Dolomites · Giau, Falzarego and Cortina High Road

Two passes and 54 km

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Why this ride

Sharper, higher, wilder: a Dolomite day with status checks mandatory. A 54 km loop that starts and ends near Selva di Cadore, about 1 h 02 of riding. The climbs: Passo Giau, Falzarego Pass and Valparola high road. It tops out at about 2,250 m. It is a high-mountain day.

Roadbook

1. Passo Giau pass · 2236 m

   Giau is one of those passes that makes you slow down on purpose. At 2,236 metres it crosses between the valley of Selva di Cadore and the Cortina side of the Dolomites, climbing out of dark spruce forest onto an open saddle of short grass, boulders and scattered chalets, with the jagged ridge of Ra Gusela and the table-like top of Nuvolau rising to the north. The villages below, Selva di Cadore and Colle Santa Lucia, are tiny and Ladin-speaking, and the ancient Ladin culture of these valleys gives this part of the Dolomites a different flavour from the German-speaking Alto Adige on the far side of the range.

   The road is narrow, and the hairpins come one after another on the southern climb, tight enough that first and second gear are the right choices. The surface is generally good, though frost heave leaves a few ripples, and on a summer weekend you share it with cyclists and cars. Early morning is by far the best time, when the light slants across the rocks and the meadows are still wet. By afternoon cloud often builds around the summits, and thunderstorms can roll in quickly, so keep an eye on the sky and have a waterproof layer within reach.

   At the top, a small refuge sells coffee and simple food, and marmots whistle from the slopes and sometimes pose near the car park. The flowers in July are extraordinary, especially gentians and orchids. The mountain called Croda da Lago stands a little further to the east, a hanging wall of rock above a small lake that makes a rewarding walk if you have time. In the First World War, this front line ran through these peaks, and the remains of trenches and tunnels can still be found on the surrounding mountains.

   The pass is normally snow-free from early summer into October, but check before you go, because heavy snow can close it earlier or later. Cortina d'Ampezzo, nine kilometres away, has several stations, and it is the sensible place to fill up before heading back to Falzarego.

   Finishing here feels fitting. After the long climb and the views, the descent to the valley and a plate of pasta in Cortina is the perfect reward.

2. Falzarego Pass pass · 2105 m

   Falzarego Pass is a high, rocky saddle at 2,105 metres on the road between Cortina d'Ampezzo and the Livinallongo valley, and the first thing you notice is how much of the landscape is made of ruin. Not buildings, but rock: the walls of the Tofane and the Cinque Torri, the tower-like peaks to the east, and the great scree slopes beneath them. Near the summit is the lower station of the cable car that rises to the Lagazuoi, a summit with a view over half the Dolomites.

   The pass has a grim history. During the First World War, the line between Italy and Austria-Hungary ran along these ridges, and soldiers on both sides spent years in tunnels dug into the mountains, fighting as much against the weather as each other. Tunnels, trenches, and gun emplacements remain on the Lagazuoi and the Cinque Torri, and an open-air museum preserves some of them. The mountain is heavily visited, but the silence of the old galleries, cold and dripping, is a reminder of what happened there.

   The riding is a pleasure. From Cortina, the road climbs steadily through forest and then open pasture, with long bends and good surface, and it feels natural, with views opening onto the pale towers. The descent toward Livinallongo is steeper, with tight hairpins, and the traffic can be heavy in July and August. The pass is generally open from late spring to autumn, though snow can fall early, and winter may close it intermittently. Morning is the best time for the light and the quiet.

   Cortina d'Ampezzo, about ten kilometres to the east, is the biggest town nearby, with fuel, restaurants, and shops, and it is the sensible place to fill up. Smaller places along the way, like Livinallongo and Colle Santa Lucia, have limited facilities. At the pass itself you will find refuges, a hotel, and a cable car station, and a plate of pasta or polenta with a coffee works well after the climb. Wind and cloud can arrive suddenly, so carry a warm layer and a waterproof, even on a clear day.

3. Valparola high road high

   Valparola is the pass that most people drive without registering, because it comes straight after Falzarego and shares its scenery. At 2,192 metres it is actually higher, and it is the quieter of the two, a gentle crest in a landscape of green pasture and pale rock, with a small lake beside the road and a stone fort standing at the summit. The fort, Tre Sassi, was built by Austria-Hungary before the First World War and was shelled by Italian artillery in 1915. It is now a museum, and the walls still show the scars.

   The road branches from the Falzarego route a few kilometres on, and heads north-west toward Armentarola and the Val Badia. It is a relaxed road, with long, open bends, little gradient, and good surface. It does not have the drama of the Falzarego hairpins, but it has a kind of calm, the quiet of high pasture, with cattle bells and larch trees. Motorcycles are plentiful, and the traffic can be slow in summer, but the views are never far from perfect.

   The geology is dolomitic, but the vegetation is richer than on the harder passes. Alpine meadows bloom in July with gentians, arnica, and orchids, and the air smells of cut hay and resin. Marmots whistle from the scree, and in the evening, chamois can sometimes be seen on the slopes. It is easy to spend an hour here without doing much at all, and the little lake is a pleasant place for a sandwich.

   For fuel, Cortina d'Ampezzo is about twelve kilometres away, and Corvara and La Villa, on the far side, have smaller stations. Livinallongo, to the south, is also a small place. There is little in the way of services on the pass itself, apart from a refuge and the museum. The best season is from June to September, when the road is open and the weather is warm, though afternoon thunderstorms are common. In autumn, the larches turn gold, and the traffic thins, so it may be the best time of all.

4. Corvara food base food

   Corvara sits in a bowl of green pasture at the head of the Alta Badia, ringed by the great limestone walls of the Sella group and the Puez, and it has the compact, sunny confidence of a place that has been hosting travellers for a long time. It is a Ladin village, and in the signs, the church, and the farmhouses with their carved balconies, you can see how the Dolomites have kept a culture of their own. The sound of Ladin, a Romance language with hints of German and Italian, is still heard in the cafes.

   Corvara is a good place to eat well. The food of the Dolomites mixes Tyrolean and Italian traditions, and menus here run to canederli, the big bread dumplings, casunziei, half-moon pasta stuffed with beetroot, polenta with mushrooms, and apple strudel with cream. Local producers offer cheese and cured meats, and the coffee is Italian in strength. A proper meal here is a pleasure that can turn a couple of hours into half a day, and it is worth allowing for that.

   The roads around it are among the best in the Alps. From Corvara you can ride over the Campolongo Pass to Arabba, over the Gardena Pass to Val Gardena, or toward Falzarego and Valparola, and all of them have good surface, steady gradients, and views that make you slow down. The corners range from open sweepers to tight hairpins, and the traffic is heavy on summer weekends but manageable early or late. Winter closes some passes, and snow can fall in any month at altitude.

   Fuel is available in Corvara and the nearby villages, though small stations may have limited hours, and it is sensible to fill the tank when you can. Cortina d'Ampezzo, about twenty kilometres away, is the largest town in the area, and has everything a traveller needs. Rest in the sunshine on a terrace if the weather is fair, and keep a warm layer for the evening, when the temperature falls quickly. The light at dusk, when the Sella walls turn pink, is something to remember.

5. Back to Passo Giau finish · 2236 m

   Back at Passo Giau. That is the ride.

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