Difficulty Easy Time 2 hours One Way
STARTING POINT: parking in the square at the base of the Pelmo scree, at the 3rd bend of Road 251, in the direction from Pescul towards Passo Staulanza.
ROUTE: the dirt road winds gently through a sunny forest rich in rhododendrons and other rare flowers until Malga Fiorentina, offering breathtaking views of the walls of Pelmo, and of all the mountains that crown the Valley: Civetta, Crot and Fertazza, Marmolada, Padon, Sella, Col di Lana, Cernera group – Piz del Corvo, Lastoni di Formin, Croda da Lago, Rocchette.
Near the Malga, there is a comprehensive view of the Valley, which deserves a stop. Just a short stretch of road, and you reach the Rifugio Città di Fiume, inaugurated in 1964. From here the view of Pelmo is indescribable: it must only be seen, and it will remain in your heart and eyes forever, especially if you are present at dawn, when the sun's rays begin to lighten the sky, or if you arrive at sunset, when those immense sheer walls so close turn fiery red, passing through endless shades from orange almost to violet, and then become white as night falls: it is the phenomenon of ENROSADIRA, celebrated in the most beautiful legends.
From the clearing in front of the Rifugio Fiume, a clear signpost indicates different destinations: for the path to the N.E., you head towards Bec de Mezdì, Forcella Ambrizzola, Croda da Lago; for the one heading South, you go to Passo Staulanza passing through the Pelmo scree and the larch forest; for the mule track heading East, with just a few minutes' walk under the majestic gaze of Pelmo, you reach our destination Forcella Forada located between Pelmo and Soratiera. Here it is easy to see with the naked eye groups of chamois grazing among the rocks. At Forcella Forada you cross a watershed, and the panorama changes: you leave behind the Val Fiorentina and overlook the Boite Valley, where the Croda Marcora of Sorapìs looms large.
It is interesting to visit the Chapel of Sant 'Antonio, which is located a few dozen meters beyond the Forcella, against the slope; there is a small shelter for travelers caught in snowstorms, which has become over the centuries a Chapel dedicated to Sant'Antonio: even now, every year, on June 13th, the populations of Selva di Cadore and San Vito di Cadore meet there to venerate their Saint, Protector of Cadore.
It should be kept in mind that for over 4 centuries, until World War I, the usual border between the Serenissima Republic of Venice (which was later succeeded by the Kingdom of Italy) and the Austrian Empire passed between San Vito and Cortina (10 km apart); and between Selva di Cadore and Colle Santa Lucia (4 km apart), so the passage – certainly used also for trade (by shoulder or on the back of animals) – through the narrow gorge of Forcella Forada was an INTERNAL, NATIONAL WAY, while the passage through the wider Passo Giau was an EXTERNAL, INTERNATIONAL WAY and therefore subject to toll
