''Alcune montagne richiedono solo un buon paio di scarpe,
altre, come le Dolomiti, richiedono l’attitudine a sognare.''
Fabrizio Caramagna
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Six days, four friends,
two tents, three maps,
and an itinerary to invent
day by day.
Monte Antelao, Parete Sud, alle spalle Punta Sorapis
Intro
The Dolomites are not just mountains; they are a cradle of inspiration, a place where nature and human creativity meet in a timeless dialogue.
Their grandeur and beauty have left a profound mark on the history of art and architecture.
Here, among these rocks sculpted by wind and water, great minds like Titian found inspiration for their works. The Venetian master, born in Pieve di Cadore, often sought to capture in his brushstrokes the unique light and vibrant colors of the Dolomites.
This is evident in the skies of his paintings, where the red of sunset and the clear blue of day seem to reflect the landscapes he admired as a child. Titian didn’t just paint landscapes; he painted the very essence of nature, much like these mountains—alive, ever-changing, and powerful.
The Dolomites, with their jagged profiles and pale rocks, were described by Le Corbusier as “the most beautiful architecture in the world.”
No human construction, no matter how elaborate or sophisticated, could ever rival the natural majesty of these mountains, where each peak rises like a cathedral carved directly into stone. The unique shapes and range of colors of the Dolomites inspire a sense of harmony and proportion that cannot be ignored.
It’s as if nature itself, through millions of years of evolution, designed a perfect work, balanced between strength and delicacy, between power and beauty.
Croda Rossa d'Ampezzo, Cortina, Bl
This is the charm of the Dolomites: not just their physical grandeur, but also their symbolic and spiritual value. For centuries, these mountains have drawn artists, architects, and thinkers—people searching for meaning, beauty, and a connection with nature. The “enrosadira,” that unique phenomenon which tints the peaks pink and orange at sunset, is a breathtaking sight and has inspired countless tales and legends. It’s a magical moment that seems to suspend time, inviting us to contemplate our smallness in the face of nature’s immensity, while simultaneously reflecting on our belonging to it.Walking through these landscapes means immersing oneself in a millennia-old story, in an environment that is both hostile and welcoming, where humans have learned to live in harmony with nature. The Dolomites are not just a natural wonder; they are a cultural heritage as well. The perched villages, Alpine traditions, and local architecture tell the story of generations who have found a balance between respecting the mountains and human ingenuity.Here, architecture does not challenge nature, but honors it, seeking to integrate without ever overpowering it. Le Corbusier’s words resonate strongly when one stops to gaze at a Dolomite peak: every rock, every ridge seems to have been designed with meticulous care, with an innate sense of proportion and beauty. It’s as if nature itself were the ultimate architect, creating something that humans can only admire and humbly try to understand. Even Titian, with his fiery skies and luminous atmospheres, sought to pay homage to this unmatched beauty, aware that no work of art can truly compete with the grandeur of nature.
The Dolomites are much more than just a scenic view; they are a journey into the soul of the earth, a place that invites reflection and discovery.
Here, among rocks and peaks, every step seems to bring you closer to a universal truth, to a deeper understanding of our place in the world.
It’s no wonder that those who visit the Dolomites always return with something new: a sense of wonder, an indelible memory, a realization that pure beauty still exists, and we can find it here, among these silent and majestic mountains.
The Dolomites are not just mountains like others: they are a living work of art, sculpted by time, during the time, inviting us to reflect on the beauty of the world and how much we still have to learn from nature.
The Route
Our itinerary stretches from Moso, in Alta Pusteria, to San Vito di Cadore, and can be divided into three distinct parts corresponding to the main mountain groups crossed: Croda dei Tóni and Popèra, Marmaròle, and Antelao.
These famous Dolomites ranges have remained relatively “immune” from the heterogeneous, often unruly crowds of so-called casual tourists.
Here, just a short distance away from the valley floor, you can experience true peace and findyourself in the authentic, primitive, and unspoiled mountain environment, offering timeless and genuine experiences.This traverse, both physically and mentally demanding, reaches its peak on the summit of Monte Antelao. Also known as the “King of the Dolomites,” it is the second-highest peak of the entire group.
It presents itself as a mighty pyramid-shaped mass of rock, carved with gullies and vertical chimneys covering all its slopes.The “King of the Dolomites,” with its majestic grandeur and a prominence of 1,735 meters, has always captured the imagination of those passing by or camping at its base, stirring a single question:How vast must the view be from up there?It was 2008, I was 11 years old when I first dreamed of climbing it: on August 24th, 2024, that dream became reality. I was finally able to understand, firsthand, the reason behind that light that sparkled in the eyes of anyone who spoke to me about their ascents on that mountain.
The Stages:
the end
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