Trolls in the Alps

High in the Italian Alps a chairlift is an altogether different experience outside of the skiing season. 

Having already taken a cable-car to a dizzying height (below) to reach the base point of the sessellift, it seems incredible to be going higher still.

But the views from above the tree-tops are pretty spectacular and I much prefer this mode of fresh-air transport to being in an enclosed bubble.

Some odd things start to happen as I float gently upwards suspended from a wire. The pure silence you get on mountain peaks is penetrated by the sounds of eerie music, 

while down below, some not quite normal-looking people appear, dotted around in the forest under the chairlift's path.

They turn out to be trolls. A fact that surprises me but not the Alpine cows who seem unmoved by the sight of these strange folks.

Some are playing traditional instruments

and soon they begin to seem perfectly natural in these surroundings.

Even some of my fellow-travellers-in-space are trolls, friendly types who smile without speaking

(this one hanging precariously from a tree; I worried about her)

Our trolls turn out to be a Norwegian (what else!) group of travelling artists, bringing the traditional music of the area alive, in an unusual and unforgettable performance.

Hopping off at the top, there are hiking trails to be followed in crisp, cold (and thin at nearly 2000 metres) mountain air ... Alpine donkeys

and a tiny church perched at the highest point (whoever comes here? I wondered).

Then some hours later the ride back down

past a picture-perfect chalet.

From the cable car going further down still, the lush valleys of the South Tyrol filled with vineyards and fruit orchards extend behind the window reflections

And then it was time to hit the road north to Innsbruck ...

Vigiljoch, near Merano, Italian Alps, September 2015

Alpine passes and some goats

The Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road connects the Austrian and Italian Tyrol, starting not far from Innsbruck and leading down on the south side to Merano in Italy.

It's Austria's highest border, open only for a few months of the year between June and October, and breathtaking to experience.

At hairpin bend no. 5 (there are twelve, it turns out) you are already at a seemingly dizzying height

Even the bikers who love this route (and how I envied them experiencing it en plein air) stopped to gawk at the incredible views.

 At the summit of 2500 metres there was a posse of Porsches parked outside the café and viewing hut.

I discovered later that this is a well known Thing (see here) that Porsche drivers do. But when this lone cyclist emerged puffing and weary at the summit ... well, that was impressive.

I loved the strange colours and textures of the mountainsides high above the treeline

From the summit the views across peaks and glaciers are spectacular.

Winding down on the south side towards the Italian border I had to jump out to say hello to these friendly Alpine goats.

This curious chap was an absolute pro at posing for pictures. I just wish I could send it to him!

Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstrasse, Austria, September 2015

Art in nature in the Dolomites

A sculpture park with a difference - sculptures that biodegrade - is a hidden gem tucked away in a high, remote area of Italy's Dolomite mountains.

Getting there requires some determination and faith - there's a long drive along very narrow twisting, unsigned mountain roads - but all is forgiven when you reach this extraordinarily beautiful place. 

Artesella is an exhibition of art in nature in the woods of the Sella valley,Val di Sella, about 40 km from Trento in the South Tyrol.

Roger Rigorth, Drago, 2013

Several hundred international artists from around the world have come here since the 1980s to create artworks from materials found in the forest.

Anton Schaller, Rifugio, 2011

Works appear randomly along a 3 km walking route, called ArteNatura, through the forest. 

Each one is intended to express a relationship with nature. All are made of stones, leaves, branches and other organic materials collected in the surrounding Alpine forest.

Sally Matthews, Cervi/Deer, 2014

The idea is that they will ultimately naturally degrade into the landscape: 
'the works come out of the landscape, they inhabit it and,according to nature's timescale, they return to it again', according to Artesella's manifesto.

Aeneas Wilder, no title

In the summer, Artesella also thrives as a cultural centre - there's a natural amphitheatre in a clearing where outdoor concerts and theatre performances are held in this incredible mountain setting.

Alfio Bonnano, Chiocciola/Snail, 2012

Steven Siegel, Bridge II, 2009 - made entirely of old newspapers

Patrick Dougherty Tana Libera Tutti, 2011, bottom right

The largest-scale and most impressive work is the Cattedrale Vegetale, tree cathedral, created by Italian artist Giuliano Mauri in 2001. 

Giuliano Mauri, Cattedrale Vegetale, 2011

Over 3000 branches have been twisted and woven into naves and columns. In time the hornbeam trees planted within each column will replace the supporting log structure as it rots away and dies, preserving the shape of the cathedral.

I took these photos on a visit in September last year in early autumn. Since the works decay and disappear over time, the curators recognise the importance of keeping a photographic record, and this function has been taken on by a local, Aldo Fedele. This is one of his amazing pictures of the cathedral under snow, which makes me badly want to return to Artesella in the depths of winter ...  

Photo credit: Aldo Fedele


Artesella, Borgo Valsugana, Italy - making art in and with nature.

The Dolomites - peaks of perfection

North of the flat region of Venice, Verona and the Valpolicella vineyards are the Dolomite mountains.

They have distinctive charcoal-and-white sheer faces ... 

which on the day that we were winding upwards along hairpin bends were blending photogenically with overcast grey skies.

Snapping from the car window I watched how the character of towns and villages changes completely up here, making you wonder if you've unknowingly left Italy and arrived in Austria. Even the shape of the church steeples is different.

We were headed for the little mountain town of San Cassiano - a ski resort high up in the Dolomites. This is the Alta Badia region of the South Tyrol, and a place where cultures and languages collide.

It's strange to have to remind yourself that you're in Italy when you're being served muesli, sauerkraut or strudel, depending on the time of day, by women with Tyrolese braids, wearing dirndls and speaking German.

A majority of people here are German speakers and some of these wish it were independent or could be reunited with Austria.

But while Italian speakers are in the minority, there's another vocal linguistic minority group of Ladin speakers. Ladin (a Romance language) has been spoken here since the days of the Roman Empire (see here).

It's the third official language in this region and another of Europe's linguistic minorities that is fighting for preservation, with its own schools and media channels.

St Hubertus is one of two Michelin starred restaurants in San Cassiano, making it one of the few ski resorts that is also a foodie destination

Multiple identities aside, this area is incredibly beautiful, in or out of the skiing season ...

Gondola lifts operate outside of the skiing season for mountain hikers

Duvets and general bettzeug airing over balconies, German/Austrian-style

... surrounded on all sides by the awe inspiring Dolomites, the Monti Pallidi, Pale Mountains, as the Italians named them, for the changing colours of the white rocks.

Südtirol/Alto Adige, September 2014