Italy Travel 2023; Day 5 - Leaving Trento and Exploring the Dolomites

The Dolomite mountains, at least the section northeast of Trento and Bolzano, are designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Dolomites are lauded as being among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world. Their intrinsic beauty derives from a variety of spectacular vertical forms such as pinnacles, spires and towers, with contrasting horizontal surfaces including ledges, crags and plateaux, all of which rise abruptly above extensive talus deposits and more gentle foothills.

I wanted to return, since, when I was 10, my father took our family there as part of a 6 week tent camping trip through Europe. He's passed and so in some way, I thought it would honor him and he would be happy.

I found the route of an expensive bus tour online (https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187857-d19347857-From_Bolzano_Private_Tour_by_car_THE_BEST_OF_THE_DOLOMITES_IN_JUST_ONE_DAY-Bolzano.html) and since we had a car, I thought Kathi and I would follow their path to Cortina, the site of the 1956 Olympics, which I think I also visited when I was 10.

Just leaving Trento, on the A22 highway north, I was filled with anticipation as the mountains grew before me.

We apprroached Bolzano and then took a eastward turn, on SR 241, towards our first stop on the Dolomite tour - Lago di Carezza, Val d'Ega, Nova Levante, Italy

The geomorphology of the Dolomites, marked by steeples, pinnacles and rock walls, glacial landforms and karst systems, is influenced by dynamic processes with frequent landslides, floods and avalanches.

When we arrived at the parking area turn off for the lake, we had no idea of the spectacular scene that awaited us.

There's a cool legend attached to this clear emerald lake. The story goes that the wizard Masaré was in love with a beautiful mermaid who lived in the lake.

In order to make her fall in love with him, he was advised by Lanwerda the witch to dress up as a jewel merchant, head to the mountains and throw a rainbow to catch the mermaid’s attention.

Unfortunately, Masaré forgot the part about dressing up as a merchant, and so the mermaid could clearly see it was the wizard. She disappeared into the lake, never to be seen again.

The wizard, in his anger, tossed all the colorful pieces of the rainbow and the jewels into the water, creating the vivid colors of the lake that remain to this day.

An informational sign in the parking lot shows all the other things to do around the lake, which is why the area is so popular.

Continuing on SR 241 past the lake, the beauty of the alpine scenery was almost overwhelming. I'm sure I was annoying, stopping frequently to take pictures as we wound our way through the Fassa Valley in the Trentino-Alto Adige region.

We passed through the small village of San Giovanni di Fassa where glacial waters from the Ciclabile Valli Di Fiemme e Fassa flowed through the valley.

Continuing on, we passed through the town of Canazei, with the impressive peaks of the Sella mountain group...

... on our way to Passo Pordoi. We navigated a long series of 27 hairpin switchbacks to get there. It was hard to keep my eyes on the road...

Once over the mountain pass, we descended down to the village of Arabba and then climbed again to the Pian Falzarego, at 1,934 meters, on our way to the next pass, the Passo di Falzarego, one of the gateways to the eastern Dolomites.

The Passo Falzarego derives its name from Falza Rego which is Latin for False King and refers to a King of the Fanes who was apparently turned to stone for betraying his people.

Sitting above the summit is Mount Lagazuoi which has been described as a castle of rock after both Italian and Austrian armies dug tunnels and shelters in it during WW1, turning it into an impenetrable fortress.

Continuing on, we entered into the "Natural Park of the Ampezzo Dolomites"

It was after 2pm and we were getting hungry so we pulled off at a restaurant for lunch. The area around Trento, and certainly Bolzano, is heavily influenced by Austrian culture and cuisine (and tourism). My understanding is that, historically, this area was part of Austria, but it was ceded to Italy after they were on the losing side of the first World War. Accordingly, the menu was a mix of Italian and Austrian food. Kathi got polenta with bratwurst (she said this was her least favorite meal on this Italian trip!)...

... and I chose safely with a pasta dish with pork.

At least the views outside the restaurant were worth the stop!

Looking up towards the Tofane mountain group west of Cortina d'Ampezzo

We finally reached Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the "Pearl of the Dolomites", because it's Italy’s premier mountain resort and home of the Winter Olympic Games of 1956.

Cortina, along with Milan, will once again host the Winter Olympics in 2026.

Continuing on route SS 48, we worked our way towards the Lago di Misurina.

Looking at the Cristallo mountain, peaking at 10,568 feet

We took a detour off SS 48 to get to Misurina Lake, another recommended pitstop on the tour of the Dolomites. The weather was coming in and we had been experiencing on and off showers.

The lake with the Three Peaks to the north and the Sorapis to the south is supposed to provide the most famous images of the Dolomites in the world. Guess we'll need to come back when the weather is better!

The next stop was Lake Dobbiaco. The crystal clear waters, like Lago di Carezza, were buffeted by wind and rain and and so we didn't get the best impression.

Close-ups of the mountains were still impressive!

Nearby is another noteworthy lake, so we retraced our steps a little, practically kissing the border with Austria just a few kilometers away.

Here is a pretty little building between the town of Braies and the lake.

The lakefront Hotel Lago di Braies at the head of the lake.

This is where we parked and scrambled to take some photos before we outlived our free parking time allotment.

We were robbed of the jewel like water by the rainy, overcast weather but the lake was still pretty gorgeous.

There are hiking trials that take you to the Malga Foresta and up into the Seekofel Mountain (it's name is in German on the maps).

It was time to start making our way to Bolzano, our destination for the night.  From Braies it took us an hour and 40 minutes driving through the Pusteria and Isarco Valleys. The sun did come back out and I couldn't resist this parting shot of the Dolomites near the town of Braies.

We arrived in Bolzano and found our way to the Hotel Scala Stiegl. We dumped our stuff in the room and went out for a walk around the town to find a spot for Apertivo. Walking down the via Piave we took in the local architecture.

Kathi and I witnessed what appeared to be a theft and chase. The thief was running so fast he came out of his flip flops and left the chasers behind. That got our blood flowing!

So funny to see Compeed, for hiking blisters, in a streetside vending machine. That's good thinking!

Walking through one of the entrances to the town center.

The Municipio de Bolzano...

Merging into the Via dei Portici, we found one of the main shopping areas near the one of the city's main squares, the Piazza Walther von der Vogelwiede or otherwise know as the Piazza Waltherplatz. How's that for a mix of Italian and Austrian?!

We found a good spot for Apertivo on the Piazza del Grano. This time we both had an Aperol Spritz.

In the Piazza Waltherplatz was a statue of Walter Von Der Vogelweide, considered the greatest German lyric poet of the middle ages.

Ominous skies over the Duomo di Bolzano with its ornate roof.

After Apertivo, we went in search of a recommended restaurant. I was determined to have weinerschnitzel while in Austrian-inspired Bolzano. We wandered around until we found the Wirtshaus Vogel for authentic food. We had to wait for an outside table, but finally our laser-beam stare opened up a spot. The weinerschnitzel came with potatoes and I washed it down with a nice cold glass of beer of course!

Kathi had roasted vegetables with burrata cheese and a glass of white wine. We had a lovely leisurely meal.

Stuffed, and getting stared at to release our table, we walked back to the hotel for a good night's sleep after a long day of sightseeing.

Italy Travel 2023: Day 6, Bolzano to Varenna (on Lake Como)

I like to get up early to see cities at first light without the crowds. And so I did with Bolzano. I walked quietly down familiar streets but found new things. Along the Via dei Portici is a beautifuk public fountain next to a more ornate one guarded by King Neptune. This is the famous Fontana Nettuno...

At the intersection with the Via Goethe, at the Piazza Erbe, the street market preparing to open...

Street art...

I thought this was ironic. In front of the South Tyrol Archeological Museum, a cold storage and logistics truck parked outside the museum where the famous "Otzi the Iceman" is housed.
Looking along the Via Museo...
Just before crossing the Ponte Talvera looking left and looking right, are two huge green park spaces stretching out before the river.


In the photo above, way in the background (follow the line of the walking path), on one of the lower ridges, you can barely make out the medieval Maretsch Castle.

The Torrente Talvera...

Monumento alla Vittoria, a circa-1928 marble monument, inspired by the ancient Arch of Janus in Rome, commemorating Italy’s victory in World War I. It's seen a a provocation by ethnic Germans and has been the object of several terrorist attacks, which is why it is now protected by a high fence.

Looking back to the east I was surprised that I had capture the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Italian for "Three Peaks of Lavaredo").
These are three distinctive battlement-like peaks, in the Sexten Dolomites of northeastern Italy - probably one of the best-known mountain groups in the Alps. The three peaks are Cima Piccola ("little peak"), Cima Grande ("big peak") and Cima Ovest ("western peak"). Until 1919 the peaks formed part of the border between Italy and Austria-Hungry. Now they lie on the border between the Italian provinces of South Tyrol and Belluno and still are a part of the linguistic boundary between German-speaking and Italian-speaking majorities.

Admiring colorful architecture on the way back to the hotel...

Again on Waltherplatz...

Bolzano Cathedral is a beautiful Gothic church located right in the Piazza Waltherplatz and is the seat of the Bishop of Bolzano-Brixen. It's dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Bolzano.
The cathedral was built in the 12th century in the Romanesque-Gothic style, and it features a distinctive bell tower, which was added in the 15th century, and a Baroque facade, which was added in the 18th century.

Here, the beautiful and towering bronze doors, worn with use.

Madonna and the Christ child...

The Cathedral takes up a commanding presence in the Piazza.

I think I had looked at staying at the Hotel Greit; it's certainly ideally situated on the Piazza Waltherplatz.

Below and on the right is the little restaurant where we had Apertivo the night before - next to the Hotel Figl on the Piazza del Grano.

The Hotel Luna Mondschein looked quite grand and is worth a look for a stay or a meal or cocktail in their inviting gardens.

I'm always on the lookout for street art. This one is telling Americans to stay home if they have Carona virus.

I thought Kathi would enjoy seeing the market so I came back with her when it was more alive!

One last look at the Hotel Scala Stiegl before retrieving the car and heading west towards Lake Como.

I was excited because our driving route would take us along and through the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio. Here's a view of the Forcella dell'Angelo in the southern mountains between Lasa and Oris.

Taken between Gomagoi and Trafoi the snow capped peaks of the Ortles Alps loom in the background. The range comprises the glacial area from the Passo dello Stelvio mountain pass to the Val Martello valley in South Tyrol and the Passo del Tonale pass in the Trentino. Nearly all of the mountain chain belongs to the big Stelvio National Park.

The little village of Trafoi...
Leaving Trafoi, we began the the nerve-wracking, switchback ascent to the Passo Stelvio. We crept up and up advancing around steep and blind hairpin turns as motorcycles whizzed past with no regard to oncoming traffic. This was a drive of courage and faith. Add cyclists to the mix and you've got a moto free-for-all. As you can see, there were no pictures taken between the bottom of the climb and the top!
Above, on the left you can get an idea of the road we traversed to get to the pass. At the top, there was a bustle of cafes, souvenir shops, skiers and hoards of motorcycles. I found a spot next to a snowbank to park to get some pictures.

If you looked to the right and spit, you could probably hit Switzerland.

North of the pass, you can see the Piz da las Trais Linguas meaning 'peak of the three languages'. The summit is the tripoint between the Italian regions of Lombardy and South Tyrol and the Swiss canton of Graubunden. Before WWI it was the international tripoint of Switzerland, the Kingdom of Italy and Austria-Hungary.

The mountain rim on the west side of the Passo Stelvio

Flowers among the snow...

The range that forms part of the border between Italy and Switzerland and that includes the peak "Piz Umbrail"

Below, looking south towards Monte Scorluzzo.

Working our way down past raging, glacial-fed torrents torrents.

The guide books said to stop for a meal and wine in Bormio, but we tried to find a store where we could buy wine and then get picnic food to have without sitting in a restaurant. We were having trouble finding a wine store, so kept trying to find a grocery store instead and were totally frustrated trying to use the map app on our phone. We got some snacks at a small shop and got out of Bormio frazzled.

We were also considering a stop in Chiavenna to see pre-historic art at Parco Marmitte deli Giganti, but with time lost in Bormio, we skipped this diversion and opted to spend our time enjoying Varenna instead.

We passed through Sondrio and eventually ended up in Varenna. We parked in a covered parking garage and then found our way back and down the steep steps to the Albergo Milano.

Still smiling!

Our room was in a separate building, and at the top of several flights of steep stairs, but it was very nice and we had a lovely little balcony overlooking the harbor and the lake.

Our room was in the brick red building with it's head poking up, top floor...

We discussed our ferry touring plan for the next day with our Albergo Milano host and about how to use the car ferry to get our vehicle to Bellagio the next day. She told us about some free on-street parking, with coveted spots perhaps opening up after dinner , when the day trippers left. Good intel!

We were hot and sweaty so we went in search of Apertivo! We chose Bar Il Molo.

Kathi had some berry concoction and I had a Hugo spritz with elderflower liqueur

After apertivo, I decided to try to retrieve the car and try to find the illusive free parking. I followed the narrow alleys and steps upward towards the Parcheggio Multipiano.

Devotionals, tucked away, provided the opportunity for a quick prayer and thanks.

I was successful! And I got some beautiful views of the Villa Monastero as the sun was setting on my walk back to Kathi.

I also passed the Chiesa San Giorgio...

We met in the harbor and, for all my efforts, Kathi bought me an "affogato" for dinner. It's gelato with a shot of espresso - two favorite things!

As night fell, we sought respite in our room and reveled in the scenery 
until it was impossible to stay awake any longer.