Catinaccio e il Giardino delle Rose al tramonto

Catinaccio is only the Italian name. In German it's Rosengarten, rose garden, and in Ladin Ciadenac: three ways of telling the story of the same massif that closes the eastern edge of Val di Fassa, on the border with Val d'Ega and Val di Tires. Its fame doesn't rest only on the verticality of its spires, but on what happens when the light drops. On clear evenings, and most strongly in summer and autumn, the rock turns pink and then a vivid red that lasts a few minutes before fading to grey. That's the enrosadira, a Ladin word that simply means to turn rose-coloured.

Behind that red glow sits one of the best-known legends of the Dolomites. King Laurino, ruler of the dwarves, kept a glorious rose garden on the Catinaccio. He carried off Similde, daughter of the king of the Adige, and the king's soldiers found him by following the roses he trampled. Before giving the princess back, Laurino cursed his garden: no one would ever see it again, by day or by night. But he forgot sunset, which is neither day nor night, and ever since, at that hour, the garden burns back into colour. To see it you need nothing but your eyes. Good spots include Vigo di Fassa and Passo di Costalunga. If you want to get closer, take the cable car from Vigo to Ciampedie and reach the refuges at the foot of the walls, where loop trails and via ferratas head into the heart of the group.

The right hours for the light at Catinaccio e il Giardino delle Rose al tramonto and at the other spots worth the early start: Where to see sunrise and sunset in the Dolomites (and the enrosadira).