Tag: Dolomites

San Candido and The Dolomites

Before we boarded our bus to drive to San Candido, I couldn’t resist two last Bolzano shots. The Grief Hotel had the very best breakfast of the trip (at least so far). I LOVE fresh fruit.

I also enjoyed the beautiful poppies in front of the cathedral, almost as much as the bees did.

Our first stop was at the stunning Lake Carezza. On the ride there, Luca told us the story of a beautiful fairy who was looking for a handsome man (aren’t we all?). The ugly old wizard, who was quite smitten, changed himself into a handsome suitor, but the fairy figured it out, changed him back, then pushed him into the lake, which became a veritable rainbow of colors.

She didn’t even bother to determine whether he had redeeming qualities! I was ready to write her off as a superficial witch until I saw this at the lake, which offered a very different perspective. Maybe there are multiple sides to every story!

Which legend do YOU prefer?

The twisty mountain ride through the Dolomites ensured everyone on the bus got an excellent view. If the view was on the left, no problem, because around the bend, it will be on the right. I’m very glad I don’t suffer from motion sickness!

Believe it or not, I took the next two photos from a moving bus with my new IPhone 17.

Well, at least I am impressed by the phone’s capabilities!

Our hike gave us plenty of “Kodak Moments”, like these:

Photo by Jodie

For THIS hike, we were offered options: a short hike and a long one. Susan and I got outvoted, so we took the short hike, which was still very picturesque.

The photos can’t possibly do the vistas justice. You just have to come to the Alps to see for yourself. (Or watch a PBS special).

San Candido is another glorious village that I never would have found on my own. Thank you, OAT, for this little gem.

We occupied every single room in this boutique hotel. Because every room is decorated differently, it feels like you are staying in someone’s home.

Stairs to my room
Sunroom
Party room
Bedroom

The main attraction of the area is hiking. That’s what we came for, and that’s what we did. This time, we all did a short hike around the lake, then those of us who wished could continue around the lake for what Luca described as “more challenging”.

Because Susan and I have been the speediest hikers, Luca looked directly at us when he said “whoever gets to the beach first needs to find us a picnic table”. As you can see, we took the assignment very seriously.

Mission accomplished!
The welcoming committee

For the challenging part of the hike, we were joined by our buddies, Dan and Jodie.

Once again, for our final day in San Candido, we lucked out with the weather. Fortunately for us, the weather forecast was much worse than what we experienced. But the forecast resulted in the optional ($220 per person) hiking trip in the Dolomites to be cancelled.

Instead, Luca substituted a (free) beautiful morning hike by the river, and it was GREAT!

The wood nymph
Snail on the trail

Susan and I decided to take the forecast of rain starting at noon seriously so we hightailed it back to the ski lift. No way were we missing the chance to ride up to the top of the mountain and take the “fun bob” down. It was every bit as AMAZING as we anticipated!

Selfie on the ski lift
The fun Bob runs on that rail
On the mountaintop
My view on the way down
A photo of the photo the vendor was selling
The paparazzi got these shots
I like this “freebie” better!

Dan and Jodie surprised us by positioning themselves so they could capture our descent.

I was so focused on my path under the bridge

I didn’t even notice Jodie standing on it with camera readied for us!

Admit it. You didn’t spot her either!

The rain DID fall, but by then Susan and I were seated under an awning, enjoying our lunch.

What does one do on a rainy day in a ski/ hiking town? Well if “one” is me, you invite your favorite travel companions to a party in one’s suite. The local grocery store carried Franciacorta wine, which is not sold in the USA. What’s special about it, you ask? Ms Google describes it this way:

“Franciacorta is a premier Italian sparkling wine from Lombardy. Crafted using the Metodo Classico (identical to Champagne’s bottle-fermentation), it is the first Italian wine to earn DOCG status. It offers incredible complexity, fine bubbles, and rich tasting notes of brioche, citrus, and toasted nuts. “

Dan discovered yet another( very practical) use for my bidette.

After that, we were more than ready to walk through the hailstorm to dinner !

Next stop Innsbruck!

The Four B’s: Brixen, Bressanone, Bolzano, Bassano del Grappa

There is something about a snowy day in New Jersey that gets me thinking about our Northern Italy trip, which is a good thing, because those days wandering among these “B” towns definitely belong with my on-line memories.

Our base for our last days was the Goldene Krone Vital Hotel in Brixen/Bressanone. Yes, the town has two names, an Italian one and a German one. Like a few other areas on our lovely planet, this ground had been fought over many times, with the conquerors imposing their language and customs on the conquered. For the current inhabitants of German/Austrian ancestry, the preferred name is Brixen. The Italians opt for Bressanone.

Regardless of what you call it, the town is absolutely charming. We were lucky enough to be there during some kind of street fair. There was music, food and of course, lots of beer.

This alpine town is famous for its very realistic wood carvings. Admit it, if you look quickly, doesn’t this man and his dog look real? I was almost fooled. (But then, that’s not all that difficult to do.

At night, the streets quieted down, but the shops and restaurants were still open and within walking distance of our hotel. We took advantage of a “dinner on our own” night to enjoy a fantastic wine cellar type meal with two of the new friends we made on this trip–Julie and Roger. My only regret is I didn’t write down the name of that fantastic restaurant!

Our first hike, oh so many days ago, was in the Swiss Alps. Now we were given the opportunity to experience the Dolomites. We could either ride a lift way up the mountain to a station hiding in the cleft between the two peaks on the right, or we could go for a hike –but we clearly wouldn’t get as far up. Mike rode; I hiked.

It was hard to believe that it had snowed two days before we arrived, unless you chose to walk–then you were slipping and sliding on a trail that was quite muddy. Any guesses as to who ended up with a muddy butt?

This was the first year the trip was offered by OAT, so the itinerary was still being modified, based on feedback from prior travelers. One wonderful addition was a visit to the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, home of Otzi, the “ice man”.

Otzi was found by two German hikers in 1991. What the archaeologists have been able to learn from that discovery is truly amazing. From his remains, they were able to recreate a model showing what they believe Otzi looked like. His tools, weapons, clothes and even the contents of his stomach were incredibly well preserved–for about 4,000 YEARS! Yikes.

The exhibits are accompanied by interesting explanations of what you are viewing. I apologize for the crooked photos that follow. I didn’t want to be a jerk, blocking the exhibits while I attempted to grab a perfectly centered, nicely squared off photo, but I figure you’ll get the idea.

The researchers finally determined Otzi was murdered, and that he probably bled to death from the arrow wound in his shoulder. But Otzi didn’t give up without a fight. From DNA analysis, scientists determined that there were traces of blood from at least four other people on his knife, coat and an arrowhead. Can you tell I really loved that museum?

Fast forward several thousands years to Bassano del Grappa. Over all those centuries, man’s inhumanity to man hasn’t changed.

You can still see the bullet holes in some of the the buildings in Bassano del Grappa’s old town from WWII, when the Italian partisans battled the Nazis.

This plaque tells the story about what happened along the river in 1944.

The trees from which the young Italians were hanged have been turned into memorials.

We all know how devastating WWII was, but when you see the long row of trees, each festooned with photos, names, dates and flowers, you get a feel for the very personal pain felt by the families in this area.

The town of Bassano del Grappa is also noted for (guess what) grappa, and we got to sample some after lunch at the Nardini Distillery. I’ll be honest. I didn’t like it. I’m more of a Franciacorta girl.

Overall, this was a wonderful trip to a part of Italy that I knew very little about. Next trip– to a different continent!