Description
A border, for however many thousands of years it exists, can never divide the nature and culture of an area, when the people on either side of it share the same characteristics. This is clearly exemplified along the route we suggest here, which takes in some of the
most beautiful high-mountain lakes situated on both sides of the border: in the Italian area of Sappada, in the province of Belluno and the Austrian area of the Drava Valley in the East Tyrol.
These two itineraries are far apart, yet at the same time close together, as a result of the common history of the peoples on either side of the border. From the 11th century onwards, numerous families came to Sappada [1] from nearby Austria, in particular from the village of Villgraten [2] in the Drava Valley. The mines of Monte Ferro, near Sappada, attracted many poor countryfolk. 800 years later, in Sappada you can still observe the customs and traditions of those settlers, and an ancient-sounding Tyrolean dialect is still spoken.
Our first trip will take us across the border after San Candido into Austria , and in the East Tyrol the first village we come to is Sillian, followed by Strassen.
Just after Strassen lies Anras (1261 m). Leave your car near the church, where the trip to the lakes of Anras begins. Continue northwards, along the road, until the hamlet of Kobreil, and then go along path number 13 towards Vitunserkaser. Along the south-west side of the Riedergampen (2390 m) and the Finsterkofel (2633 m), go up to Anras Lake (2538 m), located in a splendid position. Up to here is about three and a half hours’ walk; a further hour will take you up to the peak of the Gumriaul (2918 m). From a geological and geomorphological point of view, on the first part of the route you will find mostly morainic deposits of post-glacial origin, while the rocky sub-stratum is composed of mica schist and paragneiss, metamorphic rocks from the Palaeozoic Era. In the higher areas the morphology is mainly glacial; the little lakes blocked by morainic deposits were left behind around 11,000 years ago by the glacier which ran into the main glacier of the Drava .
From the south side of the lake, continue westwards, then northwards (path 1), and turn south at the fork (paths 2 and 2a). After the romantic Asch Lake , there is an easy descent down to a Cross and into the Grüneben area. The path leads onto a road which turns to the right and takes you to the Ascher Alm and the Ascher Möser mountain huts. A walk through the hamlets of Kollreid and Zore will take you back to Anras.
We recommend a visit to Anras Castle, which houses a court museum with an exhibition on penal executions; the Church of St. Stefan, of Romanic Origin, dating back to the 13th century; and the Church of St. Anton with frescoes which can be found nowhere else in the East Tyrol .
From Cima Sappada, near the border between the Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions, take the Val Sésis road northwards. When you come to Pian de le Bombarde, near the Baita al Rododendro mountain chalet, it is best to park your car, which you can get back later for the return journey. Continue on to the car park before the Sorgenti del Piave Refuge (1830 m).
Move on to path number 136, which passes by the waters near the source of the Piave River and leads to the Roccolo Pass (1815 m). Continue along a mule track and then along path number 129. Along the northern side of the Rinaldo Group, go up to the Franza Saddle, which offers superb views over the Campanili del Rinaldo and the Val Popèra below. From here, continue south-eastwards on path number 135, which climbs up the slope (traces of military constructions) to the Mulo Pass (2356 m). Up to here the route will take you about two and a half hours.
From the pass, go down on the Sappada side towards the Òlbe basin. In about twenty minutes you will reach three little lakes (2156 m).
From the largest of the three Òlbe Lakes, go down southwards and then eastwards on path number 138, a mule track, towards the Casera d’Òlbe dairy hut. Remaining on the same path, go down along the valley of the Miniera Brook. When you come to the bottom of the valley, cross over the Piave Torrent, and a few minutes later you will come to the clearing where you will find the Baita del Rododendro mountain chalet (1457 m), near Pian de le Bombarde (1 hour 45 minutes from the Mulo Pass). [T.S.]
Above the edge of the wood and the arboreous vegetation (sub-alpine horizon), the alpine zone begins, and further up the niveal zone. In these environments the living conditions of the flora and fauna become rather extreme, and it is unusual to find
: just two or three months is too short a reproduction period, and there is also a serious problem with
, because the higher the altitude, the more difficult it is to find insects which can transport pollen. This is why many alpine plants have
, in order to attract insects.
