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Dolomites and surrounds route ideas for a film we are shooting this year

Posted by on

Hello
I was wondering if I might get some great suggestions on this forum.
I am a producer in South Africa (originally from England, so I know Europe quite well). Anyway, in my job I have to research and send my director to about 10 countries each year to film his documentary adventure films.
This film is a road running piece that we are filming for a French outdoor adventure company.
We will be following two sponsored athletes running along the road, from town to town and soaking in the local culture as they go.
The film is to take place in Italy and they have specified the Dolomites as they want an Alpine terrain (mountain sports company).
After doing some research the most relevant road route we could follow is The Great Dolomite Road, beautiful scenery, lovely villages along the way where we could mix in the local culture. The problem is the route is too short, we want the runners to be running about 20 - 30 km a day for about 8 days (roughly). It must be a genuine trip, we don't want to cheat the distances and time it took.
The road route we take needs to have a story and a point to it, that is why the Great Dolomite road is so great, steeped in history, it is an actual route that was built to move through these mountains for tourists. I just need to find other routes to tag onto it.
Does anyone have any ideas of other ACTUAL routes that were designed in the area, village to village, or point to point that have a purpose to them, historically or otherwise.
Maybe there is just something of interest in the local villages and towns I could use.
Just to give you an idea of what I am looking for, before I was told it must be the Dolomites I was looking at things like The Route Napoleon, The Route des Grandes Alpes, Basque Circuit.

I hope I haven't bored you all to death.
Thanks so much!
Hannah

Posted by
1832 posts

The Dolomites are well know for having bicycle races, so I would definitely try and research exactly what route these bicycle races uses, surely they cannot be too short and I am sure our scenic.
The Great Dolomite road does not cover all of the passes in the near vicinity so just looking at a Google Map and highlighting the "Great Dolomite Road" you could then highlighting the remaining loops that are not covered which should add more miles than you need. Passo Giau for example the road that goes down to that and back out the other side I am fairly certain is not the called Great Dolomite Road route but is just as scenic and in the same area.
Also, you could include the national park road that goes to Tre Cime ; this is a toll road so may be fees but extremely scenic.

Posted by
1773 posts

Most of the routes in the Dolomites area were not built for tourists but for armies, either in preparation or in actual fighting of the 1st World War. You would not believe how hard the war was fought in the Cortina zone; while the town was abandoned by Austrians and taken by Italians at the very beginning of the war, three years were spent to settle the matter over surrounding peaks. If you look carefully enough, there is a whole network of “white” military roads, either closed to general car traffic as being too steep and dangerous or with severely limited traffic. One of them is the Cortina to Braies road over Prato Piazza; or roads in the Valparola/Alta Badia area; or the Monte Piana road.

Posted by
21379 posts

The one spot I am thinking of is the Passo Falzarego between Cortina and Alta Badia. This was the front line and you can still see piles of rubble that were produced by the mines and counter-mines. There is a cable car that takes you up and a trail (road) down into an isolated valley that comes out by Armenterola on the road down to Corvara.
So you could then head up to Arabba and back on the GDR to Canazei/Campitello then north to Selva. This will complete 3/4 of the "Sella Ronda" ski circuit used in the winter, which circles the Sella Massif. Then down the valley to Ortisei, or even up on the Alpe di Siusi plateau where there are lots of trails/roads. Then through Castelrotto and down to Bolzano.
For local color, get some local guides to speak in Ladino, the local language.

Posted by
4916 posts

I'm sure you realize that the easiest way to cut through red tape and get things done on location is to hire a local fixer (Top Gear even credits them on their road trips). They would also know the best places to go and how to do them. And they will know about permits and who to pay off ... I mean deal with in an official capacity.

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