If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 296

 Dolomites, Italy

When one of the guys working on our house remodel and now a friend, said he was going to Europe to meet with his cousin and climb some mountains I asked him to send me a postcard.  This card with a beautiful view from the Dolomites was what arrived in the mailbox from him.  His note says that they climbed the highest peak in the Sella Group, Piz Boè, 10,338 ft or 3,151 m.

The postcard photograph is attributed to Ghedina.it.   An alphanumeric code appears at the lower left on the reverse:  TR 39.025.  There are two stamps on the card.  The top one is an Italian stamp featuring an architectural drawing of Plazza del Plebiscito, Napoli and the bottom one is Polish with the close up of a flower identified Lilium L. 

Stamps

1.  Plazza del Plebiscito, Napoli

2.  Lilium L.

The Sella group is located in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy between the four valleys of Badia, Gherdëina, Fascia and Fodom and divided between the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino and Belluno.  It is possible to drive around by car crossing over Campolongo Pass, Pordoi Pass, Sella Pass, and Gardena Pass.  The Sella Ronda ski lift makes it also possible to ski around the entire plateau-shaped massif.  Each winter there is an alpine ski touring race called Sellaronda Skimarathon that covers 42 km or 26.09 miles.  Mountain bikes use this same route during the summer.   In addition to the cable lift shown in the photo there is also a funicular from Pordoi Pass.  The most famous ski routes or tours descend from summits through Val Mesdì and Pordoischarte.

There are 8 numbered long distance footpaths running across the Dolomites.  Most of these long trails take approximately a week or more to hike.  There are huts along the way for overnight stays.  The most popular and best known of these trails is Alta Via 1. 

The front line between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian forces during World War I ran through the Dolomites.  Today there are open-air war museums at Cinque-Torri (Five Towers) and Mount Lagazuoi.  Protected paths created at the time of World War I are visited today by many people. 

Many thanks to our friend for sending the card.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sella_group