The Italian Dolomites: Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm)
Alpe di Siusi (or Seiser Alm, as it's called in German) is a Dolomite plateau, considered the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in Europe. As part of the Dolomites, it's been classified as an UNESCO World Heritage site. It was to be our first stop in our tour of the Italian Dolomites. This epic mountain range, which was the impetus for my originally-planned trip to Italy in 2020 (which went awry due to world events), is located in South Tyrol, the northernmost province in Italy. Its history and proximity to Austria means that actually the majority of the population (over 60%) speak German as their first language, which has interesting consequences for architectural style, cuisine, and if nothing else, signage.
In an effort to preserve the natural environment, cars in Alpe di Siusi are restricted between the hours of 9 am-5 pm. If you are staying on the plateau, as we were, you are permitted to drive up to your accommodations during that time. We'd rented a car in Bolzano (a little Jeep hybrid SUV) and made the 45-min drive to Compatsch, getting our first taste of the narrow, winding mountain roads that would come to characterize our road trip through the Dolomites.
Alpe di Siusi at Sunrise
While the Dolomites offer a seemingly endless selection of photogenic vistas, one that I was particularly looking forward to experiencing was sunrise at Alpe di Siusi.
The night we arrived on the plateau, we experienced a major thunderstorm, which even included a sizeable amount of hail and caused the power to go out for a spell, so I wasn't sure what the weather would be like. But when I awoke at the crack of dawn the following morning, I was graced with mercifully clear skies. I set off in the dark, armed with my head lamp and camera, to make the 4-km walk to where I'd read was a prime sunrise-viewing spot.
Hiking in the early morning, just before dawn, is perhaps one of my favourite things--to experience the stillness before the chaos of the day. There's a kind of reverence in that time, where you almost feel compelled to speak at a whisper to avoid disrupting the silence. The walk was a fairly easy one, along the single track road. I enjoyed watching the sky's colour evolve as we inched closer to sunrise and marvelled at the rolling hills, caressed by wisps of early morning fog. The meadow was dotted with charming log cabins, presumably summer/winter getaways for local Italians.
I eventually found a scenic spot and waited for the sun to creep up behind the Sassolungo massif, bathing the meadow in golden light. There were a few other sunrise seekers who had arrived, and the quiet, meditative experience was marred only by the buzz of a drone someone was flying to capture the views.
After I soaked in enough sunrise, I made the 4-km walk back to Compatsch for breakfast, enjoying the now-illuminated landscape I'd previously only experienced in darkness. I did spy the rather ominous clouds starting to move in, already beginning to obscure the mountain views. I was grateful to have gotten my share of clear skies before the mercurial weather in the Dolomites took over.
Panorama Walk
Thankfully for my senior parents, hiking around the Alpe di Siusi is not the only way to experience the views. Part of the appeal of staying in Compatsch is that it is a bit of a hub for different cablecars/lifts. Just a 15-minute walk from our hotel, and we were boarding the Panorama chair lift, enjoying a peaceful, open-air ride and avoiding a somewhat steep uphill climb. Upon disembarking the lift, we were treated, as advertised, to panoramic views of the surrounding mountains.
The haze and clouds were intermittent, rolling in front of the mountainscapes like a gauzy curtain. It became a running theme for our time in the Dolomites: waiting for the clouds. But we were happy to soak in the sunshine and make our way along the broad, dirt path towards the Schlern / Sciliar Group of mountains.
We came across a Refugio, which was a perfect spot for a refreshment for my parents, as I skipped ahead along the trail to catch even better views. I encountered a cluster of cattle, lazily lounging beside the trail and basking in the morning sunlight.
Once we'd had our fill, we meandered our way back to the chair lift to head back down. The constantly evolving cloud cover meant that paths already taken afforded us somewhat different views the second time round.
taking the Panorama lift
The Puflatsch
Just around the corner from the Panorama chair lift is the conveniently-located Puflatsch/Bullaccia cable car. You emerge from the gondola to arguably even more panoramic vistas than the Panorama chair lift. You need not walk more than 50 metres to take in sweeping views, and there are numerous viewing spots and platforms available, not to mention the well-positioned Puflatsch restaurant. We enjoyed a spot of lunch there, where I sampled a local specialty, spinach dumplings in a cheese sauce.
The advantage of this location was that my parents didn't have to venture far to get their money's worth in mountainscapes, but I also had the option of venturing further afield. I left them to go on a leisurely 5 km hike around the Puflatsch, which afforded me 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains as well a glimpse down at Ortisei, the Alpine town we'd be heading to next.
As it was early afternoon, the sun was hot--beating down on my unprotected head (I later discovered that my sunscreen had worn off, and my forehead and nose were thoroughly burnt). But I was nonetheless eager to let my hiking boot-clad feet take me up and down the trail in search of the next viewpoint.
Horses and cattle were plentiful along the journey, their idle forms dotting the hillside. The clouds had been lingering in front of a particular set of mountains for most of the day, but mercifully, as I rounded the corner to head down the trail to the cable car, they cleared. It was truly a breathtaking beginning to our time in the Dolomites.
Sleeping & Eating
We stayed at the Hotel Bellavista, located in Compatsch. It's a charming, well-appointed little hotel. They gave my parents a free room upgrade, which included a seating area and a door directly to the shared viewing platform overlooking the mountains. I was pleased that they actually offered single rooms (that is, rooms that had just a twin bed for a solo traveller). Given the restrictions on travel in and out of the Alpe di Siusi, I didn't want the hassle of wrestling with cable cars or driving in before 9 am, so I wanted to stay directly on the plateau itself.
We also opted for half-board, which meant 3-course dinners and breakfast spreads at the hotel. The food was really delicious--we enjoyed local favourites like spinach spaetzle, as well as everything from baked cheese croquettes and cordon bleu, to tagliolini with prawns in a saffron cream sauce. All accompanied with a healthy dose of wine, of course!