THE SHEPHERD'S WAKE-UP CALL 

SEPTEMBER 20, 2026 

The mountains awaken, the Dolomites come alive, and the day begins with an experience to be savored slowly, surrounded by nature, flavors, and traditions.

The alarm goes off early, but the view makes every minute of lost sleep worth it. Take the cable car to Le Cune, at an elevation of 2,200 meters, just as the sun begins to illuminate the Dolomites.

It’s time for the Enrosadira, the natural phenomenon that, at sunrise and sunset, colors the Dolomite cliffs with shades ranging from pink to red, giving the mountains a completely different look.

After admiring the sunrise, the morning continues at a leisurely pace. Accompanied by a herder and a mid-mountain guide, you’ll follow an easy trail through the still-silent pastures, listening to stories and interesting facts about life at high altitude, the animals, the vegetation, and the surrounding area.

The walk leads to the Valbona Mountain Hut, at 1,820 meters, where a breakfast of sweet and savory dishes prepared with authentic local products awaits you.

After breakfast, the cable car takes you back down to the valley, but the day isn’t over yet: once you’re back in town, you can watch the livestock parade as the animals return from the mountain pastures, with cows, goats, sheep, donkeys, and horses taking center stage in one of the mountains’ most distinctive traditions.

Schedule

• 6:20 a.m. – Meet at the lower station of the ski lifts in Ronchi, a few kilometers from Moena along the road to Passo San Pellegrino.
• 6:30 a.m. – Departure by gondola toward Le Cune. During the ascent, if the sky is clear, you can already see the first light of dawn illuminating the peaks with the colors of the Enrosadira.
• Around 7:15 a.m. – From Le Cune, the easy hike toward Valbona begins, accompanied by a local herder and a mid-mountain guide.
• Around 8:15 a.m. – Arrival at Chalet Valbona for breakfast, featuring local sweet and savory specialties and the ever-present Puzzone di Moena DOP.
• 9:30 a.m. – Return to the village, ready to watch the cattle come back down to the valley after their time on the pastures.