The Dolomites

It was the first time I traveled to the Dolomites by car. I had only just left the highway and driven a few kilometers along the Puster Valley state road when I came upon a kind of fortress that seemed to divide the road in two. Since the road appeared to lead straight toward the walls of the fortress complex, I kept driving, wondering with curiosity where it would pass around the building, but instead I drove in through one gate and out the other side through another, without having time to understand what had just happened. Somewhat puzzled, I asked myself: "What was that?..."

At first I thought I had taken a wrong turn or somehow ended up on private property, but the fact that other cars were coming from the opposite direction and passing through the gate reassured me. It was an old border fortress where travelers had once been checked and road tolls collected. When necessary, it could be closed in preparation for armed conflict. It continued to be used in its original form until comparatively recent times.

My initial bewilderment quickly gave way to the joy of a completely new experience. From then on, I always felt a special delight whenever I passed through the Klause, which for me is the gateway to the Dolomites. Beyond the fortress itself, I always imagine the smiling faces of my friends waiting for me, and in my imagination the Klause becomes a magical gate through which one enters the remote and silent realm of the Dolomites.