History
GalleryThe Pordoi Pass connects the Ladin valleys Fassa Valley and Val Gardena to Fodom and the Val Badia. The Pordoi Pass is a geographic area in the heart of the Dolomites, which borders on the Sellagroup in the North and on the group of the Marmolada, also known as the "Queen of the Dolomites", with Vernel and Ciampac in the South.
The Pordoi Pass connects the towns Arabba, Pieve di Livinallongo del Col di Lana, Corvara and Cortina d'Ampezzo with Canazei di Fassa, Moena, also known as the "Fairy of the Dolomites", Cavalese and Selva di Val Gardena. During the summer, you can do countless and commendable excursions and - even historic - climbing in the area around the Pordoi Pass. In the thirties it was also the home of the alpine guide Tita Piaz, also known as the "devil of the Dolomites".
This is the preferred place of alpinists and tourists visiting this fascinating wonder. During the winter, the area around the Pordoi Pass offers 450 renewed ski lifts, which are all connected with each other and accessible with a single ski pass - the "Dolomiti Superski". 1200 km slopes, which are part of the famous Sellaronda, commonly also known as the 4-Passes-Tour. The development of the tourism's economy on the Pordoi Pass is due to the obstinacy of an extraordinary woman: Maria Piaz, the "mare del Pordoi" (in Ladin: the mother of the Pordoi). This woman dedicated her whole life to the Pordoi Pass.
The federal state law voted by the then Landtag Tyrol in 1897 decided to built the Big Dolomite Street, which started in Bolzano, led over the Pordoi Pass and ended up in Cortina. The works began in May 1901 by order of the architect Christomannos in order to show the world the natural wonders of the Dolomites. Hostels were built along the course of the road, which are now hotels, as for example the Grand Hotel Carezza near the Carezza Pass, the Hotel Dolomiti in Canazei and the Hotel Savoia on the Pordoi Pass. Later, the Hotel Pordoi and the Dependance, now known as the Hotel Appartamenti Garni Gonzaga, were built. It is considered a duty to visit these beautiful architectonical buildings full of history. The Hotel Savoia and the Hotel Pordoi keep the untouched originals of the frescos of the art nouveau area this very day.
The section Fassa Valley - Livinallongo was inaugurated in the autumn of 1905. This very day the memorial obelisk is located on the Pordoi Pass, on 2.239 m a.s.l.. On the obelisk are the technical dates of the streets on whose ramps millions of tourists from all over the world pass every year.
During World War I 1914-18, the Pordoi Pass, which was located near the border between the Austro-Hungarian and the Italian Empire, became war zone and all premises were seized for military purposes. In the direction of Arabba, in the province of Belluno, an ossuary was built, which keeps the corpses of approximately 500 soldiers killed in action on the Austro-Hungarian front.
After wartime, years of new sacrifices were needed in order to re-establish the economy of the Pordoi Pass. Together with her son Francesco, Maria Piaz built the first pioneer funicular of the Sass Pordoi leading to the "terrace of the Dolomite" on 2.950 m a. s. l., in 1962. From there, tourists from all over the world have the possibility to admire the fantastic natural wonders of the Dolomites.
You can reach the mountain huts Boè and Fassa al Piz Boè on 3.152 m a. s. l. on foot, where the view extends 360° on the entire alpine area.
The Pordoi Pass entered the cycling history of the Giro d'Italia thanks to Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi and has been the highest crossing of the Giro d'Italia 13 times since 1965, when the "Cima Coppi" was founded. The last crossing took place in 2002 by Perez Cuapio.
The Pordoi Pass has been stage finish of the Giro d'Italia several times:
- on 06.06.1990 stage nr. 16, won by the French Charly Mottet
- on 12.06.1991 stage nr. 17, won by Franco Chioccioli
- on 07.06.1996 stage nr. 20, won by Enrico Zaina
- on 01.06.2001 stage nr. 13, won by Julia Perez Cuapio
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