When you think of Italy, you may not immediately think of mountain paradise, but if you know where to go, you may find Alpine scenery that rivals that of Switzerland, Austria, or France.
As tourists swarm to over-crowded tourist spots like Venice, Florence, the Cinque Terre, and the Amalfi Coast, the Dolomites, the stunning mountains that cross the autonomous provinces of Trentino and Alto Adige as well as portions of Veneto, stay hidden and are perfectly happy to be the most spectacular underdog in the nation.
This rocky area, which was a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire until 1918 and was only conquered by Italy a year later, is still very different from the rest of Italy in many ways. Consider the language: German is spoken by almost 70% of people in Trentino-Alto Adige, far more than the two other official languages of the area, Italian and Ladin.
Then there is the architecture, which combines Austrian baroque with a dash of traditional Südtiroler farming, and the food, which is a substantial and utterly delicious blend of Italy and the Alps. What about the culture? Well, Dorothea, you're no longer in Napoli! When combined, this creates an intriguing cultural clash.
The Dolomites are among the most fascinating and breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet, especially when combined with amazing winter activities and summer outdoor experiences. Here are some tips for your first vacation.
When should I go to the Dolomites?
Although the Dolomites provide amazing experiences in the summer and winter, the area is not well-equipped for year-round tourism outside of the main cities. Spring is best avoided because many hotels and other tourist-dependent infrastructure close until May after the winter ski season concludes in February.
Hiking, climbing, cycling, and mountain biking are the most popular outdoor activities in the area's immaculate national parks during the summer, which lasts until September. Before the winter ski season picks up speed in December, there is a second round of closures in October and November.
The winter months are ideal for travel. At 31 ski resorts, you can rip down some of Europe's most breathtaking skiing and snowboarding slopes. During the holidays, Bolzano offers charming Christmas markets.
How much time should I spend in the Dolomites?
It can take a while to navigate the Dolomites, which occupy an area of around 1500 square kilometers in northeastern Italy. The first thing you should consider is whether you want to focus on a specific location (such a city or ski resort) or go about and see as much of the area as you can. In any case, allow yourself a minimum of one week in the highlands.
You can see the main attractions in cities like Bolzano, Merano, Bressanone, and Trento in a day or two, but it takes longer to explore the stunning valleys, ski areas, and national parks. Exploring a single valley from bottom to top, like Val Badia, Val Gardena, or Val di Fassa, is a worthwhile strategy.
The region's notable national parks, like Parco Naturale Sciliar-Catinaccio and Parco Nazionale Dello Stelvio, are worth spending several days there for serious hikers and climbers. The expedition should last at least two weeks for those who wish to see all the area's features.
Is it easy to get around in the Dolomites?
The primary access points to the Dolomites are Bolzano and Trento, both of which are connected by Italy's high-speed rail system. It takes slightly more than five hours to go from Rome to Bolzano. Although the public bus systems in Trentino and Alto Adige are both quite good, they don't go to every location.
A car is necessary if you hope to explore the region’s myriad valleys in a time-efficient manner. There are incredible nooks and crannies everywhere, and having control of your own transport schedule is invaluable if you want to get under the skin of the Dolomites.
When it comes to local exploring, all of Trentino-Alto Adige’s cities have walkable historic centers, and many mountaintop resorts can be reached via funiculars and ski lifts from the valley floor.
Top things to do un the Dolomites
The Dolomites are mostly an outdoor destination in the winter and summer. Keep your camera ready because you will probably have to go past breathtaking countryside to get to a restaurant or museum, even if you are going indoors.
Experience one of Europe's most famous ski routes, the Sella Ronda.
The renowned Sella Ronda, a 40-kilometer circuit around the Gruppo di Sella mountain range, is the best snow-based adventure in the world. The Dolomites are a top location for skiing and snowboarding. Situated across four mountains and the valleys of Val Gardena, Val Badia, Arabba, and Val di Fassa, the slopes are connected by a variety of chairlifts and cable cars that ascend to 3151m at Piz Boé.
The Dolomiti Superski, a ski pass that connects 1200km of ski runs via 450 lifts and is good for 12 of the Dolomites' most spectacular ski resorts, covers the Sella Ronda slopes. It's a difficult-to-beat winter powder pilgrimage that includes the Plan de Corones (Kronplatz), Alta Badia, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Val di Fassa, Val di Femme, and Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm), among other ski regions.
Explore the cuisine of Ladinia in the vicinity of Val Badia in depth.
A significant component of the gastronomic experience in the Dolomites is the cuisine of the Ladin people of Italy, a minority ethnolinguistic community that comprises 4.5% of the population in South Tyrol. Look for specialties like puncerli da pavè (poppy seed pastries), bales da ciociul (smoked ham dumplings), and cajincì (similar to ravioli).
In the region known as Ladinia, which includes the Val di Fassa in Trentino, the Val Gardena and Val Badia in South Tyrol, and the Cortina d'Ampezzo and Fodom in Veneto, Ladin culture flourishes. Favorites include Restaurante Ladinia, Prè de Costa, and La Stüa De Michil. Corvara, the center of Val Badia, is home to some of the top Ladin eateries. Bun apetit!
Explore the Südtiroler Weinstrasse and Trento, home to some of Italy's finest wines.
Trentino-Aldo Adige produces some exceptional wines, however it may seem surprising that anything other than lagers, helles, dunkels, and bocks would thrive in such a Germanic-leaning area. Trento DOC, the first Italian appellation just for sparkling wines produced utilizing bottle fermentation—the méthode traditionnelle made famous by France's Champagne region—is one area of wine that is especially worth exploring. Outside of Trento, the hillsides are home to 67 Trento DOC wineries that use only Trentino grapes to produce the region's highly sought-after sparkling (which comes in white and rosé versions).
Bold reds like Lagrein, lighter Santa Maddalena and Vernatsch, and beautiful whites like Gewürztraminer thrive in the Bolzano region. Beginning in Nals, northwest of Bolzano, the Südtiroler Weinstrasse region winds through Upper and Lower Adige, where the terrain is dotted with undulating vineyards surrounded by apple orchards.
Enjoy a drink from Europe's top microbrewery.
Europe's highest microbrewery, Rifugio Lavarella, located in the Parco Naturale Fanes-Sennes-Braies north of Cortina d'Ampezzo, makes five Reinheitsgebot-adherent beers. Few beers go down as satisfyingly as those made by Hungarian beer brewer Gábor Sogorka.
From the start near the Pederü Berggasthaus in San Vigilio di Marebbe, it's a thrilling two-hour climb to the refuge, where your efforts will be rewarded with your preferred beverage at 2050m. Choose between an IPA, mountain pilsner, amber lager, Weizenbier, or blonde beer. Brews run from mid-June to mid-October and late-January to mid-April, with breathtaking views in every direction.
Discover some of the most intriguing—and dangerously located—mountain museums in the world.
In addition to being the first climber to reach the summit of Everest without the use of oxygen, Reinhold Messner, a legendary figure in South Tyrolean mountaineering, established six unconventional yet architecturally bold museums scattered throughout the Dolomites.
The Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) Firmiano, the project's flagship, is conveniently located inside the Sigmundskron Castle near Bolzano. However, the tall museums of MMM Corones and MMM Dolomites are situated on mountains in dangerous, difficult-to-reach locations.
The design and GPS coordinates are more important than the collections, which examine the complex relationship that humans have had with the mountains throughout history. Access to all six museums is included in the one-year MMM Tour-Ticket (adult/child €55/25).
The high-speed rail takes only 2.5 hours to get to Bolzano. One of the biggest pleasures is being able to visit a place that is technically in the same nation but is so different from a daily routine that it feels odd to be allowed to enter without presenting you passport again!
Head straight for the food as soon as you get there! The Dolomites' cuisine is an intriguing trifecta of all that Italy excels at, combined with the robust Alpine/Tirolean customs of Austria and the distinctive, hyper-regional cuisine of Ladinia. Chasing a robust Tirolean goulash or venison ragú with a large, robust red wine from the area is one of the Dolomites' greatest pleasures.
Ideally, this would be savored in a toasty, fireplace-warmed stube—a classic wood-paneled dining room—while taking in breathtaking views of the Dolomites. With their sharp peaks rising into the sky in every direction, the Dolomites are breathtakingly beautiful.
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