Seceda

The iconic Seceda Ridge Line

Success was eight hours of sleep with no melatonin required. I'll take a 5am wake-up as a win.

After breakfast, unhurried, Italian-style of course, we met with Manuela for a trip briefing. She'd preloaded our hiking itineraries onto Komoot and handed over physical paper maps as backup, because phones die and reception in the mountains is optimistic at best.

A word on Manuela. She has organised every one of our Dolomites trips and has not once put a foot wrong. As a local, her knowledge of the area is the kind that can't be googled — personal relationships with drivers, guides, rifugio owners, restaurant owners, hotel managers, all of it. If you are planning a trip to the Dolomites, engage her without hesitation. Mention my name and she'll look after you well.

The entrance to our hotel

Breakfast room, no buffet. Everything made to order

Espresso, like everything Italian, served in style

The biscuits and cake change daily

Today was strudel cake

My staple in Italy...nutella crepe

She drove us to the nearby village of Santa Cristina, where we took the Col Raiser cable car — an eight-seater gondola that whisks you from 1,556 metres to 2,100 metres in about fifteen minutes, depositing you squarely in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From the top station, the Odle Peaks opened up immediately. We crossed alpine meadows before ascending to the main event: the Seceda ridge, which tops out at 2,519 metres with the kind of views that justify the effort entirely. I won't rehash the trail details here as they're easily looked up, and the paths were well-signed and straightforward to follow.

Seceda is busy for very good reason — the views are sweeping, the geological formations dramatic, and everyone wants to see it. Most tourists arrive via the direct Seceda cable car from Ortisei, which charges €75 each way. Manuela's route via Col Raiser gave us the same views, a far more rewarding approach, and considerably more money in our pockets. Once we walked away from the ridge, the paths were nearly empty.

Lunch was at Baita Daniel on Manuela's recommendation, which was exactly right. We then descended almost all the way back to the hotel — 1.3km short of the finish line when the thunderclouds that had been looming finally delivered, spectacularly. To my credit, I brought the hotel's whatsapp number with the me. The hotel, to their credit, came to collect us.

Showers. Room service. Oblivion. 14.7km for our first hike. Not bad at all.

The Col Raiser cable car

Let's go!

Well signed

Spring flowers still around, mountain huts everywhere

Traversing alpine meadows

Hello friend!

Flowers everywhere!

Pierolonga hut along the way

Have I already mentioned flowers?

Fortunately the mountain air was cooler than the heat wave enveloping the European continent at present

Our first glimpses of Seceda

Dispute between government and local land owner. They are charging Tourists 5 euros to walk on their land. We paid it but the paid view was not worth the money in my opinion

Expensive photo

It did get better when you walk further away

Making the most of the 10 euros that we had already paid

The views made me so happy and relaxed!

The "entry" paid gate from the Seceda cable car side. So your non pay view is fine...

View of the valley below

Lunch at Daniel hut! Go Ricardo for "unreserving" a reserved table. Poll position right in front with no one obstructing our views!

Ginger aperitif. Yummy!

Locally made burrata. Usually a southern dish

Polenta gnocchi

Kaiserschmarrn - essentially sugared pancakes

Tummies full, ready to keep going!

The long way down

We love Val Gardena!

Scenery changed as we descended

Happy first day!