Winter colours and winter sounds: The Dolomites at Christmas

The sounds of silence… with a twist

Simon and Garfunkel may well have praised the silence of darkness in their iconic song, but the mountains in the winter are far from silent! It is true that most animals hibernate in the colder months and that snow softens noise because of the air that infiltrates between its flakes, and yet precisely this sound reduction allows us to hear 

more intensely. What is there to listen to? Some birds do not migrate south, so you may find yourself hearing the tweet of an alpine finch, a white partridge, an eagle crying and even a deer watching you.

Walking along the streets of a mountain hamlet, you could hear the screaking of your steps on frozen snow or the axe going through wood, with someone preparing to light a fire, perhaps a big one, where people gather to drink mulled wine. Can it get Christmassier than this?

The colours of Christmas

The mountains dazzle and impress because of their mighty presence, breath-taking scenery, but also for their intensely coloured flowers and plants. You may think that the height of summer offers the most vibrant hues, but winter is a stronghold of marvellous flowers, just as well. Think of Helleborous niger, the Christmas rose, the pretty white flower that adorns meadows, hardwood forests and woods between December and April in the Dolomites. Green Ivy, red holly berry and mistletoe brighten our days during the long, dark winter, and who can resist kissing under them? You should know that these bright colours are the result of pigments, which are influenced by the outside temperature, the minerals in the soil and sunlight.

Every season thus brings colours, and at Christmas we should add Gold: the colour of the sun – shining bright and warming us in winter – it was traditionally one of the presents brought to the Infant Jesus by the Wise Men.