Col Raiser - Ortisei


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Europe » Italy » Trentino Alto Adige » Val Gardena » Urtijei
September 10th 2015
Published: September 10th 2015
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A different way to park bikesA different way to park bikesA different way to park bikes

This seems a much better way to park bikes, by the seat rather than the wheels. It's simpler and can park more bikes.
Another case of Murphy's Law. We got a bus to St Cristina but got off too early and had to walk some way to the stop where we should have been. While there, there was a gratis bus to the Col Raiser gondola as well as a Summer Bus going up the valley. We, in our wisdom figured we would walk up to the station and just as we got there both buses arrived. Of course!

The gondola cost us E25 one way since we were now out of our 3 day Pass. It was a much longer cable way that we had anticipated and we were soon up to 2100m and right into the head of a mountain basin with amazing scenery all around. We had all day to do this hike so we took our time having a coffee at the top and watching an enormous dog who seemed part of the hotel and restaurant. He looked like a very old St Bernard and the size of a small horse.

Col Raiser is hill/mountain at the centre of a large basin that presumably had glaciers around it, isolating it from the mountains all around. It is part of the Puez Parco Naturale (or Nature Park). Across the basin is Seceda where we were a couple of days ago. From the Col, we walked steeply down on a zig zag track to a Rifugio (mountain accomodation) then across to a forested hillside where we wound our way steadily downhill through tall fir trees and open grassy pastures. The track was good with many strategically placed seats looking out at the peaks all around. Our goal was St Jacob's church and eventually Ortisei.

St Jacob's church is only accessible by foot and sits up in the forest in a grassy area all by itself above St Cristina. It is the oldest church in Val Gardena and has some very old frescoes painted on the outside walls dating back to the 15th Century. From information there, it is thought that it was originally built in 1283. It is dedicated to St Jacob, the patron saint of travellers and pilgrims. Our feet were certainly feeling like those of travellers when we arrived there but they didn't get too much rest as we still had a long way downhill to go.

Eventually, after a long and winding path downhill we
One huge dog.One huge dog.One huge dog.

Rather the size of a small horse than a dog. He is an old dog and very much part of the scenery at the hotel/restaurant.
arrived back in Ortisei with sore feet and leg muscles. The light relief was knowing that was our last day of high mountain walks and tomorrow we would do something shorter and low level. But, as with every other day here, it has been a day of magnificent scenery which somehow we want to etch into our memories.


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St Jacob's churchSt Jacob's church
St Jacob's church

Built in 1283 with frescoes from the 15th century. It stands in splendid isolation above the town and in the forest.


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