Summer in the Dolomites – Val di Fassa

This blogpost is part II of our “Summer in the Dolomites” series. In part I we showed you places to go in the area of Cortina d’Ampezzo (check it out here!). In part II we will show you some great places to go in Val di Fassa! Get ready for beautiful hikes, typical dolomite rock formations, mountain climbing and snow in the middle of the summer!

Val di Fassa – Canazei

Canazei is a small town in the middle of Val di Fassa in Italy. It is a great place to stay when exploring the Dolomites. This town is relatively quiet in summer and gives you lots of opportunities to go hiking or climbing. Further on in the valley of Val di Fassa you’ll find a number of other small towns such as the beautiful Moena or the lovely Vigo di Fassa. In Vigo di Fassa you can find the Active Olympic Hotel which has a great spa to relax after a long day of hiking!

There is a special cycle path through the whole valley of Val di Fassa. It is great to rent some mountainbikes or e-mountainbikes and cross through the valley. With the e-MTB in turbo mode you’ll have no problem cycling up the mountain roads! While cycling you’ll have nice mountain views and you’ll come across typical Alpine houses in the small towns.

 

Marmolada

One of the places you should definitely visit near Canazei is the highest mountain of the Dolomites: the Marmolada. There is a cabin lift from Lago di Fedaia to Pian Fiacconi that brings you half up unto the Marmolada, right up until the bottom of the glacier. Here you can walk around or enjoy the snow in summertime!

 

Passo di Fedaia

Passo di Fedaia is situated at the foot of the Marmolada. We took the cabin lift from Canazei to Pecol and from Pecol to Col dei Rossi. From here we hiked to Passo di Fedaia. This panoramic hiking trail leads you through some green fields with a good possibility to meet some of the local cows and sheep! During the whole hike you’ll have a great view of the Marmolada and at the end of the trail you’ll be rewarded with a view of the blue Lago di Fedaia.

 

Catinaccio – Rosengarten

A famous and amazing hike is the hike from Rifugio Gardecchia to Rifugio Ré Alberto. The trail first leads you to Rifugio Vajolet. We will always remember this place because Sanne accidentally dropped her iPhone in the toilet of this Rifugio! Imagine that it was not a normal toilet but a hole in the ground.. Thankfully the phone started working again after 1 day and it is still alive! Make sure to have a break here before you continue the more challenging hike to Rifugio Ré Alberto. This hike is a bit more challenging because of the rock climbing. There are iron cables attached to the rocks on some difficult parts. It is not challenging if you just take your time! After 1,5 hour you’ll arrive at Re Alberto. There is a small lake where you can picknick or you can just eat at the Rifugio. You’ll have an amazing view of the 3 famous Vajolet towers. It is possible to spot some mountain climbers finding their way to the top of these Vajolet towers. If you spend more days in Val di Fassa make sure to walk to Lago d’Antermoia too! The trail passes Rifugio Vajolet and ends at a big blue mountain lake: Lago d’Antermoia. This one is still on our bucket list for when we return to Val di Fassa!

 

Passo Sella

The Sella Pass (2244m.) separates Val di Fassa from Val Gardena and is a 15 minute drive from Canazei. The big vertical walls of the Torri del Sella are quite impressive. Together with a mountain guide from Val di Fassa you can try rock climbing for the first time (like Sanne did) or go for the real stuff and climb some huge dolomite walls!

 

Lago di Carezza

Lago di Carezza is a beautiful mountain lake at the border of Trentino. When there’s not a lot of wind the lake turns into a beautiful mirror showing pine trees with the Dolomites in the background. Don’t miss this beauty when you are around!

Val di Fassa is a great area to spend your holiday! You’ll have the warm temperatures of Italy, combined with Italian food and lots of places to go! You can check the website of Val di Fassa here for more information about hiking or guided hikes or mountain climbing.  Share your experiences with us if you have been here too!