Val di Sesto, in the Alta Pusteria, is the easternmost corner of the Dolomites: a German-speaking valley of unmistakably Tyrolean character that opens around the villages of Sesto and Moso above 1,300 metres. This is borderland, where Austrian and Italian cultures meet and the bond between the community and its mountains has stayed close and everyday. The area falls inside the Tre Cime Nature Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The valley's most curious feature is the so-called Sesto Sundial, made up of the peaks named Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve and One. The names come from the old farming habit of telling the time by where the sun sat above each summit, as if reading the hands of a giant clock carved in rock. It's the kind of detail that tells you, better than any explanation, how tightly daily life was tied to the skyline.
The Great War cut deep here too. The Dolomite front ran straight through these peaks, and open-air museums, historic trails, and fortifications bear witness to the brutal fighting at altitude. In summer it's an ideal base for the north face of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and for exploring the Val Fiscalina. In winter, skiing on Monte Elmo and the snowshoe trails take over from the summer walking, in a mood that always feels calm and quiet.
When it is worth coming to Val di Sesto (Alta Pusteria), month by month: When to Go to the Dolomites: A Month-by-Month Guide.
