Auronzo di Cadore and nearby Misurina are the Cadore and Veneto side of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, in a land where mountain culture runs alongside a long history of timber work and valley life. Auronzo stretches along its reservoir, while Misurina, higher up, holds one of the most famous bodies of water in the Dolomites: the largest natural lake in the Cadore, ringed by the peaks that mirror themselves in it.
Misurina has been a holiday spot for over a century, and it's also known for its air, long thought good for the lungs, so much so that a treatment centre for young asthma patients was set up here and is still going. Just above, Monte Piana was one of the bloodiest fronts of the First World War and now holds a sprawling open-air museum of restored trenches, galleries, and walkways, with the spiky Cadini di Misurina behind it.
From Misurina, beside the small Lago di Antorno, a toll road climbs seven kilometres to Rifugio Auronzo at 2,333 metres, the start of the famous Tre Cime loop and the southern way in to one of the most loved walks in the world. In summer, come early, before the car parks fill and the best light goes. Autumn colours the Cadore forests and sharpens the view of the peaks.
When it is worth coming to Auronzo e Misurina, month by month: When to Go to the Dolomites: A Month-by-Month Guide.
