We love Italy so much that we keep returning again and again. We tend to focus on the wine, the food, the art, the culture, the people and the history. We also love the scenery – the patchwork vineyards in Piedmont, the soft rolling hills and beautiful cypress trees in Tuscany, the gentle waves on the water in the Italian Lake District, and the incredible views of the Mediterranean in the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast and Sicily.
But until this summer, we had not visited the Dolomites. I am kicking myself for not coming here sooner. Now that I’ve been there, I can’t wait to go back.
The Dolomites are a magnificent mountain range in the northern Italian Alps. There are 19 peaks that rise above 10,000 feet. The area features some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes anywhere, with vertical walls, sheer cliffs, and narrow, deep and long valleys. The area is a ski haven in the winter and a hiker’s paradise in the summer. We stayed in Castelrotto and explored the Alpe di Siusi from there. This was a great home base for us on this trip, very near the Val Gardena.
Located on the border with Austria, the region offers a fascinating mix of cultures. Even though you are still in Italy, the food, language and general feel are all different than what you will find in other parts of the country. The journey from Milan to Bolzano takes a little over 3 hours, and Venice is only two hours away, if you are traveling by train. But you may prefer to go by car. You can likely get most of the places you want to go by bus, if you took the train to Bolzano, but a car will make it easier to explore the mountain villages that aren’t on public transportation routes.
Using a car to get to your destination and enjoy the mountain roads to their fullest extent provides freedom and flexibility. That said, you may want to leave it at your hotel when you are not road tripping. You can rely on busses and gondolas to reach most of the places you want to go, once you are high into the mountains.
The Dolomites Offer Spectacular Scenery and Amazing Activities Year Round
The scenery in the Dolomites is absolutely stunning. We just couldn’t get over it. It is hard to describe how beautiful it is. And there really is something for everyone to do in the Dolomites. The area’s versatility is one of its most enduring features. It is a year-round destination, with plenty of cold-weather sports in the winter, and a wide variety of outdoor activities during the summer months.
Known for its natural landscapes, there are plenty of things for every age, level, and ability to enjoy. Visitors can hike, bike, climb, camp, ride a cable car up to famous passes, parasail, drive curvy mountain roads, and more.
