Got to the top of the mountain by 7:30 this morning and had it all to ourselves. The sky was clear and the 360 view was astounding.
Fascinating place. Two tabletops separated by a very shallow saddle. For 30 months, the northern part was occupied by the Austrians; the southern by the Italians. Each top is a few hundred acres that were riddled with old trenches. Read the wiki article for the military history.
The trail descended from the northern end for 2400'. The trail had been built by the Austrian military to ferry all their supplies to the mountain top. A beautiful piece of trail construction that boggles the mind.
And then descended all the way to the town where we got off the train to start the Alta Via 1 almost three weeks ago and ate at the same restaurant. Niederdorf-Villabassa: all the towns in this valley have two names, the German and the Italian.
Walking into town we passed a fabulous picnic shelter, so after dinner we returned to camp in the shelter.
Tourist season is nearly over. Many Italian schools started this week; some start next week. The refuges close in mid-September and all these towns go nearly dormant.
We're happy and healthy and ready to have a leisurely walk down the valley on Sunday, then catch the train to Milan on Sunday.
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