Three Days in the Dolomites: Hiking Alpe di Siusi and Seceda

From rolling alpine meadows to jagged ridgelines — and the best aglio olio I’ve ever had at 2,000 metres.

After three days along Lake Como, we packed up and drove north into South Tyrol, swapping the lake’s warm Mediterranean palette for something bigger, colder, and more vertical. The Dolomites don’t ease you in gently.

Day 1 (2 June) — The Drive: Lake Como to Santa Cristina

It’s a five-plus hour drive from Lake Como to Val Gardena, and we made one stop that was absolutely worth it: Bergamo. The upper town (Città Alta) is worth a wander on its own, but the real reason to stop was lunch at Miscusi, a modern pasta restaurant that does the kind of food that makes you wonder why you’d ever eat pasta anywhere else. Simple, well-executed, and exactly what you need before a long drive into the mountains.

We arrived in Santa Cristina in the evening, checked in, and were immediately greeted by an unexpected sight from our room: the Sassolungo peak, perfectly framed in the window. No effort required. It set the tone for the next two days.

Day 2 (3 June) — Alpe di Siusi: Europe’s Largest Alpine Meadow

Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German) is the largest high-altitude alpine meadow in Europe, covering 56 square kilometres at between 1,680m and 2,350m above sea level. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, framed by the iconic peaks of the Sassolungo, Sassopiatto, and the Sciliar massif. The plateau is almost entirely car-free — you park in Ortisei and take a cable car up — which gives the whole place an unusually calm, unhurried feel even when it’s busy.

The hike: We did the Monte Piz–Schgaguler Hut via Monte Seuc trail, 7.7km with 243m elevation gain, counter-clockwise. It’s graded as easy — and for the most part, it is. Open meadows, wooden hay huts dotting the hillside, and Sassolungo visible almost the entire way. The one exception is the stretch after Malga Schgaguler, where the trail gets noticeably steeper. Nothing technical, but worth knowing if you’re hiking with young children.

Pit stops:

Malga Sanon — the first hut stop, good for a mid-morning coffee. Sit outside and let the view do the work.

Malga Schgaguler — the lunch stop, and a highlight. The terrace looks directly onto the meadows with Sassolungo as the backdrop. This is where I had my first taste of Tyrolean cuisine — specifically a cheesecake strudel that was nothing like the apple version I’d expected. Flaky pastry, creamy ricotta-style filling, and just the right amount of sweetness. I immediately wished I’d ordered two.

This was also my first bombardino. If you haven’t encountered it: it’s the Italian Alps’ answer to après-ski — warm egg liqueur mixed with brandy, topped with whipped cream. Think of it as Italy’s version of eggnog, but served hot and considerably stronger. It was invented in the 1970s in Livigno, allegedly after a group of frozen skiers stumbled into a mountain lodge and asked for something to warm them up. One tasted it and reportedly said “Accidenti, è una bomba!” (“It’s a bomb!”) — and the name stuck. I had mine mid-hike, not après-ski. No regrets.

Day 3 (4 June) — Seceda: The Ridgeline Everyone Comes For

Seceda is one of the most photographed spots in the Dolomites, and once you’re standing at 2,500m looking along the jagged spine of the Odle Group, you understand why. The ridgeline runs east–west above Val Gardena, with the needle-like Odle peaks rising sharply on the north face and the valley dropping away below. It’s the kind of view that makes you stop mid-sentence.

Important: the cable car requires advance booking in peak season. Don’t skip this step.

The hike: We did the Seceda–Malga Pieralongia–Rifugio Firenze–Baita Troier circuit, 10.1km with 570m elevation gain, clockwise. The first hour is mostly downhill and this is where you get the full ridgeline view — take your time here, because it’s the most dramatic stretch of the whole trail. After that, the path descends more steeply into the valley, passing through forest and alpine meadow before the final push back up.

Pit stops:

Malga Pieralongia Alm — coffee stop at the foot of the “stone teeth,” two striking rock formations that rise dramatically from the valley floor. A good place to catch your breath after the descent.

Regensburger Hütte — lunch, and genuinely one of the best meals of the whole trip. I had the aglio olio — which sounds like an odd choice at a mountain hut in South Tyrol, but it was extraordinary. My wife had the beef goulash, which was exactly what Tyrolean mountain cooking does well: rich, slow-cooked, and built for altitude. The goulash, like the strudel the day before, felt like real regional food rather than tourist-menu food.

Baita Sofie Hütte — the reward stop, positioned right before the final 200m of steep ascent back to the cable car. We had another bombardino here (earned, this time) and hot apple juice. The climb after this is the hardest part of the hike: sharp, exposed, and legs-burning by that point. But the view from the top, back across the valley and ridge, makes the effort land properly.

What to Know Before You Go

Alpe di Siusi is the more accessible of the two — family-friendly, gentle terrain, well-spaced huts. If you’re hiking with young children or want a long, low-stress day in the mountains, this is the one to prioritise.

Seceda is more demanding, and more dramatic. The ridgeline views in the first hour are the best mountain scenery I’ve seen in Italy. The last stretch back up to the cable car is genuinely tiring, but it’s earned.

Tyrolean food is its own category and deserves more attention than it gets. The strudel variations alone could fill an article. The goulash at altitude might be one of the better food-and-place pairings I’ve experienced.

Bombardino: order one. The first time at a mountain hut is the correct first time.