Sëlva - Wolkenstein - Selva di Val Gardena walks

A superb hike in the Puez Geisler Odle Nature Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This route offers magnificent panoramic views at the foot of the Fermeda, Sass Rigais and Furchetta peaks. At Seceda, a promontory high above the void, you'll witness a spectacular alignment of these peaks, posing for you. At various other points on the loop, you'll enjoy marvellous panoramic views of the Langkofel, Schlern and Sella massifs.

To the west of the Dolomites, just above the Isarco Valley, there is a rather surreal place. Imagine a plateau covering several thousand hectares, with undulating terrain between 1,800 and 2,400 metres above sea level, almost completely devoid of trees, and dotted with hundreds of alpine barns. And all this is surrounded by several Dolomite massifs rising to over 3,000 metres. Here you can give free rein to your wanderlust, and the suggested route is the one we took to discover the area.

Start and finish at the village cable cars with some lovely views around Casterotto A beautiful, fairly steep climb alongside the cable cars through pastures leads to the woods for most of the ascent. Very pleasant on a warm, sunny day. No major difficulties until you reach the highest point of this loop. There are a few small inns to choose from in Marinzen or at the Schafstall hütte. There is a slight variation from the route shown on tourist maps when descending towards St Michael. The descent is quite steep. The rest of the route follows a paved road with no traffic, passing through a charming hamlet and offering beautiful views of the mountains and the village. the total distance is 10 km and the variety of the route means you can enjoy it all the way through.

Walther von der Wogelweide was a renowned minstrel of the German Middle Ages. His statue stands in one of Bolzano's main squares. He is said to have been born in the village of Ried, in the municipality of Lajen/Laion, and the route traced there commemorates his life and work. The route is marked by signs bearing the words "Wogelweide runweg" and an orange logo decorated with a bust of a medieval woman, and is embellished with metal works, some of which are very beautiful.

Lake Sorapis is a magnificent turquoise lake of glacial origin at the foot of the peak known as Le Doigt de Dieu (God's Finger). Please note: a user reported on 15 June 2025 that >the cumulative elevation gain according to our two GPS devices is approximately 400/450m (and definitely not 935m) , and it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes walking at a fairly normal pace.

A major tourist attraction... definitely worth a visit!!! But now you have to remember to book your parking space in advance (30 euros) and, if you don't get a space in the upper car park and you're not a keen walker, it's 10 euros per person for the bus. It's a steep climb! There's a short, fairly strenuous section for about 15 minutes near the end of the climb to the refuge. You can take a 10-minute shortcut along the road to avoid having to go back up if you're tired. The problem is that once you get to the top, you're a bit too tired to go around the "Tre Cime". It is possible to push on to another viewpoint towards the more rugged mountains opposite. Also worth noting: take 50p and £1 coins for the toilets.

Lago del Mis is a little gem nestled between two peaks of the Belluno Dolomites. Its steep banks offer few opportunities for hiking and enjoying the crystal-clear waters. However, at the mouth of the Val Falcina, in the middle of the southern shore of the lake, a nature trail has been created. It starts from the beach at Pian Falcina and climbs up to the heights above. In about an hour, you reach the bottom of a valley where the stream has carved out pleasant pools, then return to the starting point via a trail that follows the flooded bed of a branch of the lake. The route is dotted with information panels explaining the geological and ecological context of the Val del Mis.