Day 1 – Cinque Torri And Lagazuoi
Today’s Adventure
We started our five week adventure in the Dolomites by riding one of Südtirol’s excellent public transit buses from the bus stop near our hotel in Badia up to the top of Falzarego Pass. This pass is 6,900 feet above sea level and not far from Cortina d’Ampezzo, the site of the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics.
After a stop at the souvenir shop to pick up our Passoporto Dolomiti we hiked up the rather well-worn trail to the Rifugio Averau. We took a quick break there before making the much more challenging ascent to Rifugio Nuvolau. This small rifugio is perched in an iconic location on top of an impressive ridgeline at 8,500 feet. It offers splendid 360 degree views of the surrounding Dolomites. At this point we knew for certain that we weren’t in Virginia anymore!
We then descended towards Cinque Torri (‘the five towers’) and took our lunch break while sitting on a rock. This was without a doubt the best view we’ve ever had while eating a brown-bagged sandwich. We continued our descent for a close up view and partial circuit of Cinque Torri before catching a chairlift down to Baita Bai de Dones. We could have walked the entire way, but in the interest of time (and jet lag) using the chairlift was an appealing option. From the base of the chairlift we followed a footpath uphill through some surprisingly boggy woods back to our original starting point at Falzarego Pass.
At this point we still had plenty of time before the last bus of the day so we decided to take the Funivia Lagazuoi, a large cable car, up to the top of Monte Lagazuoi. This summit enjoys a stellar view of the Dolomites from a rather thin 9,600 feet above sea level. After wandering around the brisk summit trails (including out to the well-photographed wooden cross) we took the cable car back down and caught the bus for the twisty ride back to Badia.
All told we logged 7.5 miles and 2,800 feet of vertical, not the easiest of days given our starting elevation. Based on our pre-trip planning we felt that this was going to be a memorable outing and it certainly lived up to our expectations!
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Today’s Maps
Hiking Log
7.5 Total Miles
2,828′ Cumulative Vertical
5:40 Time On Trail
The Meals
Breakfast : Ustaria Posta
Lunch : On The Trail
Dinner : Ustaria Posta