Introduction
Lake Braies, also known as Pragser Wildsee in German, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in South Tyrol. It is one of the most beautiful alpine lakes in Italy and has become even more famous thanks to the Italian TV fiction "Un passo dal Cielo." Some of the most characteristic locations of the series had been set up on its banks, from the police station to the log cabin where the protagonist lived.
Lake Braies
Lake Braies lies in the valley of Braies. Considering that Austrian German is the main language in "Südtirol," you will probably see the lake signposted as "Pragser Wildsee" and the valley as "Pragser Tal."
It is located in the Fanes, Sennes, and Braies nature park at an elevation of 1,496 meters, or 4908 feet. Lake Braies is a barrage lake because it was formed as a result of a landslide that obstructed the course of "Rio Braies," the river that feeds it.
It is one of the most evocative alpine lakes in Italy, thanks to the emerald color of its waters and the splendid Dolomite peaks that are reflected in its waves.
The lake has an average depth of seventeen meters, fifty-five feet, and a maximum depth of thirty-four meters, a little more than one thousand feet. It's one of the deepest lakes in the province of Bolzano. It has an area of thirty-three hectares, a length of one kilometer, a little more than one mile, and it's three hundred meters wide, one thousand feet.
The water temperature in summer reaches a maximum of fourteen celsius, which is why bathing, besides being forbidden, would in any case not be recommended.
In the waters of the lake, on the other hand, fishing is allowed. There are two different varieties of trout, brown and rainbow, as well as some specimens of alpine chars. Reading fishing forums, however, it seems that the harvests are quite meager. The fishing permit, for a fee, can be requested at the hotel facing the lake.
Before concluding this introductory chapter, we want to tell you some curiosities about Lake Braies:
- Reflected on the waters of Lake Braies is the massive "Croda del Becco," a mountain whose territories are shared with Cortina and which represents the northernmost point of the municipality of Ampezzo.
- Many people don't know that Lake Braies is also the starting point of the Alta No. 1 of the Dolomites, an awesome hiking route about one hundred twenty-five kilometers, or seventy-eight miles, long that runs along the Eastern Dolomites and reaches the town of Belluno.
- At the Hotel Pragser Wildsee, the large structure on the shores of the lake, one of the closing chapters of World War II took place. Inside the structure had been held One Hundred Forty-One prisoners of war, liberated on May 4, 1945, by an American patrol.
- For those who want to experience the lake at its best in the summer, it is possible to rent a wooden boat. You could embark on a romantic trip on the lake's waters. To know how to proceed, you'd simply need to read the signs displayed on the wooden cabin with the dock.
- For those who want to go for a walk, it's possible to walk around the lake. The duration of the hike is about an hour and a half. Shoes suitable for walking in the mountains are recommended.
Hikes around the lake
Lake Braies is the starting point for many amazing hikes. The most common is the loop walk of the lake; it is a wonderful walk of about four kilometers, or two and a half miles, which will take you for a good hour. This is a very simple walk with minimal altitude difference, so it's suitable for almost everyone. You can download the GPX of the hike by clicking here, or you can see the path on Google Maps by clicking here.
Another nice walk is from Lake Braies to "Malga Foresta," a rather simple walk with a length of five kilometers, or three miles, and a height gain of one hundred meters, of three hundred feet, which will take you an hour and a half. The destination is a typical mountain hut where you can eat or drink something. You can download a GPX of the hike by clicking here, or you can see the path on Google Maps by clicking here.
The last hike we want to bring to your attention is the Viktor Wolf Edler von Glanvell path, a rather easy walk that, from the locality of Ferrara, brings you to Lake Braies along the Didactic Path No. 1. Along the entire route, you will find information tables describing the life of Viktor Wolf Edler von Glanvell, a well-known mountaineer famous for having been the first to climb many of the peaks that can be seen reflected in the lake. The hike length is approximately five kilometers, or three miles, with a height difference of two hundred and seventy meters, or nine hundred feet. The hike should take you about a couple of hours, but once you arrive at the lake, we suggest you walk a little more, also reaching "Malga Foresta," which we described previously. You can download a GPX of the hike by clicking here, or you can see the path on Google Maps by clicking here.
Not only easy walks start from Lake Braies. For more trained hikers, there are many more challenging alternatives, such as the hike to the "Croda del Becco" or the climb to the "Picco di Vallandro," but we invite you to consult a specialized guide if you want to face difficult paths. All GPX files on this page have been generated by komoot.
The TV fiction
"Un passo dal Cielo" is a highly successful Italian television show; the name means "a step from heaven" in Italian. The location of the first five seasons of the series is, mainly, the area of the Upper "Pusteria" Valley. The plot revolves around the adventures of a station commander in the town of "San Candido." The Forestry Corps is played by Terence Hill, who often collaborates with police commissioner Vincenzo Nappi, played by Enrico Ianniello.
On the shores of Lake Braies are located two of the most characteristic locations: the police station, with its stables, and the wooden cabin where Francesco Neri, played by Daniele Liotti, lives. The cabin, of course, is not accessible to the public and, during the summer, is used as a base for boat rentals.
... the church was built by the Hellenstainer family in 1904...
In addition to the two most famous buildings, there is a small wooden chapel dedicated to the Divine Mother of sorrowfulness. The church, as well as the hotel, were built by the Hellenstainer family in 1904. Built in full Austrian style, it was filmed on several occasions during the TV show, but always in marginal scenes.
Since the sixth season, the filming of "Un passo dal Cielo" has moved to the territories of San Vito and Cortina d'Ampezzo. The show has been a huge critical success, to the point that the last episode of the sixth series glued more than five million viewers to the TV. It is a great result for an Italian television show.
Over Tourism
As often happens, places that become very famous for television shows are very likely to attract a lot of tourism. Lake Braies was also affected by this phenomenon, reaching a flow in August of almost seven thousand cars per day.
This unexpected traffic forced the authorities to close access to the road during peak season, as well as construct a specific road junction on the state highway connecting Toblach, Dobbiaco in Italian, Brunech, Brunico in Italian,
... if you leave your car parked in a "creative" way, you are very likely to get a ticket...
The presence of so many people, in addition to ruining a little of the atmosphere of the place, has created a number of minor side annoyances. First of all, when the street is open, there is no free parking. Consider also that if you leave your car parked in a "creative" way, you are very likely to get a ticket.
Second, the presence of so many people has forced the administrators to fill the area with prohibition signs, creating a far less naturalistic environment than what you would expect. There are also some advantages: the influx of tourists pushed the administrators to build a public toilet with a fee, and the bar is now open almost all year.
The last time we went to Braies to take some of the photographs on this page, it was a cold and rainy Sunday in early May. Despite the adverse weather and the very low season, there were way more people than we'd have expected, as well as four photographers.
... despite the adverse weather, and the low season, there were still more people than we would have expected...
We have never visited Lake Braies in peak season, but the photos seen on the internet give a fairly precise idea of the number of people there. If you can, you should go there in the low season; if you have to get there in the peak season, we recommend you get there early in the morning.
How to get there
Lake Braies can be easily reached both from Cortina d'Ampezzo and from "Bruneck," or "Brunico" in Italian. Considering that in Südtirol, German names are used before Italian names, we'll do the same. From Cortina d'Ampezzo, you have to take State Highway 51 towards "Toblach," or "Dobbiaco" in Italian. From there, turn left and follow the signage for "Bruneck," or "Brunico" in Italian.
After about forty-five minutes of driving, you'll reach the junction toward "Schmieden," "Ferrara," "Pragser Tal," "Val di Braies," and "Pragser Wildsee," "Lago di Braies." The junction is not intuitive; remember to keep to the left towards the traffic circle and keep following the direction to the lake.
From "Bruneck," or "Brunico" in Italian, you need to take State Highway 49 towards "Innichen," or "San Candido" in Italian, proceeding for about thirty minutes. Once you reach the traffic circle, take the first exit towards "Schmieden," "Ferrara," "Pragser Tal," "Val di Braies," and "Pragser Wildsee," "Lago di Braies."
Once past the traffic circle, it takes about seven kilometers, or four miles and a half, to reach the parking lot. The number of parking spaces is very high, but if they are full, the road will be closed. During peak season, we strongly recommend that you leave very early in the morning; try to be at the lake by 9 a.m. at the latest. Parking is charged at a daily flat rate, free only for stops under five minutes.
In case the road is closed, it is still possible to use public transportation, which is strongly recommended in all official media of the province of Bolzano. In this case, it might be convenient to park the car at Dobbiaco and take Line 442 which will bring you directly to Lake Braies. For any additional information, you can visit the official website of Lake Braies.
Alpe Pragas
Once the visit to the lake is over, on the way back, we would recommend a small detour that hardly anyone talks about. It involves a visit to a local business, the Alpe Pragas.
It is a small, environmentally sustainable, jam-making factory built in the green. Alpe Pragas is surrounded by a park ideal for children, accessible to the public, and can be visited for most of the year. It's a cross between a museum and a boutique; they self-describe it as "The Taste Factory."
To visit the factory, you need to head back toward the state highway and, just before the traffic circle, turn left and follow the signs to Alpe Pragas. The street is very narrow and unkept; it will give you the impression that you are entering someone's home, but when you reach the building, you'll surely like it. We do not want to write too much, so if you are curious, we'll leave you with the pleasure of discovery. Do not be afraid to walk through the glass doors of the shop; everything is open to the public.
The first time we went was after the advice of our mom, and we liked the place very much, to the point of writing these two lines. Here, you could also find something to take as a souvenir or a gift for an important person. If you are curious to see what the products of Alpe Pragas are, here you can see their website.
The legend of the Lake
Before we conclude, we want to share a little curiosity. Every lake in the Dolomites has a decidedly imaginative legend about its creation. For Braies, it is said that, in the past, these mountains were inhabited by savages who spent their time searching for gold and other precious stones, with which they made beautiful jewelry.
... when they saw all this wealth they became obsessed with it...
One day, the local shepherds brought their sheep to graze on the meadows of Braies. When they saw all this wealth, they became obsessed with it, trying to own it in any way, even considering stealing it. The savages, exhausted by the shepherd's behavior, decided to flood the valley with all its valuables, hiding them at the bottom of the lake.
In this way, they brought peace back to the valley, renouncing the inestimable wealth but turning the valley into a beautiful lake.
Conclusion
We hope you liked this page on Lake Braies, also known as Pragser Wildsee, in South Tyrol. Before saying goodbye, we would suggest you read our home page, with all the articles we wrote about Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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