At dawn in a mountain dairy - Sasso Piatto Dairy

Programme

Friday 12 June

• 3:45 pm: meet at the new 3S cable car in Campitello to head up to Col Rodella
• 4:15 pm: once at the summit (2,485 m), we’ll admire the spectacular views and then, rucksacks on our backs, set off along the Friedrich August trail (no. 557-4), which leads, in about 2 hours 30 minutes, to the Sasso Piatto mountain hut (2,300 m). During the walk, led by our Mid-Mountain Guide, we’ll learn the names of the peaks – elevation gain: 161m, elevation loss: 253m.
• 6:30 pm: here we are at the Sasso Piatto Mountain Hut. Off with our shoes and rucksacks, let’s settle in for the night; we’ll all be sleeping together
• 7:30 pm: dinner time! I wonder how hungry we’ll be after this lovely walk... Petra and Thomas will satisfy the appetites of young and old alike with traditional dishes
• 8:30 pm – we have visitors! Karl, the owner of Sasso Piatto Dairy, comes to meet us and explains what lies ahead tomorrow morning, but above all he bids us goodnight with some stories and anecdotes about his family. I wonder what life was (and is) like on the mountain pastures?

• 5:00 am: wake-up call! It’ll be a bit of a struggle at first, but when else will we get to see the sun rise from up here?
• 5:30 am: under the guidance of Karl and his family, we’ll round up the cows into the barn for milking, herding them (complete with shepherd’s crooks!) towards the mountain hut where we’ll be welcomed with a little taste of the breakfast (coffee, tea and pancakes) that awaits us later… but we’ll have to earn it!
• 6:00 am: split into small groups, we’ll get hands-on with the activities at the mountain hut, watching the milking and the preparation of bread, from making butter to making pancakes. Meanwhile, we’ll get a glimpse of how milk is turned into tasty cheese
• 8:30 am: after all that hard work, it’s time for a well-deserved break with a delicious breakfast at the mountain hut, featuring milk, fruit juices, jams, homemade and traditional cakes, pancakes, eggs, butter, cheeses, speck and other cured meats, fresh bread and much more!
• around 9:30 am: we pick up our backpacks and set off again with the guide for the return hike, which offers two options: in favourable weather conditions, a long hike along trail no. 594, mostly on gentle slopes, up to Passo Duron, then a descent into Val Duron following trail marker no. 532 to Campitello (duration: 5 hours, elevation gain: 120m, elevation loss: 1000m); in case of bad weather, descent along trail no. 533 to Campitello (duration: 2.5 hours, elevation loss: 930m)
• return at approximately 3:00 pm (long hike) or 1.00 pm (short hike) – end of #Atdawninamountaindairy… now you can even treat yourself to a nap!