Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro), Vallunga/Langental, Puez Group, Dolomites, South Tyrol, Italy, Europe. The beautiful ski resort of Selva di Val Gardena (German: Wolkenstein in Gröden; Ladin: Sëlva Gherdëine) makes a great hiking base in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol (South Tyrol) region of Italy. For our favorite hike in the Dolomiti, start from Selva with the first morning bus to Ortisei or St. Christina, take the Seceda lift, admire great views up at the cross on the edge of Val di Funes (Villnöss), then walk 12 miles (2000 feet up, 5000 feet down) via the steep pass Furcela Forces De Sieles (Forcella Forces de Sielles) to beautiful Vallunga (trail #2 to 16), finishing where you started in Selva. The hike traverses the Geisler/Odle and Puez Groups from verdant pastures to alpine wonders, all preserved in a vast Nature Park: Parco Naturale Puez-Odle (German: Naturpark Puez-Geisler; Ladin: Parch Natural Pöz-Odles), including the deeply glaciated U-shaped valley of Vallunga (Langental). As sheep and cows graze en route, Saint Sylvester's Chapel (San Silvestro) in Vallunga is fittingly dedicated to the patron saint of cattle and contains 300-year-old frescoes depicting the life of Jesus. UNESCO honored the Dolomites as a natural World Heritage Site in 2009. This panorama was stitched from 4 overlapping photos.
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