SUNRISE IN THE DOLOMITESElisa & Hector

Elisa is Italian, Hector is Mexican, and they wanted the Dolomites to themselves before the day began.

So we left Cortina in the dark and climbed the last stretch to Cinque Torri by headlamp, cold enough to see our breath. I have shot these mountains enough mornings to know how long the walk takes and where to stand when the sun comes over the ridge, so Elisa and Hector were already in place when the first light hit the rock, instead of still climbing.

Cinque Torri, before anyone else

For an hour, one of the most photographed spots in the Dolomites was empty except for the two of them.

There was still snow in the shadows and the larches had already turned gold, and the sun came up behind the towers while they stood in it.

Why I get up in the dark for these mountains

I keep coming back to these mountains, and the couples who set an early alarm always get the best of them.

If you want to see how a full morning up here can unfold, Danielle and Zach began their Dolomites elopement at these same towers at the same hour. Anna and Andrea had their own sunrise with me, Chiara and Pietro eloped in the range, and Moa and Peter married up here too.

Passo Giau, and the rest of the morning

By now the sun was higher and warmer, and Hector had swapped into braces and a bow tie.

Before we called it a morning, we drove up to Passo Giau, a short hop from Cinque Torri and a completely different view: green pasture, a switchback road below, and grey peaks behind. Elisa carried a bright bouquet up into it, an hour after we had been standing on snow. If a lake is more your idea of these mountains, Alissa and Alexej married beside Lago di Braies, further north in the same range.

If a Dolomites sunrise is on your list, I would love to meet you in Cortina, point the car uphill, and be standing at Cinque Torri with you when the towers turn gold. Bring warm layers and good shoes.