it was february when we holidayed in the dolomiti, and finally i have put together my travelogue. it was a beautiful escape to the mountains with my boys. kai was quite excited, "so, am i in the alps?' such a lovely change of scenery with mountains cozy around us and the spoken italian was music to my ears. i swear, you breathe better, you connect to nature, you slow down, and certainly eat indulgently...
hotel mirage
cortina d'empezzo is completely surrounded by the dolomiti mountains, 360 degrees. it's beautiful no matter where you are.
we began our trip at hotel mirage. it turned out to be the perfect stay at the foot of one of the many mountains. the staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. the room had a rustic cabin feel, the view from our windows was eye candy, and there was a pool and sauna too.
i loved starting the day with the buffet breakfast surrounded by italian families - many children around, listening to their conversations, eating fresh panini with cured meat, and excited for our day to begin.
 |
| le cinque torre - up there on the mountain- i'd see everyday from our hotel room and was so happy when we finally went up there to snowshoe! |
 |
| view |
during our first day in the dolomites, we took advantage of the sunshine and drove along the winding road to explore the mountains of passo falzarego and passo giau. we were in awe of the stunning rocks around us, the snowy landscape, and the expanse of it all... snow shrouds all in silence.
mountains that rise 10,000 feet up, jagged limestone ridges and peaks. white wonders around every bend. it was pretty amazing. kai loved it! falling and tumbling in the snow, getting back up again and doing it all over.
at passo falzarego we took a an incredibly steep cable car to lunch at the rifigo lagazuoi, at almost 3,000 metres high, it felt like we were on top of the world.
 |
| the mountain passes are dotted with little churches. |
another day took us on a walk around the passo tre croci where we went for a little hike and found the friendliest dog that liked to catch snowballs, much to kai's amusement. we hoped to lunch at the nearby agriturismo el brite de larieto but without reservations we were out of luck. so, instead, we stopped by rio gere and had a most delicious pasta. i think you eat well, no matter where you find yourself on the dolomiti!
cortina d'ampezzo
cortina is pure italy, a 40 minute walk from the hotel, its tiny pedestrians only village is full of shops, excellent dining, and cozy cafes. along corso italia, the evening passigiata takes place, women come out all decked out in their fur coats and moon boots. it's the first thing i noticed. so many women in fur coats, ridiculously gorgeous coats. it might have been the first time i wished for one and i even tried on moon boots (what was i thinking).
everything we consumed in the dolomiti - the thin sliced speck and salume, cheeses, gnocchi (never have i consumed so much gnocchi!), pasta, wine and more wine, pizza, tomatoes that smelled like tomatoes, baskets of freshly made bread - seemed to be far superior to everything we've ever eaten. the mountain air will do that i guess :-) and don't get me started on the pastries!
enoteca, a wine bar serving cheeses and cured meats was the place to be. tivoli, cortina's one michelin-starred place, for it's flavorful chicken broth soup that kai still asks for; ariston served the most delicious ravioli. then there was camino where i enjoyed pasta arrabiata. we didn't get to aga with their zero kilometer menu so if you find yourself in the dolomiti, you must go for us.
i could spend more time at the embassy bar cafe, pasticceria lovat or hotel de la poste - all charming old places - to people watch, read my book, drink tea or hot chocolate, and eat another cream-filled krapzen - a dolomite specialty.
la cooperative di cortina, the department store, had everything you could want, including the spring jacket that followed me home, love. la cooperative along with every other shop along corso italia closed its doors between the hours of 1-3:30 for lunch. Or, for some skiing... it was quite fun to watch shopkeepers return fully dressed in ski wear. italians know how to live.
skiing
many consider the dolomiti, a unesco heritage site in north-east italy, to be one of the most spectacular ski areas in the world. because there are literally hundreds of slopes in the cortina region, there are no line-ups. a local told us it only gets busy around christmas time and every other day it's just you and the mountain.
my boys loved the skiing. kai, excited to ski in fresh powder. stefan, drinking the best coffee he's ever had served from huts high in the mountains. extraordinary food and wine found in rustic mountain dining rooms called rifugi are sprinkled across the slopes.
i ventured up a few times when the guys skiied near the village. i met them for a lunch date at the rifugio col druscie - a large terrace in the sun and a panoramic view - or accompanied them to the top of one of the ski slopes to just have a wander and enjoy the spectacular scenery.
san cassione
we woke up to a blanket of fresh snow most mornings but on this day the snow continued to fall all morning. we could barely see the mountains but we decided to forge ahead with our plan to visit san cassione despite the blizzard like conditions. it was harrowing on the road but just as we were arriving, the snow stopped and the conditions were absolutely sublime for skiing... just ask stefan and kai!
in the village, i took photos, stopped for tea and more krapzen, and poked into some shops. with a pretty 488 year old church at its centre, cafes, and prime skiing right on its doorstep, san cassione was a serene little spot to visit.
what a stunning morning in the mountains. we hired a guide, chose our destination, donned our snowshoes and had the best day in the mountains. if you find yourself in the dolomiti, hire mario de bona from the scuola di alpinismo!
how small we felt looking up at the cinque torres. we were right there beside them... these rock towers i admired from afar. it took my breath away. i can't even begin to tell you just how cool it was to be there. so amazing. kai and stefan returned later that same day to ski its slopes :-)
next time, we'll book the hot-tub right outside the scoiattoli rifigio to relax our aching muscles, drink champagne, and watch the sunset.
 |
| cinque torres from afar |
 |
| cinque torres up close and personal |
 |
| you can stay at the rifigio overnight and soak in the hot tub! next time :-) |
we looked forward to every sun rise so we could spend another day in the dolomiti. if we are lucky to return one day, i'd do it all again exactly the same way. play, eat, recharge. kai certainly plans to return next year, he loved it :-)
venice's travelogue coming up next!
No comments:
Post a Comment