The Dolomites in Alpe di Siusi

I have been in Alpe di Siusi from 7th to 12th of august and I will share a bit of this great experience in this post.

What about the Dolomites?

In June 26th 2009 The Dolomites were included in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. (By the way, this might be a good place to choose a destination.)

According to UNESCO WHS site, "The site of the Dolomites comprises a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks which rise to above 3,000 metres and cover 141,903 ha. It features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs and a high density of narrow, deep and long valleys."¹

And what about the Alpe di Siusi/Seiseralm?

The 160 square km of Alpe di Siusi are the largest high-altitude plateau of Europe. Very well organized, clean, safe and beautiful are not only characteristics of the Alpe di Siusi itself, but also of the three main towns that remain around the Alpe. The three main towns: Castelrotto, Siusi and Fie. There are also smaller nearby villages that complete this unique bucolic scenario.

People in the region speak italian, german and a regional dialect. Not everyone speak english, but you definitely find people.

In Summer time, there are plenty of trails to hike, mountains to climb, tracks for mountain biking, cliffs for parachuting. Or you can just relax in a farm or look for some wellness treatments. Or you can taste the regional beer, wine and food. Or you can get in touch with the local culture in some churches and castles in the region.

Everything is very well organized with a lot of signs, like in the picture above. However, do not forget to get a map of the tracks at any hotel our tourist office.

Either you are a beginner or a professional hiker, you can find a trekking suitable for you. There are different distance and difficult levels of tracks.

In Winter time, with such great amount of hills and moutains it might be good for skiing. There are plenty of ski schools, ski gear stores, ski rental, lifts and many slopes. Unfortunately, I cannot tell much more about that, because so far, I have been there only in the summer.

How do I move around there?

"A Holiday without car", that is the motto of Alpe di Siusi that you should definitely consider. You can even come by car, but going up to the plateau is not worth. Although there is a parking lot in the Alpe, one cannot drive there after 9h am. Besides, the parking lot cost as much as the cableway that can take you there.

The best choice is to buy one of the touristic cards available in the touristic offices. You can buy a card that allows you to have access only to regional buses or a card that allows you buses + cableway. There are few type of deals that allows you to combine the number of days and the amount of cableway trips, in any case the bus trips are unrestricted.

I bought the Combi Card 3 in 7 that allowed me to have 3 round trips in the main cableway at Siusi, unrestricted shuttle service and unrestricted buses. In august 2009, it cost € 34. That was a good deal for me, because the 3 cableway round trips would have cost €39 + each bus around 1€.

Where is it?

Check it in link of Google Maps.

What about accommodation?

There are a few types of accommodation. Hotel & Pensions can be like regular hotels or you can stay at a family house, which probably put you more in touch with the local way of life. Bed & Breakfast are reasonable places for those that just need a bed, bathroom and breakfast (That is my case). Farms are closer to the nature and might be more relaxing experience among local people. There are also camping areas.

With so many alternatives, it is difficult to talk about prices. You may find the prices at internet or in the catalogue. I have stayed at Pension of Karlegger Family at Via Henrik Ibsen, 16, It was Bed & Breakfast for € 30 per day-person. People there were really nice! I highly recommend then!

All the three main towns have on-line panels showing the updated availability of rooms, directions and contact information for the accommodations. That makes way easier to find a room for last minute arrivals. You can also check availability at their official website.

For a great part of the hotels, you can book your hotel through the Internet.

Nevertheless, if you prefer calling and you are not a german or italian speaker, but speak some english, the touristic offices also help finding and reserving the rooms.

What to eat there?

Before tasting, I honestly had underestimated the food of the "Rifugio". However, the best meals I had were all in the "Rifugio"! These places make any hiking worth!

At Alpe di Siusi you can find a lot of then. Every trail end up in Refugio.

Do not leave without eating Canederli, Speck, Porcini.

Where to find more information?

The best place is the official website of the region: http://www.seiseralm.it/

If you want to see the geography of the region have look in the map.

You can also order a catalogue with more information and all the accommodations available through the cities around the Alpe di Siusi. http://www.seiseralm.it/en/service/catalog/ (I highly recommend to order one!)

And of course, you can get in touch with me by leaving a comment or a tweet.

I hope to have inspired more people to visit this wonderful place!

¹UNESCO WEBSITE

Sources:

http://www.seiseralm.it/
http://www.dolomitesworld.com/
http://it.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idITMIE55P0DG20090626
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1237

Google maps