Chalet Rasciesa In Ortisei

A rare funicular railway that's like new and takes you up to Resciesa very quickly. The wait is short, even though the rides aren't as continuous as with the cable cars.

The hardest part of planning a trip to the Dolomites was figuring out which cable car to take and what kind of views to expect. This cable car offers the following views. (The route from Passo di Brogles to Rifugio Malga Brogles is incredibly beautiful on Google Maps. Download Maps.me for guidance rather than Google Maps. Google Maps' accuracy is poor in the mountains.) Originally, I planned to follow this route to Santa Magdalena, but it took a long detour, so I couldn't make it. Nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable trek. Personally, I was much more satisfied than Seceda, and since it's off-the-beaten-path (for the average short-term tourist), I didn't see a single Asian, let alone Korean, the entire trek. I think I trekked for about three hours without overdoing it. I highly recommend it! Here's the route I took, based on the Google Map name: 1) Funicular Resciesa - Ortisei 2) Rifugio Resciesa 3) Cristo alla Rasciesa 4) Brogles 5) Rifugio Malga Brogles 6) Costamula Restaurant 7) Return to Ortisei by bus (see Google Map times) 5) -> 6) were just ways to descend. If you've bought a pass, you probably don't need to do this. I really want to enjoy the route from 4) to 5)! For reference, instead of taking the cable car round-trip, I bought a one-way ticket, walked down, and took the bus back.

We didn't encounter any lines, but we went on a miserable, sometimes rainy August day. It's best to walk rather than drive; I didn't see any parking, except for a few along the way, but very little anyway. The transfer takes about 5 minutes and is by rail. The round-trip fare should be around €20; I can't say exactly because I used the Gardena Card, which is recommended for reducing the cost of almost all ski lifts (certainly except the one from Alpe di Siusi, Saltria, to Sasso Piatto, €18 round-trip, the second stage of the climb where the WOW refuge is located at the top) if you decide to stay in Ortisei (or neighboring towns) for at least 3 or 6 days. The staff, both at the ticket offices and on the train, are friendly.

The climb up to Resciesa with the funicular is beautiful.

I was a little nervous going up because I haven't taken a cable car or anything like that in a few years. Halfway up, the cabin stopped and seemed to be moving backwards very slowly. At the same time, recorded voices were speaking in three languages, and I thought I heard "descending" in Italian (I was panicking). We stopped for maybe a minute, but it never passed.... Then it started again, and we reached the top without any further problems. On the way back, I would have happily walked, but I had company and had to adapt... The return went very well, without any strange stops or anything, so I changed my mind 👍

Recommended if you want to go for walks once you reach higher altitudes.

Although not as popular as the Furnes-Seceda lift, a ride to Resciesa plateau then to the Resciesa refuge is funny and relaxing. The funicular is a small one but offer a panorama of the surrounding during the 7-8 minutes ride. At the top, there's a restaurant and a 30-minute walkway to the Resciesa hut.

A must-see stop, the walk to the top of the funicular is beautiful, prices are a little high, but all in all, money well spent.

The bus stop is quite far up from the town of Ortisei, but I took bus 355.4 from "Sureghes" along the river south of Piazza Antonio, so it was easy to get there. I bought a Gardena Card and was given a map at this bus stop. The ride was quite steep from the town, but it was comfortable and there was no shaking.

Il nostro è stato un pranzo come si deve, pur se ci siamo goduti, in un piatto unico, patate arrosto, pancetta e uovo in cereghino, ossia una pietanza semplice che abbiamo accompagnato con birra alla spina, per poi chiudere con un caffé affogato, ossia un espresso con dentro nel bicchiere una pallina di gelato alla vaniglia. Siamo stati sulla bellissima terrazza del ristorante e siamo stati bene. Servizio molto cortese, se ripasseremo dal Resciesa, sappiamo dove eventualmente pranzare o fare merenda.