A Hike Around Lago di Braies, Italy

A Hike Around Lago di Braies, Italy

A rowboat on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy
A rowboat on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy

The Dolomite Mountains north of Venice are some of the most beautiful in Italy. Sculpted by centuries of  wind, rain, snow and ice, the rocks have been carved into gothic-looking spires with peaks that soar over the green meadows in the valleys below. Spectacular mountain massifs hide tiny blue lakes that shimmer like pearls in the sunlight. You almost stumble upon them accidentally as you wander through these enchanting mountains. One of the deepest and most spectacular is Lago di Braies (Pragser Wildsee in German).

A hotel sits on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy
A hotel sits on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy

Located about 40 miles from Bolzano in the Fanes-Senes-Braies /Prags Nature Reserve (Trentino Alto Adige region of South Tyrol), Lago di Braies was formed after an avalanche on Sasso del Signore Mountain plugged up the Braies River. It is a magical place, rich in legends in the Ladin language, which speak of the Fanes people and the lake, home to a shimmering princess whose tribe made an alliance with the marmots.

This was also where one of the last stands of World War II took place when a number of high profile hostages (including the French politician Leon Blum) were rounded up and brought to this area to serve as a bargaining chip with the Allies.

Lago di Braies is the trailhead of the Alta Via 1 hiking trail in the Dolomites called The Classica (La Classica) which winds through valleys, up rock faces with the help of iron ladders (Vie Ferrate) and along ridge lines to reach Belluno about a week later.

There is an old hotel (Hotel Lago di Braies/Pragser Wildsee) on the edge of the water from where you can start a one-hour walk around the lake. A small chapel sits on the right side, and a boathouse with rowboats for rent is on the left. Trees line the shore and the scent of spruce and pine fill the air. A narrow path undulates along the shore, sometimes right along the edge of the lake, other times climbing onto cliffs high above the pristine, emerald green water. In parts, tiny white shingle beaches allow you to dip your feet or fingers in the icy cold water.

The play of light makes this a photographer’s dream. Sometimes the water is a shimmering turquoise, other times, an intense blue, mirroring the stark outline of the Coda del Becco mountains above it. After you have walked around the lake, rent an old-fashioned wooden boat and row out to the middle; stop and listen to the sounds of solitude, broken only by the clanking of cowbells on the hillside. You can almost hear the marmots chattering to their princess, calling her back to life. Then go back and have a delicious cappuccino before continuing to explore the Dolomites.

The chapel on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy
The chapel on the shores of Lago di Braies, Dolomites, Italy

IF YOU GO
For additional information see www.lagodibraies.com. To get to Lago di Braies from Cortina d’Ampezzo, take the SS51 highway to Dobbiaco. Turn left onto SS 49 towards Brunico and follow the signs for Lago di Braies. The best time to go is between July and September. There is a fee-paying parking lot near the lake.

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