The Val di San Lucano is a deep, shadowed gash in the southern Dolomites, and the point here lies near Rivamonte and Voltago, in the Agordino, the upper valley of the Cordevole river. The big, pale walls on either side belong to the Pale di San Martino group, one of the nine sets of mountains included in the Dolomites World Heritage listing of 2009, and their sheer rock faces rise more than a thousand metres above the narrow valley floor.
The Dolomites are made of an old coral reef, uplifted and carved by ice, and that is why the rock has the bleached, crenellated look that painters and climbers have loved for generations. In the San Lucano valley the cliffs are especially steep, with names such as the Torre Trieste and the Spiz di Agner, and this part of the range is known more to serious climbers than to casual visitors. It is wilder and quieter than the Cortina or Val Gardena side, with chamois, roe deer, and forests of spruce and larch that glow yellow in October.
The riding is a pleasure. From Agordo the side road winds up the valley with a good surface and long views of the cliffs, but it is narrow and sometimes shaded, so ice and damp lie late on the corners. Higher up the asphalt ends at a car park and the rest is a footpath. Back on the main road, the Passo Duran and the Forcella Staulanza are within reach for a longer day, and the sweeping roads towards the Passo Cereda and Primiero reward patience with a mix of hairpins and open views. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in July and August, and snow can close the high passes from about November to May, so check before setting off.
Agordo, the valley's main town, a few kilometres north, has fuel, bakeries and cafes, and Sedico, lower down towards Belluno, is bigger and has more choice; the villages of Rivamonte and Voltago are very small. Local food leans towards polenta, cured meats and mountain cheeses, and the hotels and refuges of the valley are used to hungry walkers. The best time for riding is June and September, when the roads are dry and the light is clean, and the cliffs turn pink at the end of the day, the well-known glow the Ladin people call the enrosadira.