Published on: 17 March 2013 | Last updated: 9 March 2018
This 460-kilometre route route starts near the Trentino-Lombardia border and takes you through to Carnia in Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. There’s also a variant with a spectacular descent to the Lago di Garda.
The route is designed to take in some of the lesser-known, and quieter, roads and passes but it still takes you to the Sella Ronda and Cortina d’Ampezzo so you won’t be missing out on the more famous areas.
The locals will say that the Dolomites are the most beautiful mountains in the world, and when you see them glowing in the evening or morning light you think that they might just have a point - the mountains were once coral islands so the light brings out the colours.
As well as its natural beauty the area also has its own distinctive culture and history - the valleys of the central Dolomites are home to the Ladins - speakers of the Ladin language: a language which, as the name suggests, has its origins in Latin, and is related to other languages spoken across the arc of the Alps.
Tourism has certainly left its mark on the area, but fortunately there are still plenty of villages where you can admire the traditional architecture. You can also fill up your water bottle from the fontanelle (water fountains) which often still retain pride of place in the village.
Along the way it makes use of a number of cycleways through the Val di Sole, Val Rendena, Val di Fassa, Val di Fiemme and the Lunga via delle Dolomiti which follows an old railway line via Cortina d’Ampezzo to Toblach (Dobbiaco) in the Südtirol.
Map and altitude profile
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Distances | |
---|---|
Ponte di Legno - Madonna di Campiglio | 56 kms |
Madonna di Campiglio - Tione di Trento | 33 kms |
Tione di Trento - Andalo | 37 kms |
Andalo - Molina di Fiemme | 70 kms |
Molina di Fiemme - Canazei | 45 kms |
Canazei - Agordo | 50 kms |
Agordo - Cortina d’Ampezzo | 66 kms |
Cortina d’Ampezzo - Sappada | 82 kms |
Sappada - Carnia | 66 kms |
Lago di Garda variant | 120 kms |
Options
The tour intersects with the Dolomites East-West tour at Canazei and at Cortina d’Ampezzo. There’s nothing to stop you combining parts of the two routes.
The route connects with the Mountains of Lombardia route, which in turn connects to the Western Lakes route - you could combine them together to make a 1,000-kilometre tour that took you through the lakes and mountains of northern Italy.
There’s also the option of a detour to the Lago di Garda.
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Articles in this series
- The Dolomites (West-East): Overview
- The Dolomites (West-East) Part 1
- The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 2
- The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 3
- Dolomites (West-East) – Lago di Garda variant
- The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 4
- The Dolomites (West-East) – Part 5
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