The coldest winter day I ever spent was summer in Seceda. Nearly 9,000 feet above the Alpine village of Ortisei, June feels like January. Located in the heart of the Dolomites, Ortisei’s culture is a blend of Italian and German in language, cuisine, architecture, and everyday life.
While a light jacket or sweater is common in summer, you can walk right into winter in less than an hour. Better bundle up!
Our journey to another world begins with a quarter-mile walk from our hotel, up a gentle hill, to the entrance tunnel of the cable car system.
A moving walkway transports us up a steeper hill to the boarding area. Colorful advertisements for resorts, hotels, and restaurants line the tunnel walls— just like an airport terminal. It’s a massive place.
Our first lift stops in Furnes where we wander the winding trails of a lush alpine forest, stroll over a walking bridge with the soothing sounds of a rushing stream below our feet, and snowcapped mountains filling the horizon.
From the Furnes station we board the Seceda cable car for a much steeper vertical lift that feels like you’re being hoisted to the top of the mountain. The lift’s motor whirs as it pulls cables strung on towers above us. I hold the handrail to steady myself as the cable car gently sways.
The valley below gets gradually smaller as we cruise higher. The Ortisei village square, churches, rooftops, and even the cable car station below disappear into the background.
It’s now just us, the other people in the cable car, and panoramic window views of an outdoor wilderness. The fertile greens of the rolling pastures and forests turn to stark browns and grays of jagged limestone rocks. An occasional evergreen pops through.
Then we pass over what looks like patches of white blankets— as in blankets of snow. It’s like entering a time portal.
One second it’s summer—then bam— it’s winter! When the cable car doors open, a burst of cold air smacks my face and body. It’s colder than I ever imagined a June day could be.
I frantically unzip my backpack, pull out a heavy sweater and windbreaker and layer them over my long-sleeved shirt. It’s just enough to shield myself from the crisp biting wind. My hands scream for gloves I don’t have. Jacket pockets will have to do.
Stepping out of the lift station, I stop in my tracks at the sight of a sweeping panorama landscape. Massive jagged mountain peaks stand like giant cathedrals of nature. Big, puffy marshmallow clouds swirl overhead, powered by relentless winds that batter my eardrums. My ears beg to be covered.
The sun plays hide-and-seek, poking through the clouds long enough to warm the snow and ice. I slosh through the slushy mix towards the Seceda summit, marked by the imposing large solid wood Crucifix. I learned that summit crosses are common in the Dolomites, serving as symbols for faith, gratitude, and inspiration.
As I journey towards it, I pause along the steep incline from time-to-time to catch my breath. The high altitude slows me down. I stand gazing at this scenic masterpiece that no landscape artist or photographer could really fully capture, even if they had a limitless color palette and lenses.
This is a feast for the eyes. Powerful. Elegant. Colorful. Stark. Forever changing with the movement of sunlight, clouds, and shadows.
When I reach the summit, I stand in awe at the center of the circular viewing platform for a 360-degree perspective, worth every euro of the €148 we spent on roundtrip tickets.
The scenes are powerful in all directions. One head turn reveals endless green rolling valleys. Jagged spires of gray, white, and tan fill my sight as I circle around. I understand now why thousands of people visit this place every day.
Walking back to the cable car with my wife Susan, I feel a presence of peace and soulful reflection. Not just for myself, but I see it in others I observe sitting on benches and standing at the summit.
Seceda isn’t some random rush-through sightseeing stop. It’s a journey to someplace where the air feels purer, the pace is slower, and the dramatic landscapes reveal how extraordinary our world is.
A spectacle crafted by the forces of nature that no human being can duplicate.
Photos by Mellow Wanderer
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