Nineteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia 2023: from Longarone to Tre Cime di Lavaredo

Getting closer to the finish line today, Friday 26 May, the athletes of the Corsa rosa are competing in the nineteenth stage of the Giro d'Italia 2023, the most arduous, with a route of 183 kilometres and an altitude difference of 5,400 metres. Starting from Longarone, a small municipality in the Veneto region, in the province of Belluno, between the Piave Valley, Val Zoldana, the Cadore gates and Val Cellina.

The town lies in a valley, surrounded by high, jagged peaks. Its origins are ancient, as evidenced by the pre-Roman and Roman ruins found in the area. In an occasional excavation in the late 1990s, in the town of Crosta, west of the Castellavazzo area, a necropolis was brought to light, with 16 Roman tombs, mostly datable between the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd century A.D., with grave goods, coins and amphorae.

The history of Longarone is marked by a terrible disaster that occurred in October 1963, when a landslide from Mount Toc swept into the waters of the Vajont torrent reservoir, causing a gigantic tidal wave that ended up sweeping over and devastating the town and all the villages in the neighbouring municipalities. This sad event is recorded in the Vajont Museum, which retraces the events with the aim of keeping the memory of the victims alive.

Today, Longarone has been reborn, thanks to the solidarity of the people and the stubbornness of its inhabitants, and has established itself as one of the most important industrial poles in the Belluno area, as well as being the site of important trade fairs also internationally. This is where the MIG-International Exhibition of Artisanal Gelato takes place every year, a trade fair dedicated to professionals in the sector, hosting the world's best master gelato makers. It was a Venetian who 'invented', produced and patented the first 'ice-cream cone', Italo Marchioni, in 1896. In fact, a large number of ice cream artisans are concentrated in the region, offering a product of excellence, from the freshest 'zero-mile' raw materials from the nearby mountains where the cattle are bred.

In the surrounding areas of Longarone, you can enjoy many outdoor activities close to nature, from refreshing walks to organised trekking on the trails; from excursions in the wonderful woods to climbing on the cliffs for experts. Unforgettable experiences are the times spent relaxing in the shelters, where you can try the typical dishes of the area, of rural tradition.

The race continues to the first GPM (Gran Premio Della Montagna) of the day, at the Passo di Campolongo, and then on to the Passo di Valparola and finally to the 'challenging' Passo Giau.

In the final phase of the race, the runners cross Cortina d 'Ampezzo, 'the queen of the Dolomites', a popular ski resort in winter and a popular destination for summer holidays as well, welcoming in every season, known for its fascinating natural beauty, but also boasting a thousand-year history and strong cultural and tourist traditions. After Cortina, the finish line approaches, reaching the Passo delle Tre Croci, the pass between Monte Cristallo, to the north, and the Sorapiss group, to the south, to finally get to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the most famous peaks of the Dolomites, considered among the world's natural wonders and included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Outstanding names in mountaineering of all times have linked their names to these three imposing mountains: the Grande, the highest (2,999 metres above sea level); the West summit (2,973 metres) and the Piccola [Little One] (2,857 metres), in the protected area of theParco naturale Tre Cime. The first known professional climber was Paul Grohmann in 1860.

Here the view extends over thousands of hectares on the spectacular landscape of lush greenery alternating with the hard rock at the foot of the High Peaks, which encompasses the territory of the municipalities of San Candido, Sesto and Dobbiaco, and is home to a myriad of small lakes with pristine, crystal-clear waters where the sky loves to be reflected, in the silence of an elegant and majestic nature. A magical place, peaceful, all to be discovered, on foot, on horseback or by bike, on forest trails, alpine routes and by train.

The joy of the soul here meets the joy of the senses, and of the palate, tasting the typical recipes, handed down from generation to generation, such as the tirtlen of the South Tyrolean tradition, in rye flour, in sweet and salty versions, or the timeless Ingsaante Niggelen poppy cake, an East Tyrolean speciality.