Driving from Ortisei to Venice, which way?
 

Hi everyone, we are currently in Ortisei in the Dolomites and we are moving on to Venice in a few days time.
Has anyone driven from Ortisei across to Cortina and down to Venice?
We have a full day to do it but don't want to deal with dreadful roads, a few bends are fine If not too narrow!
The alternative route on the A22 is how we got here and we'd like to go a different way and the Val Gardena tunnel in closed so the route back to the A22 is not the best either.
Thanks for any help you can give
Ciao
Rosie

A22 is the fastest road. Ortisei to Cortina has three passes to do, roads are not narrow but there aren't a few bends: there are plenty of bends. Only the descent from the top of Pordoi down to Arabba has 33 hairpin curves.

I have driven that route twice via Cortina and had no problems. I would do it if weather is not bad.

Here are some pics:

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4441

Hi Rosie - The route from Ortisei/Selva - GARDENA Pass - Corvara - La Villa-in-Badia - San Cassiano - VALPAROLA Pass - FALZAREGO Pass - Cortina

- is one of the most spectacular in the Alps! If visibility is good, don't miss the Lagazuoi cable-car ride at the top of Falzarego Pass

This is nicer than the Pordoi route via Arabba IMO - and has rather fewer hairpins :)

Steve

Thanks so much everyone!
Steve, we leave in the morning and it looks like being a glorious day so we will follow your advice which is also the route Via Michelin takes. We have been up the cable car ( Seceda?) in Ortisei do you think the Lagazoui trip is better?
Thanks again all,
I'll do a trip report when I come down to earth
We live in a beautiful world!!
Rosie

There is hardly a landscape as magnificent as the Lagazuoi cable car. The ascent is so steep to be a little frightening, but as you are at the top station a new landscape opens up, very rugged. Of course the trip up the cable car makes sense only in good weather.

If you study some history the trip gets a deeper meaning. During 1st World War Austrians occupied both the pass and the top of the mountains. But about half way of the almost vertical stone wall, Italians were able to occupy a very narrow strip. Battles went on for almost three years, with Austrians trying to shot Italians from below and bombing from above, but Italians kept their position. At some time, Italians began digging a corkscrew-like tunnel going up, they put dynamite in it and had a whole mountain exploded with Austrian keeping the top, permanently changing the geography of the zone. If you have a short hike from the cable car top station, it is not impossible to find scraps from the combats - old boot soles or bullet shells. All the small grottoes were shelters. It is still possible to descend down to the pass through the unexploded section of the corkscrew tunnel, but this is recommended only to very experienced hikers with adequate equipment as the tunnel is very steep, dark and damp.

http://addiator.blogspot.it/2006/08/...i-tunnels.html

Rosie - Hope you enjoyed the drive - and that you had good visibilty for Lagazuoi.

Look forward to hearing your impressions of the Dolomites - one of my favourite places in Europe :)

Steve