Italian Dolomites (Part I)

Alex and I traveled to the Italian Dolomites over a month ago and this post is overdue! Looking through the pictures, makes me wish I could go back! It is such an interesting and beautiful place. One thing Alex and I loved most was so many of the hikes we completed were much more achievable, shorter and just fun to do than some of the other hiking trips we’ve taken.

After spending two days in Florence, we picked up our rental car and drove five hours to the town of Ortisei. As the Dolomites boarder Austria, the towns in this region look like small Bavarian villages. It doesn’t feel like Italy at all! Plus, after spending time in Florence where temperatures reached 103-degrees, it was such a nice respite to have 60 and 70 degree days!

We reached our hotel in the early afternoon and made the decision to take the cable car up to the Seceda Ridgeline Hike as we had beautiful sunny skies (which is never a guarantee in this area of Italy!). This hike is sort of a “pick your own adventure” as there are multiple sidewalks and hiking paths which meander around the mountain. It was a beautiful introduction to the Dolomites and the scenery was stunning!

On our first full day in the Dolomites, we woke early and made our way to the Adolf Munkel Trail. This 5.7-mile hike gets up close and personal to the the peaks of Odle-Geisler with their soaring spires. One of my favorite surprises in the Dolomites were the rifugios (mountain huts) along the trails. Most of the hikes we completed, had at least one or more of these huts en route. The rifugios served coffee, beer, wine and food and were a perfect place to relax and enjoy the scenery!

Enjoying a cappuccino at one of the rifugios

After the hike, we drove to the small town of Val di Funes near the Adolf Munkle Trail. Here we visited the Santa Magdalena Church (“Panorama di Santa Magdalena”). The Santa Magdalena church is the symbol of the village and legend has it the miraculous image of Santa Maddalena was washed up by the Fopal River at this very location.

We decided to stay at two different locations in the Dolomites as this region is spread out and there were several hikes near each area we wanted to do. On our last full day in Ortisei, we completed the Alpe di Siusi & Seiser Alm hike. Alpe di Siusi (Seiser Alm in German) is the largest high-alpine pasture in Europe covering over 34 miles! This hike also requires taking a cable car to the top and is something I could get used to as it makes the difficult part of hiking uphill no longer an issue!! The rolling green hills, wooden hay huts and beautiful wildflowers made this a beautiful and easy stroll through the alpine pasture.

Accommodation: Hotel Gardena Grodnerhof

Restaurants: Turonda & Lebetula Brewpub