Adventures in Italy: Dolomites
The Dolomites were our adventurous addition to the trip. We thought we would get out and hike the mountains and burn off all the carbs we ate already. It didn't quite work out that way but it was still amazing and beautiful.
Day 10: Traveling to the Mountains
Traveling to the Dolomites actually wasn't too bad. We took the train from Venice to the mainland station and got our rental car. I think we were all thrilled to find the roads to the Dolomites were all highways and very easy to drive. I know Jenny was happy about this after dealing with the roads around Tuscany. We rented an Airbnb in a small town in the mountains. The view from the balcony was absolutely stunning and we couldn't wait to explore. But first we needed some food so we walked into the small town we were staying at and found a nice pub like place for lunch. We were definitely out of the tourist area. People here only spoke Italian or German so we were very good at pointing and smiling. It seemed to work for us. You could see the German influence all around town and throughout the Dolomites. It was actually nice to get away from pasta and pizza for a short time. After lunch, we were ready to try a hike. Sadly, we had no idea where to go, so we found a trail that went into the local hills that a website said was good and started. We made it about 3 minutes in before reaching construction and turning around. Luckily, the was a nice bike/running path leading between towns so we went with it. The views were still incredible and we found fun things like an older local cemetery and playgrounds. The highlight of my day was probably playing on the playground like we were kids. It has been so long since I played on the swings and just laughed. They also had a small zip line so we definitely had to try. Oh and we were surrounded by incredible mountains and views. After our "hike", we went back to enjoy some wine and reading time on the patio overlooking the water. The vacation so far had been so busy so we were happy to sit back, relax, and enjoy the views. We even met the neighbors dog who didn't want to leave us. Finally, we ventured back into town for dinner at a steakhouse. There was one waiter that spoke English so he was assigned to us. I had a delicious steak and we followed it up with dessert. We were all impressed with the food.
Day 11: Hiking Around the Lake
I did a little research and found a lake for us to hike around. There was a great path by a church in this small town. We found the small town, but not the path or the church. We did find the lake and enjoyed the walking path around it and the exercise path that went up into the mountains. We had fun trying the different exercises along the way including squats and pull ups. The lake was such an incredible shade of blue. I couldn't stop taking pictures and smiling. (Lesson learned: I need to live near water or the mountains). After exploring as much as we could find along the walking path, we ventured in to town to try to beat the rain. This town had an even larger German influence so we all enjoyed a nice German lunch as we watched the rain start to fall. We finished the day relaxing at the apartment and then hitting up the steakhouse again for dinner. It was just too good that we needed it again.
I cannot say enough about the beauty of the Dolomites. I would love to return and actually find a few hikes to go up into the mountains. Also there are so many adorable towns in the area that you could keep exploring for weeks. We also enjoyed our daily walks but we also needed the down time we had here to recover from the crazy pace we were keeping. We were now rested and ready to head to our last Italian area, Cinque Terre!
Day 10: Traveling to the Mountains
Traveling to the Dolomites actually wasn't too bad. We took the train from Venice to the mainland station and got our rental car. I think we were all thrilled to find the roads to the Dolomites were all highways and very easy to drive. I know Jenny was happy about this after dealing with the roads around Tuscany. We rented an Airbnb in a small town in the mountains. The view from the balcony was absolutely stunning and we couldn't wait to explore. But first we needed some food so we walked into the small town we were staying at and found a nice pub like place for lunch. We were definitely out of the tourist area. People here only spoke Italian or German so we were very good at pointing and smiling. It seemed to work for us. You could see the German influence all around town and throughout the Dolomites. It was actually nice to get away from pasta and pizza for a short time. After lunch, we were ready to try a hike. Sadly, we had no idea where to go, so we found a trail that went into the local hills that a website said was good and started. We made it about 3 minutes in before reaching construction and turning around. Luckily, the was a nice bike/running path leading between towns so we went with it. The views were still incredible and we found fun things like an older local cemetery and playgrounds. The highlight of my day was probably playing on the playground like we were kids. It has been so long since I played on the swings and just laughed. They also had a small zip line so we definitely had to try. Oh and we were surrounded by incredible mountains and views. After our "hike", we went back to enjoy some wine and reading time on the patio overlooking the water. The vacation so far had been so busy so we were happy to sit back, relax, and enjoy the views. We even met the neighbors dog who didn't want to leave us. Finally, we ventured back into town for dinner at a steakhouse. There was one waiter that spoke English so he was assigned to us. I had a delicious steak and we followed it up with dessert. We were all impressed with the food.
Day 11: Hiking Around the Lake
I did a little research and found a lake for us to hike around. There was a great path by a church in this small town. We found the small town, but not the path or the church. We did find the lake and enjoyed the walking path around it and the exercise path that went up into the mountains. We had fun trying the different exercises along the way including squats and pull ups. The lake was such an incredible shade of blue. I couldn't stop taking pictures and smiling. (Lesson learned: I need to live near water or the mountains). After exploring as much as we could find along the walking path, we ventured in to town to try to beat the rain. This town had an even larger German influence so we all enjoyed a nice German lunch as we watched the rain start to fall. We finished the day relaxing at the apartment and then hitting up the steakhouse again for dinner. It was just too good that we needed it again.
I cannot say enough about the beauty of the Dolomites. I would love to return and actually find a few hikes to go up into the mountains. Also there are so many adorable towns in the area that you could keep exploring for weeks. We also enjoyed our daily walks but we also needed the down time we had here to recover from the crazy pace we were keeping. We were now rested and ready to head to our last Italian area, Cinque Terre!