Photos by Enrico Minotti and Francesco Triaca

 

In order to avoid the extreme heat of summer 2022 I embarked on a number of outings after getting up very early. Among the many perhaps the most seductive was the one to Lago Bianco, where I was able to witness - and photograph - the extraordinary spectacle of dawn at high altitude. Never mind the time I actually got up out of bed, the fact is that by 4.30 I had parked the car at Starleggia (1560 m), a hamlet on the slopes above Campodolcino from where I headed off relying on the light from my head torch. The dwellings of San Sisto behind me now, I continue along the path which shifts north reaching Alpe Toiana beyond which the Pian dei Cavalli plateau opens up. It was now 5.30: the plan was to get to my destination by dawn, when the dim light that appears in the eastern sky before sunrise that I had calculated should be in about an hour&´s time. I know the territory like the back of my hand and to avoid any problems I chose to skirt the Valle dei Buoi, bypassing the north slope of the now discernible monte Tignoso.

The atmosphere was almost surreal: the silence broken only by the rhythmic patter of my footsteps. Meanwhile, behind me and to the east, the light was making its way through the clouds that loom over the black profile of the Rhaetian Alps. So after a final push, I find myself on the eastern shore of Lago Bianco (2350 m) bang on time to witness both sky and clouds first take on a soft pink colour before switching to orange and red. No sign of the sun yet though, and I move around the lake to find the best possible spot from which to capture the rising star&´s magnificent entry onto the scene. Just a few seconds later - we have it. Dawn is with us!