So having walked one of the best walk I’ve done, what to do next. Surely it would be a lesser walk, or maybe so,ething that doesn’t impress anywhere near as much as the previous day. Seceda was still very much in the memory and those ridgeline views imprinted on the brain. Prior to heading out to Italy I’d looked at walks, naturally, but not knowing our abilities in this area, had meant I’d erred on the side of safety. But one walk kept coming up, described as family friendly, easy walking and all year round. A valley walk called Vallunga, which I thought might fit nicely after a week of pounding pavements for 10 miles a day, an 8 mile walk the day before and one we could do again from the door. So we had a lie in, booted up and set off through Selva towards the valley entrance and trail number 14, which heads through the valley and out of the far end, up onto the high plataeu around the Puez Hutte. We walked through the large car park and soon the high cliffs loomed above us, sheer faces of Dolomite rock, jagged peaks with lush meadows and stands of pine in front of us. A gorgeous sight. We walked the path until it opened in a wide meadow, alpine cattle grazed, their bells clanging and echoing around the valley. We walked further in to a second smaller meadow and stopped their for lunch, looking back along the valley and the vertiginous cliffs. To go further would mean a climb, up through more pines of around 400 metres to the moonscape plataeu. We decided it would be a return walk along the valley, its around 3 1/2 miles to the far end as it was and weary legs and feet didn’t need another long day. The return was just as lovely, eyes drawn upwards to the sharp peaks overhead, we again passed the cows and a small chapel before stopping at a hutte at the valley end. Refreshed we walked back into town, stopping for some supplies before heading to the apartment. We headed out for pizza that evening, not as good as the one we had in Bologna, and it was here we really noticed the Austrian influence on the food. That evening huge thunder storms rolled in, lighting up the skies, the next day had a forecast for similar weather, we decided to wait for morning before choosing what to do. Another fantastic walk in the Dolomites and the reviews were right, Vallunga is stunning.
The night before I took this picture out the back of our apartment. Stevia is up to the left and a sun topped Punton Dal Fier (above the house) and Gran Cier further right. Vallunga is between theseThe Sella range ahead as we set offLinda heading into Vallunga as we walk through the higher parts of Selva Val de GardenaLooking back out and Sassolungo is again in viewThis range just grabs the attention, cable car routes run up to the grassy meadows below it and ski runs are clearly seen coming down the right hand side.Into Vallunga, on the right is Punton Dal Fier and further in Ciastel de ChedulOn our left was the towering Ciastel de Stevia and Mascula, all of these mountains sit around the 2200-2400 metres lineMoth, not sure what type but we saw lots of themThrough the pines, cliffs high above usLooking back out of Vallunga, the ever present Sassolungo still in viewThe site of an old limestone kiln here in the valleyMountain Green Veined WhiteHeading around a slight bend in the valley and Col Turont comes into viewThe wide alpine meadow, alpine cattle and their bells with Col Turont dominating the valley aboveMyself trying to take it all in, as we walk through the meadow, full of yellow buttercups. Puez Hutte is on the top of that mountain ahead. Col Turont high aboveA thin path heads up that way into the Val de Lietres, not for us todayLinda taking it all in nowWe’d reached the higher meadow, about 4 miles from the apartment and figured this would be a good spot for lunch, up on the left is Ciamp Sciblota and Ciastel de ChedulAs we sat eating our sandwiches we heard the unmistakeable clanging bells of alpine cattle, they were returning down route 14 to the meadows below, they were a little frisky and protective of their young, but we hid out of the way and caught this fantastic photo of them walking back into the valleyVallungaMeadows of buttercupsHuge peaks above, this is Col Dala PieresOne last look at the meadow and Col TurontAnd the alpine cattle now resting on their pastureThe spiky serrated summits around Ciamp Sciblota and Ciastel de ChedulStunning VallungaThese green pine sections set off the bright limestone of the Dolomite rockDrinking fountain, again at a good time as we’d run out of waterCiastel de SteviaThe chapel of St SilvesterYep refreshments were well deservedBack into Selva and a stunning view along the valleyThe church at Selva as we neared the shop and some supplies. What a fantastic walk, well above expectations and one I would recommend. We headed out that evening for pizza, which was ok and just got back to the apartment before it started raining heavily and then the lightning and thunder came, rolling around the valleys. A spectacular way to finish a day.
treksandtors 