Ciao Italianista,
It’s time to go on a virtual trip again. Where are you? Are you out West like me and every day the air quality ranges from unhealthy to very unhealthy as these fires rage on? Or perhaps you are escaping from something else. Come with me and let’s explore Selva Gardena and the Dolomites.
Hiking from Selva di Val Gardena
When you say Selva Gardena, immediately you will imagine walking from town through Vallunga towards the massive Stevia rockface and then up through pine sheltered paths, inhaling that scented air. You will hear voices of nature spirits in the soft wind that rustles the treetops and then come sweeping down through the paths and through your hair cooling you and cleansing you as you climb higher and higher.
These nature spirits will beckon you from the corner of your eye. But as soon as you turn to look, you will only see their trace in the play between shadows and light on a trembling fern. Then suddenly your cool dark path emerges into dazzling sunshine and you feel the cold spray on your face from a roaring waterfall.
The nature spirits are still speaking and leading the way but it is impossible to hear them now as the water crashes down. Try to pick your way over the rocks but test each slippery stone before putting all your weight on it. Soon you will see the path on the other side of the river.
As the path starts up again, it leaves the wooded area and comes to a meadow. As you meander along, you will hear now hear the sound of bells as the cows make their way home from the pasture. You will think of Heidi in the classic book by Johanna Spyri and imagine Peter is one of these boys who guide the cows and sheep higher and higher in the summer looking for new pasture as the days lengthen.
Now the grass begins to thin out until there are only a few isolated flowers clinging to a vein of soil miraculously left in the rubble of the rocks. Luckily the path is marked, not by the nature spirits, but by humans who left periodically a splash of orange paint to mark the way.
Now, look up. Above you will see a huge rock mass, towering pinnacles of limestone. You will not be able to distinguish the path against the massive blocks of rock. The wind will be whipping your face. You might feel very alone. It’s barren up here and silent except for the wind. You can no longer hear the nature spirits or the cowbells. But still, some mysterious force pulls you higher and higher, challenging you.
The Vie Ferrate
They call this kind of path a via ferrata, or iron path because some points are so steep that you have to pull yourself up with an iron cable that has been cemented into the rocks. The other reason for the iron cables was to mark a protected path through the minefields that were created in WWI when both the Italian and the Austro-Hungarian forces used mines extensively as they fought for the border.
You will be shaking by the time you get to the top of this path, either from the physical exertion, or your nervous energy from trying not to look back down or from worrying about the old minefields. If you only you could rest and replenish your energy.
What is that up ahead? Maybe it is a shepherd’s summer home. Perhaps they will give you some cheese. You go closer. What is that sound? You open the door and you are greeted by laughter and tables filled with people eating soup and bread and drinking big steins of beer! Is this heaven? Yes! Heaven on Earth. This is a hut and it is one of the thousands of Alpine huts or rifugi that provide basic overnight shelter and food and drink for hikers and trekkers.
The Dolomite Hut System
The hut system was originally designed for serious mountaineers who needed places to stay while preparing for their climbs, but now regular day hikers also delight in them finding delicious food and local beers in rustic structures perched high on cliffs overlooking the Dolomites. Somehow food always tastes so much better the higher you are.
There is nothing better for aching muscles and tired feet than Crafuncins, Knödel, Gröstl, Speck and Schüttelbrot with Alpine cheese, and of course large steins of local beers. All being enjoyed by fellow joyful hikers and trekkers. To learn more about these savory dishes, please see my article on South Tyrolean cuisine. On our hike, we will be going to the Jimmy Hutte above Selva (2,220 meters asl).
For more information about the huts and the hut system, check out this article that explains mountain huts. And if you want to plan a trip to stay in a mountain hut in the Italian Dolomites, read this article for its useful advice and amazing photography.
The Dolomites are also called the “Pale Mountains” because they are a white-grey color by day. But they slowly turn a glowing rose-red in the late afternoon. Where does this red glow come from? Should we look to geology or the legends and myths of South Tyrol to explain this phenomenon?
Land of Fairy Tales and Legends
We have already felt on our hike the presence of elves, fairies, goblins, gnomes, nymphs, and ghosts. These creatures and also witches, good and bad, according to South Tyrolian legends, still hide between rocks, in dense woods, or in caves. (In fact, many of the stories collected by the Grimm Brothers come from these magical, mysterious Alpine landscapes.) There are so many different South Tyrolean stories and legends that explain why the Dolomites turn red (and others why they are pale). Most of the Italian legends of why they turn red are different versions of a story about King Laurino.
King Laurino and his Rose Garden
King Laurino, king of the nani, lived in the Dolomites and had a rose garden that he loved and took care of daily. But, not withstanding his love and care, his rose garden ended up causing him grief.
In fact, it happened that Laurino fell in love with the princess Similde and he took her against the wishes of her father Similde, King of the Adige.
Where else could Laurino hide if not in his rose garden wearing a belt he made to make himself invisible to the eyes of his pursuers?
But right away the pursuers were able to see Laurino’s movements and they jumped on him. How? By watching the rose branches sway from Laurino’s movements.
Captured and without a chance to see the dream of his love crowned, Laurino launched a curse on his rose garden: “No one will ever see you again, my roses, not by day, nor by night. This is my punishment for having betrayed me, you who were so dear to me!”
However, Laurino forgot about dawn and dusk, so the rose and all the colors of the rose light up the Dolomites at every sunrise and sunset.
And that is why the pale mountains turn red.
I found only one story that explains this Alpenglow that does not have to do with King Laurino. This story is about Mt. Hohe Gaisl or Croda Rossa d’Ampezzo, another Dolomite mountain that turns red. It is about two hours from Selva Gardena.
The Marmot Girl in the Castle
A long time ago Mt. Gaisl didn’t differ from the other mountains all around. At that time a lonely Anguana – a forest and water nymph- lived between the ragged rocks and she was accompanied only by the marmots.
One day a woman with a child came along, but the Anguana couldn’t speak to her, because the stranger immediately dropped dead. The Anguana put the child, a girl, up and called her Moltina. She grew up, made friends with the marmots, learned their language and was even able to take their form.
Some years later the prince of the Landrines royal house went hunting in the forest. There he saw Moltina and at first sight he fell in love, but she ran away. The prince searched for her everywhere and finally he met the Anguana. She allowed the prince to marry Moltina and to take her to his castle . Initially the royal court wasn’t happy with the prince’s choice, but in the end he succeeded to resolve all doubt.
Moltina was very glad and told everybody about her luck. The marmots, the pastures and flowers, and even the rocks shared her happiness. According to the Anguana the mountain was mysteriously connected with Moltina’s destiny and it would always feel her.
The prince and the marmot girl got married and lived in the castle. One day there was a great celebration and the bad queen of the Bedoyeres called on all to tell about their home and their forefathers. As it was Moltina’s turn, she wasn’t able to say anything and her face turned blazing red, because she was so ashamed.
Moltina broke away from the castle and never came back until the end of her life because her dread was insurmountable. Therefore Mt. Hohe Gaisl maintained its red color, too.
The prince however followed his beloved in the mountains. There they started a family and somewhat later they became the sovereigns of the Fanes. These powerful and notable people were living on the western part of the mountain and their heraldic animal was the marmot.
The Geology of Enrosadira or Alpenglow
The other explanation as to why the Dolomites turn rose red comes from geology and optics. Enrosadira is the word used in Italy to explain this phenomenon. Enrosadira comes from Ladin, an Italian dialect that is spoken in this area. To learn more about Ladin, please read my related article on the language of this area.
Enrosadira (“turning pink” in Ladin) happens when the sun is at the right angle to hit the crystals in the Dolomite rocks causing them to light up. Depending on the time of day and season and the atmospheric conditions, the colors range from a blazing rose to pale violet, to a warm orange.
And now the mountains are pink. Time to head back down the mountain before dark. Or, we could take the Dantercepies funicular which heads straight back into town. From our little red cabin in the sky moving down the mountain attached to a cable, let’s admire the Tyrolean architecture and look for a coffee shop serving warm Strudel and other South Tyrolean delights.
Thank you for coming with me on this virtual hike in the Dolomites based out of Selva Gardena. Do you feel refreshed and inspired? Let me know and please read my related posts on the language and food of this area.
Con amore,
Justine
P.S. For the exact names of the trails, peaks, and plateaus, read this article on the same hike that we took.
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