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Retrace your steps downhill, sticking to the military road all the way to friendly Rifugio Vallandro (2040m, 45min). Close-by you can see the castle-like ruins of a prominent Austrian fort, a witness to the activity here during the 1915–1918 conflict.

Turn R (NW) along the 4WD track (n.37) that cuts across the pastoral basin dotted with red-barked Arolla pines. Remember to close all stock gates behind you as you return to Rifugio Pratopiazza (1991m, 30min).

Monte Specie is a superb lookout

Rifugio Pratopiazza Tel 0474 748650 www.plaetzwiese.com

Rifugio Vallandro Tel 0474 972505 www.vallandro.it

WALK 4

Alpe di Sennes Circuit

Start/FinishRifugio Ra StuaDistance17km/10.5 milesAscent/Descent830mGrade1–2Time5hr 20min (can be shortened to 3hr)MapsTabacco n.03 scale 1:25,000AccessOn the SS51, the signed turn-off for Rifugio Ra Stua is 8km N of Cortina (near Sant’Uberto where the road curves tightly E towards Dobbiaco). The narrow 3km access road that follows is closed to traffic from mid-July to mid-September, when a shuttle bus from the Fiames Dolomiti d’Ampezzo Park office covers the distance. Car parking is, in fact, an easier proposition at Fiames. Moreover, local Cortina buses as well as SAD services stop there.

The ancient hunting castle of Sant’Uberto used to stand on a prominent hillock just off the main road from Cortina and, as the story goes, it belonged to two venerable English ladies who were forced to abandon it at the outbreak of the First World War. Set in no-man’s land, its well-stocked cellar received regular visits under the cover of night from both Austrian and Italian troops in the early days of the conflict, although (reportedly) nothing as slight as a skirmish ever broke out, each side preferring to stagger back in silence to its respective camp loaded with precious provisions. At a later date the castle was shelled to smithereens but the place name survived on maps. Sant’Uberto is set at the narrow mouth of the beautiful valley that leads to the Alpe di Sennes uplands, today’s destination.