Surrounded by the Cristallo Group and Monte Piano, the small mountain village is an ideal place for a summer retreat
Image gallery: Carbonin
As small as Carbonin may be, its location is significant as a connecting axis between Dobbiaco and Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Belluno Dolomites. The village was originally a timber trading post and was named "Al Carbonin" - meaning "to the charcoal burner" - after the local charcoal burners. Local farmer Hans Ploner opened the "Beim Schluderbacher" inn here, which soon became one of the most important bases for the emerging Dolomite mountaineering scene.
From Carbonin (Schluderbach), local guides led mountaineers to the Three Peaks of Lavaredo, and it was Ploner's daughter, Anna, who in 1874 became the first woman to conquer the summit of the Cima Grande, the highest one of the Three Peaks. Carbonin is still surrounded by an impressive natural landscape today: The side valley, Valle Popena, leads you to Lake Misurina. To the south, the Cristallo Group rises above the landscape, and a little further north, the pale turquoise Lake Landro lies on the border of the Three Peaks Nature Park.
From here, it is not far to the Passo Cimabanche, a popular destination for cycle tours in summer and cross-country ski trails in winter. Hiking trails lead to the Monte Piano or to the Prato Piazza, a high plateau that is considered one of the most beautiful alpine pastures in the Dolomites. The tour there is a great experience in both summer and winter. In winter, perfectly groomed cross-country ski tracks take you through the entire municipal area of Dobbiaco and past Carbonin: They are part of Dolomiti Nordicski, Europe's largest cross-country skiing network.
Incidentally, there is also a Carbonin Vecchia (Old Carbonin), a hamlet located between Dobbiaco and Villabassa, but 15 kilometres away from Carbonin. An attraction there is the Dobbiaco Wildlife Park, inhabited by raccoons, ibexes, lynxes and eagle-owls - a particular delight for children. In the adjacent forest, Gustav Mahler took up residence in his composing hut over a century ago.
.JPG)
