 Cimon della Pala and the Pale di San Martino group exibiting the Enrosadira near legendary Baita Segantini. Passo Rolle/ San Martino Di Castrozza.
Photo courtesy of Jack Brauer Photography.
Mountain Photography by Jack Brauer |
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(AND THE LEGEND OF KING LAURINO)
It is the unique make-up of Dolomite, the special composition of calcium carbonate and magnesium, which gives the peaks their famous rose pink color. In late afternoon as the sun begins to set, these much loved mountains begin to "glow" in ever-changing hues of subtle pink and rose that gradually turns to purple. This phenomenon is what the Ladins call the Enrosadira, which literally means "to become rose-coloured." Visitors often stop in their tracks to gaze in wonder at the "glowing" peaks as twilight descends. The colors are never the same twice and the daily evening spectacle is mesmerizing (click here for the explanation of the difference between the Enrosadira and Alpenglow). That is where the scientific explanation ends...and the legend of King Laurino becomes the more romantic and entertaining explanation for this extraordinary event! |
 Sass Maor and Cima della Madonna exibiting the Enrosadira. San Martino Di Castrozza. Photo courtesy of Jack Brauer Photography.
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The legend of king laurino- version one
The legend of the "Pale Mountains" tells of the magic kingdom of the dwarfs governed by King Laurino, who had a splendid rose garden on Mount Catinaccio. King Laurino wanted to marry the beautiful princess Similda, and sent three of his dwarfs to ask for her hand. When she refused, King Laurino decided to resort to magic and kidnap her. Seven years later, thanks to the existence of the roses, Similda's brother managed to find King Laurino's kingdom and, after a bitter battle, defeated the king of the dwarfs. After being captured by the foreign warriors, Laurino cursed the flowers that had betrayed him and ordered the roses no longer to flower, either during the day or at night. However, he forgot to mention twilight... and that is why the Enrosadira still flowers today on the beautiful Dolomite Mountains at sunset. |
 The Rosetta, one of the most famous peaks in the Pale di San Martino chain, exhibiting the Enrosadira. San Martino di Castrozza.Photo courtesy of Jack Brauer Photography.
Mountain Photography by Jack Brauer |
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THE LEGEND OF KING LAURINO - SECOND VERSION
The good King Laurino had a beautiful daughter, Ladina, who lived happily with her father in their magnificent kingdom. One day, the Prince of Latemer, made curious by the presence of those stupendous roses in such a harsh and wild setting, entered the kingdom of Laurino, saw Ladina, and fell hopelessly in love. He decided to kidnap her and take her back with him to Latemer and make her his bride. Laurino, desperate at the loss of his daughter, cursed the flowers that had betrayed him by revealing the location of his kingdom, and ordered the roses no longer to flower, neither by day nor by night. However, he had forgotten about twilight, and that is why, even to this day, the Enrosadira still flowers at sunset on the splendid dolomite mountains. (text translated loosely from the description posted by the Azienda per il Turismo della Val di Fassa) |
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 same mountain at dusk exhibiting the Enrosadira. Note that there is no glow in the sky surrounding the peaks, which differentiates it from Alpenglow.
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Because so many people have only heard of Alpenglow, the concept of the Enrosadira, which occurs only in the Dolomites, is completely foreign and difficult to accept as a completely separate phenomenon. Alpenglow occurs on the horizon and can occur even without the presence of mountains. The Enrosadira occurs because of the way light hits the chemical composition of the mountains. It has nothing to do with the aerosols in the sky: THE ENROSADIRA: occurs because of the way the setting sun hits the special composition of calcium carbonate and magnesium which makes up the Dolomite rock. The Dolomites are ancient coral reefs which were exposed as the ancient seas receded. There is no "glow" or halo of color in the sky surrounding the peaks. The color is contained in the mountain structure. ALPENGLOW: "(from German: Alpenglühen) is an optical phenomenon. When the Sun is just below the horizon, a horizontal red glowing band can sometimes be observed on the opposite horizon. Alpenglow is easiest to observe when mountains are illuminated but can also be observed when the sky is illuminated through backscattering.Since the Sun is below the horizon, there is no direct path for the light to reach the mountain. Instead, light reflects off airborne snow, water, or ice particles low in the atmosphere. It is this circumstance that separates a normal sunrise or sunset from alpenglow. Although the term may be loosely applied to any sunrise or sunset light seen on the mountains, true alpenglow is not direct sunlight and is only observed after sunset or before sunrise. In the absence of mountains, the aerosols in the eastern portion of the sky can be illuminated in the same way by the remaining red scattered light straddling the border of the Earth's own shadow (the terminator). This back-scattered light produces a red band opposite the Sun." - Excerpt from the Wikipedia article on Alpenglow. |
 Photos courtesy of Anton Sessa |
 Example of Alpenglow. This is not the Enrosadira. Notice the halo of color in the sky surrounding the peaks.
 This is an example of the beginning of the Enrosadira. There is no halo of color in the sky. The color is retained within the mountain structure. |
 Photo: Courtesy of Anton Sessa  Photo: Courtesy of Anton Sessa
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Our photography buffs will be happy to know that we offer photography vacations and photography workshops of all types periodically. We also work with our guests to create private, custom-designed tours throughout the year. Our outdoor/nature photography vacations are led by a resident outdoor/nature photographer highly esteemed in the Trentino Region. His gallery shows are in great demand. As one of the current generation of one of the oldest families in the Dolomites, with origins in San Martino and the Primiero Valley, Alessandro Simon is considered to be one of the leading experts in the Flora and Fauna of the region. He works with all of the guests participating in our various specialty tours. He is available to lead private groups through the entire Dolomitic region. You can read more about Alessandro here and view a very limited selection of his work. . Because he currently has been commissioned to publish a book of his photos, we are not able to include his his most spectacular photographs. Please contact us for an invitation to view his private online galley. Photo of Chamois goat on the Cavallazza courtesy of Alessandro Simon. |
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