Map of Ritter Horn
Bolzano was once part of Austria and the primary language we
hear is German, followed by Italian, then some English. Everyone seems to generally speak German and
many conversations combine the two languages. In a store, we heard the staff talking in
German, but saying sizes to each other in Italian. I'll use the German names and put the Italian in parenthesis.
We start in Bolzano at 262 meters (860 feet) and take
the cable car up to the small town of Oberbozen
(Soprabolzano) at 1220 meters (4000 feet).
Entrance to the Ritten Seilbahn cable car station
View from the gondola on the way up
At Oberbozen, we catch the Ritter Bahn (Treno del Renon)
train across to Klobenstein (Collalbo), a little lower at 1160 meters (3800
feet). The train winds through the beautiful
countryside and we start to appreciate the views from the mountain. The map suggests that the hike from
Klobenstein to the summit should take about 4 hours and then a little less
than 4 hours back.
Ritter Bahn train in station
Old Ritter Bahn train car
In Kolbenstein, we find the trail just outside the train
station and start our climb through town. Soon we are walking through alternating forests and Alpine meadows,
sharing the path with cows and goats.
And, as we round each corner, there is often a new discovery, this time a scarecrow in someone's field.
As
we approach one field, we hear sound of bells tinkling ahead. A little later, we see the cows and realize
we are hearing cowbells. What a
beautiful sound.
Even later, after the fog descends on us, we realize that this how one can find the cows in the fog – follow the sound of the bells. But, watch out for other signs of cows on the path.
Crossing an Alpine meadow
And, as we round each corner, there is often a new discovery, this time a scarecrow in someone's field.
Scarecrow guarding the field
Sharing the path with the cows, with bells
Even later, after the fog descends on us, we realize that this how one can find the cows in the fog – follow the sound of the bells. But, watch out for other signs of cows on the path.
Watch where you walk on the shared path!
After we walk for about and hour and a half, up 378 meters
(1240 feet), we spot an operating ski lift as we ponder the possible 6.5 hours
left. We buy a one-way ticket on the ski
lift and ride up 538 meters (1742 feet), significantly decreasing the up
portion for the day.
From the ski lift it is only about 1 hour and 191 meters (625 feet) to the summit. As we climb higher, the cold, wind, and fog grow stronger. At the summit, we are completely in the fog, with a cold, moist wind. We don’t stay long. It’s not surprising to hear the next day that it’s snowing up there. In September.
Taking the ski lift further up
From the ski lift it is only about 1 hour and 191 meters (625 feet) to the summit. As we climb higher, the cold, wind, and fog grow stronger. At the summit, we are completely in the fog, with a cold, moist wind. We don’t stay long. It’s not surprising to hear the next day that it’s snowing up there. In September.
At the summit
All the ways down from the top
On the way down, we stop at the first Gasthof and to
warm up and have some lunch with a glass of wine. As we enter, we see everyone we encountered coming
down as we went up. They all stopped in
for lunch and warmth. The menu was in
German and the proprietor spoke no English, but we spotted speck on the menu
and ordered it. The proprietor made a
circle with her fingers and we later realize she was telling us that the speck
was in a round bread dumpling. It's delicious!
Stopping for lunch at the first Gasthof
After lunch, we continue down the mountain, hiking under the
ski lift, past more cows to the base of the ski lift, then back through the forest
and meadows to Kolbenstein, which takes us about 2 hours. As we pass by the ski lift building, we note to our amusement that they seem to have a problem keeping all their equipment. I bet there's a story here!
Our only fear is that as the fog thickens, we will lose sight of the trail markers and have trouble finding our way. But, soon we have descended far enough that the fog starts to thin out and eventually the views return.
Sign at entrance to ski lift restrooms
Our only fear is that as the fog thickens, we will lose sight of the trail markers and have trouble finding our way. But, soon we have descended far enough that the fog starts to thin out and eventually the views return.
We can see again
We just miss the train at Kolbenstein, so we relax with a
glass of wine at the station cafe.
1
Euro ($1.13) for a glass of wine, not bad.
Then, after another glass each, we hop on the train back to Oberbozen and catch the next cable car gondola
back to town. It starts to rain just as
we get in the gondola, making for a great view of town through the rain as
we descend.
What a great day!
Relaxing with a glass of wine at the station cafe
Descending into Bolzano in the rain
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