Pass widening out before it westward. The town is the
principal one in the commune of Ampezzo, and is surrounded by
stupendous heights and grand snow-clad mountains, amongst which are
some of the most splendid of the Dolomites. For years past Cortina has
been so considerable a resort of tourists and rest-seekers that
splendid accommodation is nowadays obtainable; and one of the first
impressions made by the place upon the traveller who comes to it after
that of its picturesqueness is its prosperity. It is far cleaner, too,
than most Italian or semi-Italian towns of its type. Though the
climate is so favourable--even in the coldest of winters the
thermometer seldom falls far below freezing-point--the soil of the
district is very poor, and the appearance of most of the
mountain-sides and valleys is bleak. There is in consequence little
agriculture and no cultivation of the vine in the immediate
neighbourhood of Cortina. Indeed, throughout the Ampezzo Thal
pasturage and timber-felling, and not agriculture, are the chief
industries, although wood-carving and the manufacture of gold and
silver filigree work is carried on to a very considerable extent.
The festivals and fairs of the district are amongst the most important
of south-eastern Tyrol, and at them one still sees many of the
charming peasant costumes which have had here, as elsewhere, a
tendency to die out. The huge silver-headed hairpins of the girls
form a particularly noticeable feature of their elaborately and neatly
plaited coiffures.
The main street of Cortina is a sunny and picturesque one, many of the
houses possessing quaint, irregular roofs, and the church, little
piazza, and hostelries making up a charming picture, with a beautiful
vista of pastures and mountain summits at the end of the street.
The church, with its stately detached campanile, from the gallery of
which, nearly 250 feet above the level of the street, there is a fine
and extensive view of the town and valley, is one of the largest for
many miles around, and contains, amongst other things, an unusually
handsome altar, and some beautiful wood-carvings by Brustolone. The
churchyard (unless recently altered) is a desolate though a
picturesque spot, unfortunately a standing memorial of indifference
for the memory of those who have passed away, and irreverent neglect.
All who reach Cortina, whether they stay long or merely for a few
hours, should go to the Aquila Nera Inn, if only to see the
interesting and varied paintings of two of the sons of a former
proprietor named Ghedina which adorn the walls of the dining-room,
staircase, the outside of the "Dependance," and even the whitewashed
walls of the outhouses and stables. The subjects are of great variety,
displaying in many cases much technical skill and imaginative gifts,
and comprise military and religious figures and designs, grotesques,
and on the walls of the square-built and solid-looking Dependance are
some large groups representing painting, sculpture, architecture, and
other domestic subjects, especially noticeable being the painter-like
and clever manner in which modern objects, such as telegraphic
instruments, cameras, steam-engines, etc., have been handled.
From the top of the campanile, in which are hung great bells, one has
the village and the valley spread out at one's feet, with the Ampezzo
Thal stretching north and south and the passes of Tre Croci and Tre
Sassi stretching east and west.
[Sidenote: BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS]
In the valleys surrounding Cortina there are many beautiful wild
flowers and specimens of Alpine flora, amongst the most noticeable of
which are the wild daphne and the smaller mountain gentian; we fancy,
too, that in another very beautiful though small pink flower with
waxen petals, which grew in large clusters, we found the _Androsace
glacialis_, although two botanically learned friends differed as to
the correct name of this charming specimen.
On the way to Cortina via Schluderbach one can, by branching off
southward soon after leaving the village, reach, either on foot
through the woods or by a good carriage road through the Val Popena,
the beautiful and nowadays much-frequented Lake Misurina, in which the
peaks of the Drei Zinnen and the tree-clad lower slopes of environing
hills are charmingly reflected. The lake, although of comparatively
small size, is justly considered one of the most beautiful in Alpine
regions, and on its banks several large hotels have already been
erected for the accommodation of the increasing number of visitors who
come to this quiet and lovely spot which lies nearly 6000 feet above
sea-level.
One of the most picturesque excursions in this extreme southern limit
of Tyrol is by the carriage road, which, after passing through the
village, traverses the forest and by a gradual ascent reaches Tre
Croci, 6000 feet above sea-level. All along this beautiful road, which
traverses the slope of the Crepe di Rudavoi, one obtains the most
beautiful peeps of the huge cliffs of Cristallo to the right, with
fine vistas of the Marmorole and Sorapis on the opposite side. At Tre
Croci the beautiful Ampezzo Valley suddenly bursts upon the view with
the huge mass of the Tofana right across the valley, whilst in the
distance and to the south-west appears the serrated ridge of Croda da
Lago; and yet further distant the snow-clad summits of Marmolada.
From Tre Croci the beautiful road runs direct to Cortina down a rather
steep incline. Although the former means of reaching Cortina from
Schluderbach by the high road and through the Ampezzo Thal is the more
easily accomplished, none who have taken the road by way of Misurina
will regret its greater length because of its greater interest.
SCHLUDERBACH--PLÄTZ WIESE--PRAGSER WILDSEE--NIEDERDORF
From Schluderbach, too, there is another road branching northward from
the Imperial Road to Niederdorf on the Bruneck-Innichen-Toblach line,
leading over the Plätz Wiese, upwards of 6500 feet above sea-level.
There is a fine hotel on the Plätz Wiese, about two hours from
Schluderbach, and it is from thence that one ascends the Dürrenstein,
9320 feet. This easily climbed mountain, although not providing much
excitement for the expert Alpinist, is one of those which amply reward
the climber for the fatigue and trouble of the ascent. As one stands
upon the summit one has spread out around on all hands a most
astonishing and magnificent panorama of the Dolomites, as well as of
the glaciers and Middle Alps which lie to the north. Amongst the great
heights and groups, on a good day plainly visible from the mountain,
are those of the Tauern, Ortler, and Adamello, and the beautiful
Pragser Thal, with amongst the chief heights the Hohe Gaisl, 10,330
feet; Cadini, 9320 feet; Monte Cristallo, 10,495 feet, with its
glacier, and many other giants of the region.
[Sidenote: PRAGSER WILDSEE]
The road from Plätz Wiese continues past the little watering-place
Alt-Prags to Niederdorf, to reach which occupies about three and a
half hours. There is from this road another, branching off and leading
past the watering-place of Neu-Prags, with its prettily situated
houses and hotels, to the lovely Pragser Lake, nearly 5000 feet above
sea-level, and distant from Niederdorf seven and a half miles. Pragser
Lake, or the Pragser Wildsee, is one of the most beautiful, secluded,
and romantic of all the Alpine lakes, surrounded and sheltered as it
is by the mighty walls of the Seekofel, 9220 feet; the Herrstein, 8035
feet; Col de Ricegon, 8770 feet; Hochalpenkopf, 8420 feet, and many
other wild and impressive heights. In the olive-green waters of the
lake itself the two first-named giants are reflected with wonderful
distinctness and beauty; whilst on the slopes of most of the
surrounding mountains the silvery, star-like flowers of the edelweiss
and the royal blue gentians grow with a luxuriance scarcely equalled
in any other part of the Dolomite region. The climate of this Alpine
lake is indeed bracing and health-giving, for on the hottest summer
day one finds a cool and refreshing air coming down from the mountains
and traversing the surface of the lake, whilst in the evening the
temperature is not materially lowered, as so often occurs at places
having such a considerable altitude and set amid great peaks, so that
one can remain in the open air quite safely, even though lightly clad,
until the beautiful Alpine twilight wraps the lake and its shores in a
mantle of mysterious beauty, and night seems to descend from the
summits of the great peaks around.
No one, however, should think of visiting Pragser Wildsee in the
summer season without first bespeaking accommodation at the beautiful
hotel situated on the borders of the lake, or they may find themselves
compelled (as have been many others before them) to turn their backs
upon this lovely spot for lack of accommodation, as this is always
crowded with visitors during the months of July, August, and the early
part of September. This charming resort is most easily reached from
Niederdorf, situated on the Puster Thal railway, one station eastward
from Toblach.
CORTINA--FALZAREGO--BUCHENSTEIN.
From Cortina the old Imperial or high road takes one out of the
Dolomites to the south-east into Venetian territory to Belluno, an
interesting and picturesque old town standing on a hill between the
Piave and Ardo, which at this point flow together. The Cathedral,
built chiefly by Tullio Lombardo in the early years of the sixteenth
century, was unfortunately greatly damaged during the earthquake in
1873; but it has been largely restored, and contains, in addition to
many interesting architectural details, some fine altar paintings.
From the summit of the campanile, which is upwards of 200 feet in
height, one obtains a most exquisite view of the old town and
surrounding country. The Prefecture, in the Piazza del Duomo, is a
fine early Renaissance building dating from the end of the fifteenth
century, and was originally the Palazzo dei Rettori.
Belluno will shortly be connected by rail with Cortina, and possess a
station of its own. The new Dolomite road, however, travels from
Cortina in a south-westerly direction to the rock-strewn Falzarego
Pass, 6945 feet, lying in the shadow of the Hexenfels, 8126 feet,
whilst to the south-west rises the impressive, snow-covered Marmolada,
with the Col di Lana, 8084 feet, in the foreground of the picture.
From this pass one can ascend the Nuvolau, 8460 feet, from the summit
of which there is a panoramic view of the railway and surrounding
peaks. At the other end of the pass the new Dolomite road descends
more than a thousand feet into the valley of Andraz, a little,
picturesquely situated village from which several interesting
excursions can be made, near which lie the ruins of a very ancient
castle bearing the same name. Buchenstein, the chief village of the
Buchenstein Valley, distant from the end of the pass some nine miles,
is reached by the road from Andraz. There are some excellent inns, and
the village is splendidly situated and makes a good centre for
holiday makers.
[Illustration: A PEEP OF THE DOLOMITES]
BUCHENSTEIN--CAPRILE--ALLEGHE SEE--ARÁBA.
Near it a little road branches off to the south-east, which, leading
through Italian territory and crossing a stream, leads to Caprile,
just over the Italian frontier, descending on the left side of the Val
Cordevole, with fine views of the Val di Livinallongo. The village of
Caprile, at the far end of which is the short Venetian column,
surmounted by a lion of St. Mark, a relic of the days when the
Venetians ruled the district, is a somewhat straggling one, with many
of the houses built upon arches. The church is ordinary, although
there are some quaint decorations to the organ-loft worth seeing. But,
disappointing as is the village itself, its beautiful surroundings,
with the truly magnificent prospect of Monte Civetta, and the
beautiful Alleghe Lake, tempt one to prolong one's stay.
From Caprile the road leads to the Lake, which lies at the foot of
Monte Civetta. The high road, however, which is fairly level, leads
first of all to the village of Arába at the foot of the Pordoijoch,
7355 feet.
BRUNECK--ENNEBERG--ARÁBA.
On the way to Arába one can also reach, direct from the Puster Thal
station, St. Lorenzen, through the wildly beautiful and romantic
Enneberg Thal, which forms the shortest route to the middle division
of the great Dolomite road. One peculiarity of the Gader or Enneberg
Thal, and other similar valleys of the district, is the fact that the
peasantry speak neither German nor Italian (although in some valleys
the latter language is gradually becoming more used), but the patois
known as Ladin, which somewhat resembles the Romanche of the Grisons
district, although each valley has certain peculiarities of dialect.
No doubt these latter will in time die out, and German will become the
common language of the more German valleys, and Italian of the more
Italian.
The carriage-road, which is 45 kilometres (28 miles) in length, is not
suitable for motors; it leads past Pedrazes, 4350 feet high, and
Corvara, 5110 feet, to Arába. Near Corvara lies the way over the
Grödener-Joch, 7010 feet, into the beautiful Grödener Thal, often sung
by the poet Walther von der Vogelweide.
WAIDBRUCK--GRÖDENER THAL--ARÁBA.
The usual starting-point, however, for the latter is Waidbruck, to the
south of the Brenner road between Franzenfeste and Bozen. From
Waidbruck, 1545 feet, which lies at the head of the Grödener Thal,
with the Trostburg, 2040 feet, towering above it, the road goes to St.
Ulrich, 4055 feet, distant eight miles, the chief village in the wide
valley, prettily situated and surrounded by tree-clad slopes, beyond
which rise some magnificent rocky Dolomite peaks. The church, dating
from the end of the eighteenth century, has a beautiful interior,
containing some excellent examples of the woodcarving for which the
Grödener Thal has for ages been and still is famous.
[Illustration: THE LANGKOFEL]
[Sidenote: SOME DOLOMITE PEAKS]
From St. Ulrich it climbs upwards through the valley, which at each
step becomes more beautiful and more magnificent, to St. Christina,
4685 feet, with its mountain pastures dominated by the huge
Langkofel-Joch, 8800 feet, and many other impressive heights, such as
Secéda, 8270 feet, Geislerspitzen, 9930 feet, to the north, and the
Plattkofel, 9740 feet, to the south; the Stella Group to the
south-east, with the Col dalla Piëres, 9055 feet; and the Pitzberg,
6020 feet, Puflatsch, 7140 feet, and the more distant Rosengarten and
the Schlern to the south-west.
From St. Christina the road continues over the hill to St. Maria in
Wolkenstein, to Plan, 5290 feet; from whence mule tracks lead over the
magnificent Grödener-Joch, with its protection hut, or hospice, 7010
feet, into the Enneberg Valley to Arába; and also over the great
Sella-Joch, 7275 feet, to Canazei, in the Fassa Valley, which lies
southward of Pordoi. There are several excellent and interesting
ascents which can be made from the Grödener Valley. First of all there
is the romantic Geislerspitzen, which, however, should only be
attempted by the skilled climber, as it is both a laborious and
difficult ascent. In the same category, though more difficult, and
suitable only for hardy mountaineers, are the Grosse Furchetta, with
its highest point 9930 feet; Kleine Furchetta, a few feet less; the
Fermeda-Thurm, 9440 feet; and the Gross Nadel, 9250 feet. Starting
from the Sella-Joch, the magnificent Sella, with the Boè Spitz, 10,340
feet, as well as the wildly rugged Langkofel, can be ascended. From
the Sella-Joch also one can easily ascend the Col Rodella, 8155 feet,
which lies to the south-west of the former, from which summit one
obtains a very fine and extensive panoramic view.
ARÁBA--PORDOI--CANAZEI.
In Arába, the second part of the new Dolomite high road, which comes
over the Pordoi-Joch to Canazei, in the Fassa Thal, the way ascends in
wide zig-zags through a beautiful and broad Alpine valley, in which
those interested in botany will find a wealth of Alpine flora scarcely
excelled by that of any portion of Tyrol, up to the heights of the
Pordoi-Joch, where there is an inn at which meals can be obtained, and
from which a most magnificent circular panoramic view extends. From
this place well-made tourist paths extend in many directions to the
Boè-Spitz as well as to the Fedaja Pass, 6710 feet, and the frontier
between Tyrol and Italy; a most attractive road, with the huge snow
peaks and glaciers of the giant Marmolada close at hand.
The new Dolomite road goes from the Pordoi-Joch in a south-easterly
direction, traversing a magnificent forest with wonderful and
ever-changing views of the craggy peaks of the Dolomites, and thus on
to Canazei in the curve of the Fassa Thal.
CANAZEI--FASSA THAL--NEUMARKT--TRAMIN.
This little town, 4790 feet, distant from Arába just over twelve
miles, is charmingly situated, and much resorted to by tourists as a
centre from which to make numerous interesting short tours in the
Dolomites. The inns are simple in character though comfortable, and
for that reason many will find that they possess an attractiveness
exceeding that which one finds in hotels of a more pretentious class.
The high road leads near Canazei, past Gries, Campitello, Vigo, and
Möena, to Predazzo, the chief town in the Fassa Thal, 3340 feet, about
nineteen miles from Canazei.
The place occupies, so we are told by Baron Richthofen and other
authorities, including de Saussure and Churchill, the site of an
ancient volcanic crater, although it is indeed difficult for those
unversed in geology and seismic phenomena to realize the fact.
Predazzo, which stands in a broad valley at the junction of the Val
Travignolo and Fleims Thal, is a prosperous town, mainly owing to the
mineral wealth in the immediate neighbourhood, which of late years has
been developed and worked, and the fertile nature of the valley. The
inhabitants are principally iron workers, farmers, and hay or timber
merchants, and their sphere of trade is a far wider one than the
uninitiated would imagine, extending as it does throughout the
Austrian Empire, to Germany, Switzerland, and other countries. The
town cannot, however, be described as either very picturesque or
pretty; there are too many saw mills and iron furnaces in it, and
these in a measure serve to destroy the beauty of a naturally pretty
valley. But the painter of figure studies and tiny domestic pictures,
and the camera user with an eye for quaint "bits" may find them in the
older portion of the town amongst the wooden buildings; and
picturesque groups of women and girls are sure soon to reward the
patient artist or photographer who takes up a position commanding the
stone fountain in the main street, to which many come daily to draw
water.
There is a fine new church, which, however, cannot displace in one's
artistic or sentimental affection the old one with its Tyrolese belfry
and weather-worn look. The famous and curious old house known as the
Nave d'Oro, now an hotel, but once the home of Giacomellis for
hundreds of years, is worth inspection, as some of the armorial
bearings of this erstwhile noble family still appear above the old
carved doorways, and serve as decorations of the ceilings and
fireplaces. The visitors' book contains what must be one of the most
valuable (so far as scientists and geologists are concerned)
collections of autographs to be found in any Tyrolean hotel.
Predazzo is one of the finest geological centres in Eastern Europe,
and in the immediate neighbourhood of the town many beautiful and
varied minerals and crystals are found, amongst them the Tourmaline
granite, Uralite porphyry, and the Syenite porphyry, with its
marvellous crystals, which, so far as we have been able to ascertain,
are unique to this district.
Although Predazzo is chiefly--and, in fact, almost entirely--given
over to mining, smelting, and timber-cutting, there is yet, amid all
the hum of the timber sawing-mills, and the roar and smoke of the
furnaces, a considerable lace-making school for women, where this most
delicate of industries is taught and practised. Some exquisite
specimens of lace are to be seen, and can be purchased at moderate
cost.
An interesting fact in connection with the rich pasturage on the
slopes of the Latemar is that it belongs by common right to the
descendants of the original families founding the village, and was
given to the latter by a grant dating from the Middle Ages, but by
whom made it does not appear absolutely certain.
The road leads on through the Fleimse-Thal, past Cavalese, where there
is an ancient palace of the Bishops of Trent, which has a painted
façade. The building is now used as a jail. There is here a fine
Gothic parish church, standing on a hill, with an old marble entrance
porch, and some interesting pictures by native artists. The road then
leads one on to the railway station at Neumarkt-Tramin, which is
twenty-four miles from Predazzo and ninety-eight miles from Toblach.
[Illustration: MOUNT LATEMAR]
VIGO DI FASSA--KARER SEE.
At Vigo di Fassa, 4565 feet, the chief village in the Fassa Thal on
the road to Bozen and the Karer Pass, the road branches off, leading
in a westerly direction over the Pass, 5270 feet, and past the Karer
See, 5030 feet, which lies at the base of the Latemar, to Bozen.
[Sidenote: THE VAJOLET AND SCHLERN]
Karer See is one of the most beautifully situated places between the
Rosengarten and Latemar, and is also one of the most celebrated and
fashionable resorts in the Dolomite region. From its situation and
numerous delightful walks and excursions which can be taken from it,
it is especially suited for a lengthy stay, and for these reasons
partakes somewhat of the nature of the well-known Swiss resorts such
as St. Moritz, Pontresina, Engleberg, and other places of a similar
character. Many of the hotels are most beautifully situated on the
borders of the lake, with a picturesque background of pine woods,
beyond which tower the serrated and deeply fissured summits of the
Dolomites, with striking views of the great peaks of the Latemar,
Rothwand, Ortler, Oetz Thal, and Stubai Alps. From Karer See the
Latemar and the Rosengarten, whose highest point is 9780 feet, are
easily visited, and among the excursions which those who are not
expert climbers can take is that from Karer See, by the Rosengarten,
past the Ostertag and Ciampedie hut, 6530 feet, to the Vajolet hut; or
past the Kolner hut, 7630 feet, over the Tschager-Joch, to the Vajolet
hut, 7430 feet. Starting from the Vajolet hut, one can ascend the
Vajolet Thürme through a ravine filled with _débris_ and a steep slope
usually covered with snow; the Rosengarten Spitz, 9780 feet, and the
Kesselkogel, 9845 feet; Cima di Laura, 9440 feet, and several others.
All of those mentioned are difficult ascents, and should only be
attempted by expert climbers and with guides.
From the Vajolet hut a fairly good footpath also leads over the
Grasleiten Pass, 7100 feet, to the hut which occupies a magnificent
position with an extensive view of the giant Dolomites in the
immediate vicinity, and towards the west a fine prospect of the
Presanella and Ortler Group. From this point the path leads through
the Bärenschlucht up the Schlern.
WAIDBRUCK--SEIS-SCHLERN.
The Schlern, which is a huge accretion of Dolomite rock, towering
above the green, undulating plateau which forms its base, the middle
peak known as the Alt-Schlern or Petz, 8402 feet, is the highest of
the series, although several of the peaks approach it in altitude
within a few hundred feet. The Schlern forms one of the most
attractive groups of Dolomite peaks, on account not only of the
magnificent view which rewards the climber, but also because excellent
accommodation for tourists and climbers has been provided on the slope
of the Alt-Schlern just above the plateau, at a height of 8040 feet.
There are situated the Schlern house, belonging to the Bozen Alpine
Club, with upwards of thirty beds, and the Schlern Inn, containing a
little over half that number.
The starting-place for the ascent of the Schlern is usually Waidbruck,
already referred to, and from thence a carriage-road leads by way of
Kastelruth and the charmingly situated summer resort Seis, 3285 feet,
to Bad Ratzes, 3950 feet, situated in the wild but well-wooded gorge
of the Frötschbach. Between Seis and Bad Ratzes, set in the forest,
are the ruins of the ancient home of the Minnesinger Oswald von
Wolkenstein. From Bad Ratzes the peaks of the Schlern can be easily
reached by a mule track, although serious climbers generally take up
their residence at either the Schlern House or the Schlern Inn whilst
ascending the various peaks which can be most easily reached from that
point.
BLUMAU--TIERSER THAL--ROSENGARTEN.
From the Schlern and Rosengarten district one proceeds from the
railway station to Blumau, 1020 feet, near Bozen, into the renowned
and picturesque Tierser Thal. The carriage-road from Blumau takes one
through pretty scenery in about two and a half hours to the little
village of Tiers, and then on to Weisslahn-Bad, 3818 feet, from whence
tourists' paths have been made leading up the Schlern to the
Grasleiten hut, and over the Niger to the Kölner hut, from which one
can then either ascend the Rosengarten, or proceed through beautiful
flower-bedecked Alpine meadows to the charming Karer See.
KARER SEE--BOZEN.
From Karer See the road, which, though a fair one, is not practicable
for motors, winds, gradually descending, through beautiful woods to
Welschnofen, 3865 feet, a favourite summer resort, situated in a fine
open valley with splendid views of the towering serrated ridge of the
Latemar on the right, and on the left the beautiful Rosengarten. From
Welschnofen there is a good road to Birchabruck, 2895 feet, a pretty
place where the Welschnofen Thal branches to the left, and the wildly
romantic Eggen Thal, leading to Bozen--which is the principal town in
southern Tyrol--to the right.
FASSA THAL--PANEVEGGIO--SAN MARTINO--TRENT.
At Predazzo there branches off from the high road another good road
which leads over the Rolle Pass, 6510 feet, into the Pala Dolomites,
and then over Primero, 2350 feet, on one side towards Venice, and the
other towards Trent. This fine high road threads its way through a
splendid forest to Paneveggio, 5055 feet, a pleasantly situated
village--set amid pine woods--from which one can return over the Lusia
Pass, 6745 feet, to Möena, and ultimately to Karer See, with
magnificent views of the Colbricon, the Cimon della Pala, and the Oetz
Thal Alps in the background. From Paneveggio, too, the road climbs up
the Rolle Pass, which forms the watershed between the Adige and
Brenta, and then descends to San Martino, 4740 feet, which is
charmingly situated in a beautiful wooded dell at the foot of the
Dolomites. The road from the head of the pass to San Martino, once a
monastery, is by stupendous zig-zags cut through a splendid forest.
Yearly the little village is becoming more and more popular, owing to
its beautiful situation, the equableness of its climate, and the many
charming excursions which can be made on every hand suitable either
for the pedestrian or the climber.
The Imperial road from here descends rapidly to Primiero, and then
traverses a wildly romantic ravine full of boulders, and with
tree-clad mountain slopes to Primolano, on the Italian frontier, and
thence to Tezze, 740 feet, which is the present terminus of the
railway, and is the principal point on the Val Sugana road uniting
Tezze with Trent, 640 feet, the chief town of the Italian Tyrol, with
25,000 inhabitants.
These, then, are a few briefly sketched tours in the Dolomite region
which will, as we ourselves know, well repay the seeker after
magnificent scenery, pure air, and solitude, or society, as the case
may be.
Quite recently a most excellent and original type of relief map of the
Dolomites has been published, which on account of its clearness and
comprehensive character makes it a very valuable, if not positively
indispensable, companion for all who wish to travel in this most
interesting, though somewhat complicated district. Fortunately the
map, which is published at a remarkably moderate price, is to be
obtained at all the principal railway stations of the south Austrian
railways, and one cannot do better than obtain a copy ere setting out
for a Dolomite tour, whether it be an extended one or not.
We would call particular attention to the fact that the Dolomites
being, many of them, on the frontier between Austria and Italy, there
are numerous fortresses dotted about in quite unsuspected corners, the
sketching and photographing of which, or even of their immediate
surroundings, is very strictly prohibited. Warnings on signboards are
erected at all the points of danger, and the instructions placed
thereon should on no account be disregarded. The consequences of so
doing are likely to be extremely unpleasant, and possibly lead to the
at least temporary incarceration of the offender.
FOOTNOTE:
[20] The heights given are those appearing in the latest edition of
Baedeker's "Eastern Alps" and the publications of the Vienna and
Austrian Alpine Clubs.