Mount Seceda & Funes Valley

Two Views of the Same Mountains

This tour is built for anyone who wants to stand in the exact spots behind the Dolomites' most recognisable photographs. It combines Mount Seceda, on the sunny side of Val Gardena, with the Funes Valley on the opposite side of the same mountain group — so you get to see the jagged Odle/Geisler peaks from two completely different angles in a single day.

Seceda rises to 2,520 metres (8,300 feet), making it the highest point in Val Gardena reachable by lift. From the centre of Ortisei, a tunnel fitted with escalators and a moving walkway leads to the cable car station, where a double cable car climbs to the summit. From the top station, a roughly 30-minute walk along the ridge leads to a panoramic terrace with a 360-degree view over the Odle group.

In the Funes Valley below, two small churches have become icons in their own right: San Giovanni in Ranui, visible from a viewing terrace, and Santa Maddalena, reached after a further 25-minute walk to a well-known viewpoint locally nicknamed the "bench of contemplation".

Route Highlights

• Bolzano to Ortisei. About 45 minutes by van to the village of Ortisei in Val Gardena.
• Cable Car to Mount Seceda. Roughly 2 hours for the ascent and the panoramic terrace at 2,520 m.
• Lunch. On the mountain or back in Ortisei.
• Transfer to the Funes Valley. About 40 minutes to reach the viewing terrace for the church of San Giovanni in Ranui.
• Walk to Santa Maddalena. A further 30-minute walk to photograph the valley's most famous church.
• Return to Bolzano. About 50 minutes.