The Val Saisera, or Valbruna, is a mountain valley in the Julian Alps, a side valley of the Val Canale, located within the Malborghetto-Valbruna municipality. “Saisera” literally means “behind the lake” in Slovenian; it is believed, in fact, that there was a glacial lake in this place long ago, held in the valley by a morainic barrier. The lake is supposed to have disappeared in 1349 due to an earthquake that disturbed the morphology of the valley. Located in the Malborghetto-Valbruna municipality and a few kilometres deep, it is crossed by the Saisera river and dominated by the imposing peaks of Jôf Fuart (2,666 m) and Jôf di Montasio (2,754 m). The water of this river merges with that of the Fella river and, right at the confluence between the valley and Val Canale, stands the town of Valbruna.
Photography by Ulderica Da Pozzo