Hotel Somont

Sassolungo Group

by sandysmith

Haha, it would be very difficult not to see this mountain group in Selva - it is quite prominent at this top end of the Val Gardena.
We enjoyed hiking down the middle of this group - yes believe it or not there there is a chasm running down the inside of it! We also hiked around its base and admired it from the opposite side of the valley from the top of the chairlift in Ortisei - see transport tip.

The Sassolungo Circle

by sandysmith

This circuit involves a bus ride up to the Sella Pass, a gondola ride up to Toni Demetz Rifugio and a hair-raising walk down to the Rif. Vicenza. The trail then leads around the outside of the Sassolungo to Rif. Comici.

The gondolas only take 2 people and are like upright coffins - you need to quickly jump on or catch the next one!

The walk down to the Vicenza Rifugio is like walking down and through the crater of a volcano. I would allow a good hour for this (not 35 mins as the guide suggests) and make sure you have good footwear with ankle supports - even in Summer this track was snow covered at the top.

The view down from the top looks frightening at first - can you make other hikers out near the bottom. I was glad there was an ant-like trail of hikers this day as it made the trail easier to pick out in the snow - I might not have attempted it otherwise.

I eventually made it down - sometimes thanks to my rear end. As the hut was reached an Italian choir was singing in harmony and this was reverberating around the mountain - a magical experience. The trail then meanders around the outside of the Sassolungo where another cable-car takes you conveniently down to Selva.