The Alpe di Siusi is the largest high-altitude Alpine meadow in Europe: 56 square kilometres of rolling green plateau at around 1,800–2,000 metres, framed to the south and east by the jagged profiles of Sassolungo (Langkofel) and the Sciliar (Schlern). In summer the plateau is carpeted with wildflowers and crisscrossed by easy walking and cycling trails; in winter it becomes a gentler ski and snowshoe area above the valley resorts.
A cable car from Ortisei (the main town in Val Gardena below) takes you up in minutes, or you can drive as far as the permitted car parks early in the morning — the plateau is closed to private traffic during the day from late May through early November. The wide circular walk around the plateau, linking the traditional farmhouses and mountain huts known as Malga, takes a full day at a comfortable pace. The views of Sassolungo and the Dolomite towers to the south are among the finest panoramas in the range, and the light at sunrise and sunset, when the pale rock turns orange-pink, is extraordinary.