Kronplatz - Bruneck - Dancing in the Dolomites 2025

June 8, 2025

Kronplatz - Bruneck

La Tranquillitè, a modern hotel, lovingly operated by a family.

Another day in Paradise

Corvara in Badia is a gem of a village, sitting on the northeast edge of the Sella Ronda group of mountains in the Dolomites. It’s considered the “capital” of Alta Badia, situated at 1,568 meters at the foot of the Sassongher, which we have a view of right out our front window. Corvara’s population is only 1200 and it has 2 main streets, each just 4 blocks long. A creek with a pedestrian walkway runs downhill between the streets. Two bridges cross the creek, one at at each end of town and there’s one for pedestrians mid-way along the trail. For such a small village, there is an impressive ice rink, a Conad grocery store, plenty of small alpine hotels, cafes, restaurants and shops and it exudes hiking, skiing and biking culture.

Here, the Ladin cultural identity is strong, a heritage that has its roots in a thousand-year history. Ladin, the Romany language spoken by about 30,000 people in the Dolomites region, is recognised as one of the three official languages of South Tyrol, alongside Italian and German.

So, what makes it a gem, besides all that? Primarily, it's the setting and the size. Being a small village, it feels intimate and it’s quiet. In the evening and the morning, the only sounds are the babbling creek and a few birds, and the sound of freewheels from the bikes coasting past our hotel. Corvara sits in a bowl and rising up all around it are iconic alpine meadows that give way to lush green mixed conifer forests and then, eventually, rock falls and rock walls rising skyward to the respective mountain summits. The green carpet, aka alpine meadows, start right at the edge of the town and spread outwards and upwards, punctuated here and there by hamlets and homes that look down on Corvara. The scale of the mountains above makes everything below seem miniature.

There are five lifts in the immediate vicinity, and many more in just about any direction you travel from here. They will turn the switch on and power up the lifts exactly one week from today. That will give easy access to a maze of walking trails and several huttes where you can have a drink and lunch or, if you prefer, dinner, and still get home with ease.

The plan for today was to take the bus to Bruneck where we could take the gondola up to Kronplatz at 2275m and visit the Messner Mountain Museum. First things first though, we went for breakfast at 8:00am this morning where Manfred was busy chatting with customers and cleaning tables as he does every morning. He’s the kind of host you wish for, so friendly, helpful and interesting to talk to. He confirmed that we could catch the free bus just up the road from the hotel at 9:45. So, we wasted no time and were at the stop in time to catch the bus to Bruneck, a one hour drive north of Corvara.

A note about the transport here, it’s free if you are staying in the valley. That includes all forms of public transportation like buses, and would include some of the lifts if they were running and trains if there was one to be had. The reason they do this is to prevent gridlock on the mountain roads and in the tiny villages. They can accommodate many more guests if people leave their cars at home. It’s so very effective and efficient.

At the bus stop we met a young German/Vietnamese traffic engineer from Stuttgart on a short 3-day vacay. He spoke english and was not shy to use it, unlike other German people we cross paths with, who are reluctant to say a word. We struck up a conversation with him and it turned out he was heading to the same place as us so he guided us which buses we’d need to take to get where we were going. He was headed to a photography museum, which we didn’t know anything about but as it turned out, that’s the museum we visited. We were blown away by the experience. It’s a must-see for anyone thinking of visiting this area. Here is the Lumen website, bookmark it if you might consider visiting.

The bus took us along the Gran Ega river to the outskirts of Bruneck, where we switched to a second bus headed for the Kronplatz gondola. Kronplatz itself is a mountain to the south of Bruneck, with several gondolas all converging at the top. We bought a combo ticket for the Lumen museum and the gondola and planned to buy the Messner museum ticket later.

The gondola whisked us from the valley floor to the summit at 2275m in about 20 minutes. We shared our car with our German friend.

The views from the top were the stuff of dreams and photo journals. To the south, east and west we could see ginormous ragged mountains with snowy peaks rising above the valleys and forested lower mountains and, to the north, the valley of Bruneck and mountains rising from the valley floor. Not surprisingly, forestry and paper manufacturing is a major industry in Bruneck.

Here on the Kronplatz summit were the two museums, several restaurants, trails and benches, a mountain bike adventure park, a para-sailing (flying) take-off pad, an outdoor games area for children of all ages and a total of five lifts, three from the valley floor.

The Lumen restaurant is suspended with a killer view over the valley.

Two weeks ago, the whole plateau/summit was covered in snow. For those who want a little more thrill in their lives, bikes are welcome on the gondolas. Cyclists can ride the roadway to the bottom.

The Messner museum is built into the mountain with these large windows to gaze out at the view.

This is just one of the six Messner Mountain Museums in this area.

We took a short stroll then chose to go the the Lumen museum first. We were about to have our minds blown! This museum defines what modern museums have to offer. The balance of old and new was presented in perfect balance, using technology in such innovative ways that we never imagined would be humanly possible. It told the story of photography with a lens on mountains and the people who brought the images to the world. And so much more. It is the story of our lives too, how photography has developed from the gelatin plates and cameras to the modern pixel and photos we can share that are composed of millions of pixels. More than that, it’s the story of how mountains, once the home of demons and gods, became vistas and challenges to adventure seekers. A special exhibit at the end documented how mountains and mountain people have played a pivotal role for those fleeing horrific condions in their homelands over the last 100+ years. Some were successful but many met their demise. The story is only accelerating today.

An original camera with a collodion and sliver nitrate covered glass plate that was exposed in a wet state to light. These contraptions were carried by human and mule teams of the scientific expeditions, at enormous effort and risk, to the high mountains.

Camera equipment through the ages. It’s startling to see the earliest camera from my childhood, in the context of history.

Babes spring skiing in the 70’s. We can both relate to these shots… back in the day!

No, we can’t relate to these shots. Can you even believe what it took to hike in full fashion, with an umbrella and purse, in a bustle, no less?!

A hauntingly beautiful capture, about 6’x 10’. Mesmerizing.

The effects of climate change on mountains is profound.

The massive eye, the shutter, that opens and closes and serves also as a projector screen. Mind blowing.

Following the video about wind and open spaces, the eye slowly opens up, just as a pupil widens, to reveal an expansive view over the mountains.

Imagine lugging this and all the associated paraphernalia, some 250 pounds, up to and through a crevasse studded landscape!

On the second floor was a mirror room with images projected on one mirror wall, and reflected in all other mirrored surfaces. Just wild!! At first it felt like you were taking a step into an abyss. Then the wonder of it all takes over as you explore all the different dimensions.

A chaff, one of two in the video, tumbling across a snowy slope. The mirroring in all directions has to be seen to be believed.

The special exhibit told so many sad stories of existential drama that have unfolded in the mountains and continue to this day in some form or another. It is powerful to see these presented together in one space as you attempt to comprehend the actual trials and tribulations of others, who are just like ourselves but for the political situations and times we/they find ouselves/themselves. All for political ambitions of power by evil people.

We have a mounted print of the two of us sitting on this summit marker, oblivious of this poignant story.

Our minds were reeling as we exited the Lumen and both knew we didn’t need to take in one more museum. We needed to absorb what we’d just experienced. So, we took a short stroll over the a restaurant for lunch. You might think the food would be so-so, but you’d be wrong. We chose the goulash soup and strudel and sat outside on the balcony, savouring a delicious lunch while envisioning the space in the ski season. It would be packed with skiers in sunglasses, enjoying the beers and bratwursts. We had the place to ourselves, just about!

We had lunch on the outside deck. What a view!

We wandered the paths to take in the other structures on the Kronplatz. This enormous bell was installed in 2000. I think it’s a good thing we missed the noon chiming of the bell.

A giant bell, installed at the summit in 2000 to honour of all those who contributed to the successful development of the Kronplatz ski area.

This is a rudimentary mountain shelter from the early 70’s.

On a cold snowy day, this would be welcome shelter.

The flying centre has rules. Watch out for cows.. don’t disturb them!

We descended the mountain in time to catch the 3pm bus back to Corvara. A little snoooze, a little laundry, and then it was time for dinner.

Image not found :( — A caprese salad to start.

We strolled back through the village and settled in to our gorgeous room at La Tranquillite, watching the light change on the moutains as the sun set over Corvara.

The view from our balcony at La Tranquillitè.That’s Sassongher, 2665m.

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Anne AnastasiouWhat a special day. Glad you enjoyed it so much. 😀
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4 days ago

Jacquie GaudetManfred and La Tranquillite! We so enjoyed our stay there and he is so nice!
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3 days ago

Scott AndersonWhat a special place. I'll have to bookmark this.
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3 days ago

Patrick O'HaraWhen I passed Corvara doing the Selle Ronda in 2022, it struck me for its location and scenery! Truly picturesque.
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3 days ago

Patty BarronIt was quite interesting for me to hear of the Ladin culture and the Romany language, which I have never heard about. Quite intriguing, & I will do further research.
There were so many amazing aspects to the Lumen experience, your senses must have been on overdrive. Photography heaven for David, especially.
A special thanks for sharing it so vividly.
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3 days ago