On the Way Back

Leaving Lago di Misurina, we planned to take an entirely different route back to Colle Santa Lucia.

Unfortunately, we got turned around as we were leaving the parking lot. So, we followed the route from this morning through Cortina d’Ampezzo (OMG the traffic!). But then, at the junction with SP638, we stayed on SR48 for a change of scenery.

It was well worth the few additional minutes that this detour added to our drive. As well as getting to enjoy another area of the Dolomiti — on a road that had fewer crazy hairpin turns — we came across an interesting iron and stone sculpture at the overlook near the Belvedere Grill-Bar. A plaque nearby provided an explanation about the Valentino Moro sculpture, entitled “Challenge” …

“Poised between the earth and the sky, a severed trunk, sturdy and gnarled, stretches out into the void. A new life, a larch, rises from the branch of the stunned stem, symbolizing the triumph of the instinct to survive in every condition and circumstance. The sculpture attests the will to resist, to overcome the pain of the appalling tragedy brought on by the Vaia Storm that, in October 2018, caused the crashing of millions of trees and the destruction of thousands of hectares of forest in the alpine region of the Triveneto.”

We had not heard of this storm … or if we did, we did not associate it with this region. Curious, when we got back to the apartment I looked up the storm. Devastating by any measure, the description I found on the “Guide Dolomiti” website was shocking to say the least. I’m adding the link here for anyone interested (you may have to translate it using your device app) … https://www.guidedolomiti.com/varie/tempesta-vaia/.

And on that note, it’s time to call it a day and wrap up today’s outing.Read more