North of Cortina d'Ampezzo, the valley narrows between walls of pale rock, and the road toward Dobbiaco threads through a landscape that looks almost too dramatic to be real. Here, between the Cristallo group to the east and the high plateaus of Fanes and Sennes to the west, you are in the heart of the Dolomites, the mountains UNESCO inscribed in 2009 for their extraordinary beauty and geology. The rock is dolomite, a magnesium-rich limestone formed from ancient coral reefs in a tropical sea some two hundred and fifty million years ago, and the way it catches the evening light, turning pink and orange, has a name of its own in the local Ladin language: enrosadira.
The area was the front line between Italy and Austria-Hungary during the First World War, and the mountains are still riddled with tunnels, trenches and fortifications, some of which can be visited. Cortina itself, a stylish resort town, hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956 and shared the 2026 Games with Milan. The Ladin culture of the valleys, with its own language and traditions, gives the region a distinct identity, and the food blends Italian, Austrian and Alpine influences.
The road here, the SS51, climbs from Cortina over Passo Cimabanche, a gentle pass at around 1,530 metres, and descends past Lago di Landro, with stunning views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, toward Dobbiaco in the Puster valley. It is a fast, flowing road with long curves rather than tight hairpins, but traffic in summer can be heavy, with camper vans, cyclists and tourist cars. The more famous Dolomite passes, such as the Falzarego, Giau and Tre Croci, are all within reach and offer some of the best riding in Europe. Many high passes are closed in winter, and summer weekends bring crowds and police controls.
Cortina, about nine kilometres away, has fuel, cafés and restaurants, as does Dobbiaco to the north, which is smaller but well supplied. Try canederli, the bread dumplings of the Tyrolean tradition, or casunziei, a local beet-filled pasta. Pull over at Lago di Landro, where the Tre Cime rise behind the lake, and take a few minutes to look. The light, the rock and the silence are worth every kilometre.