Tag Archives: dolomites

Year in Review

1 Jan

The older we get the faster time seems to move. (It’s an actual phenomenon that has been scientifically proven: the older you are the faster time seems to pass.) Only yesterday it seems we were dying of the heat in Rome, taking refuge in the mighty Dolomites enjoying brisk mountain air and alpine meadows. But that was July. Looking back over our time in Rome – now 19 months and counting – we have experienced so much, and yet my list of to-dos in Rome (not to mention all of Italy)  has more things on it that we have not accomplished than ones we have managed to check off. There’s a wonder around every corner and we shall never get to all of them. Roma: Una vita non basta!

New Year's Eve Vespers with Papa F! We were right on the aisle. Ric snapped this pic with his phone.

New Year’s Eve Vespers with Papa F! We were right on the aisle. Ric snapped this pic with his phone.

We managed to see a bit more of Italy this year, visiting some old favorites as well as new territory.

  • March saw us in Sicily for our 28th anniversary, where we were constantly cold, but where we ate magnificent food and saw our first-ever Greek ruins. Stunning! Must go back in warmer weather.
  • In May we ventured to the heel of the boot, Puglia, with my brother and sister-in-law. More great food, a fantastically different Italy, and lots of kilometers covered. Can’t count the bottles of wine consumed. Rick & Jane, we had so much fun with you those 10 days in Rome and Puglia! And we “discovered” Abruzzo on our way back to Rome. Wow!
  • In fact we were so enchanted with Abruzzo we went back for a weekend in July. Not many North Americans (or non-Italians) go to Abruzzo as it is not chock-a-block with must-sees, but it is an amazing place to escape the city, practice one’s Italian, and relax.
  • Later in July was our week in the Val Gardena. If only we could figure out a way to live there all summer.
  • Like most Italians, we got away for Ferragosto but only as far as Orvieto for a couple of nights.  It’s always nice to get on a train, and only an hour away is this charming Etruscan hill town.
  • Our youngest son came to visit in September and we made our 4th trip to Venice in less than three years. Three days there flew by and in wonderment Derek observed we still had not seen everything we intended to. Venice has a lot to offer and so many people try to “do” it in 2 nights and one day. We’re going back for the 5th time in April with friends who have never been.
  • The Cinque Terre calls to us each autumn and we made our third trip there in October. Hoping we can squeeze in a weekend there again in 2014.
  • After the Marine Corps 238th Birthday Ball in early November, we made a trek to Ravello just as the town was closing for the season. This is a must-go-back location sometime during the concert season.
Kids, don't try this at home. Our neighbor across the street shot off Roman Candles from his oh-so-tiny balcony on NYE. Note the Santa figure climbing a ladder hanging from the balcony. And this goes on all over the city!

Kids, don’t try this at home. Our neighbor across the street shot off Roman Candles from his oh-so-tiny balcony on NYE. Note the Santa figure climbing a ladder hanging from the balcony. And this goes on all over the city!

Other highlights in 2013:

  • I turned sixty. Can’t believe it, but my mother is there in the mirror every morning, so I guess it’s true.
  • We had a blind date with Nigel and Carol, new friends from England that we met through the Rick Steves’ Helpline and this blog. Hoping to see them again in February!
  • Made Thanksgiving dinner for 11 Italians. We had so much fun doing this! I only hope they will let us do it again next year.
  • Seeing our youngest son (not very young anymore, but still il mio bambino al cuore) after 16 months away.
  • Getting fit(ter) in the gym. I’ve lost about 45 pounds since moving to Rome and had to buy a whole new wardrobe last summer and again this winter.
  • Becoming more comfortable speaking Italian. I am “advanced intermediate” (B2/C1 for those that understand the scale) according to my teacher. I should be fluent by the time I am 85.
  • Seeing Tom and Karen, our in-laws, when they visited Rome after their cruise.
  • Visits by Michael Horne for gastronomic exploration of Rome. (Thanks for the intro to Vino Roma!)
  • New Years’ Eve Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica with Papa Francesco. He was right there, not 2 meters from me during the processional and recessional. The energy in St. Peter’s was palpable, the love for this man overwhelming.

As I wrap up this post, we are aboard a train that departed at 07:20 New Year’s Day, leaving

St. Peter's, NYE 2013. I read today that shortly after we left Papa Francesco came out in his Popemobile to see the Nativity in the square. Purtroppo we had left the scene!

St. Peter’s, NYE 2013. I read today that shortly after we left Papa Francesco came out in his Popemobile to see the Nativity in the square. Purtroppo we had left the scene!

Italy for the first time in 19+ months. The sun is just coming up, outlining the Apennine Mountains in gold. We are headed to Switzerland where, magari, we will do Winterwandern (alpine snow hiking) to wear off the cheese fondue we plan to eat. We have many trips planned this year including a return to Venice, the Dolomites, Florence, Lake Como, and Abruzzo. We have guests coming, too: Kim, John and Aubrey in April; John, Susan, William and Elizabeth (aka JSWE) in July; the Omaha Bartons in August; a return by Derek in September; Rick and Jane in November; and hopefully Helen, Eddie and Debbie will make it over too. Anyone else? Would love to see you!

Buon Anno 2014! 

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Familiar yet foreign

30 Jul

30 July 2013.

I love to experience new places. I love planning the route, finding lodging, determining what-to-do and what-to-see, and of course I love

View across the Alpe di Siusi from the Mont Seuc lift area. This is the view that made me fall in love with the area.

View across the Alpe di Siusi from the Mont Seuc lift area. This is the view that made me fall in love with the area.

the going and doing. (Ric likes the going and doing. Lucky for me he plays along with my excessive need to plan.)  We even enjoy getting a little lost as there is no better way to really experience a new place. But there is something about going back to a place we’ve been before that is also compelling.

When you enter a town you’ve visited before, familiarity envelopes you like a hug from a friend. We found this to be so true in Oregon where we visited Cannon Beach twice each year.  Knowing the restaurants and the best place for coffee and Danish at 7:00AM when you come off a beach walk at dawn; knowing how the tides affect the beach and when is the best time to explore the tide pools: These things made for a relaxing mini-vacation every time we went to CB.

If you follow this blog you know we get out and see a lot of new places, but we also like the repeats. We hardly need a map in Venice after three trips there, but we always find new things to do there, like our Winter Break in Venice.

Ortisei river view

Colorful little Ortisei sits alongside a mountain stream.

In the spirit of embracing an area we’ve visited before but expanding our knowledge and enjoyment, we returned to the Val Gardena and the little town of Ortisei. (See last year’s trip to the Val Gardena here.)

Leaving the Alpe di Siusi after two nights, we transferred to Ortisei. Although the two are but a few kilometers apart as the crow flies, it took us about three hours to make our way because the biggest part of the journey is descending from the Alpe di Siusi to the valley, about 600 meters, just about 2000 feet.  There are no direct routes, especially without a car.  From our hotel at Saltria we took a bus to the lift, made our way via the gondola lift down from Compatsch to Siusi, then another bus to Ortisei with some waiting required. In fact, last year we took a different gondola up to the Alpe from Ortisei and hiked to Saltria faster than we were able to go down via this year’s three-part public transportation journey necessitated by luggage.

A walking path runs between the 3 villages of the Val Gardena.

A walking path runs between the 3 villages of the Val Gardena.

This time we knew where to get off the bus so we could enjoy the beautiful ride from Siusi to Ortisei. This time we knew exactly where to find our hotel, Hotel Garni Walter, up a steep street just across the river. No orientation, no navigation required. We were warmly greeted by Sylvia and Georg who remembered us from last year. The familiarity with little Ortisei meant we could get to new adventures quickly: Three days of hiking high above the Val Gardena. There is something for every ability level here: easy walks on wide paths, moderately challenging gains (and losses) in altitude, bike trails around jagged peaks, as well as technically challenging routes that require endurance and some mountaineering skills. They are accessed by various lifts such as a funicular to Raciesa, a two-part gondola to Seceda, and various other lifts up-and-down the valley.

We were thrilled to find ourselves virtually alone at Raciesa  one morning at 8:45, having caught the first funicular up

Ric, high above the Val Gardena. In the distance, across the valley, is the Alpe di Diusi, the meadow we hiked earlier in the week.

Ric, high above the Val Gardena. In the distance, across the valley, is the Alpe di Siusi, the meadow we hiked earlier in the week.

the mountain. After a quick shot of espresso taken with a fabulous view, we set off toward Rifugio Raciesa and a loop hike, on a wide and well-groomed path. (For the record and those who want to go: trails 35 & 10.) After the rifugio the trail changed to a rocky climb, and looking back we started to see more people on the initial approach to the rifugio. We clamored up to Santa Croce and were rewarded with numbingly beautiful views, not too many people. But as we started back down, trail 35 started to look like an expressway at rush hour. In pairs and groups, people were thronging to Rifugio Reciesa. Descending through high-alpine meadow, we congratulated ourselves on starting early, but fought our way back along the trail against the incoming swarm on the easy part of the trail. People with trekking equipment were outnumbered by grandparents and moms pushing strollers. The hordes are easily escaped by taking a challenging route and there was a fine lunch to be had at a rifugio, served German-style with a nice cold Radler, a beer and lemonade concoction we have come to enjoy.

By late morning, there was quite a crowd at this refugio. Past this point the trail got steeper and fewer marched on.

By late morning, there was quite a crowd at this refugio. Past this point the trail got steeper and fewer marched on.

Another day we went to Seceda, one of the highest cableway terminations at 2518 meters (just under 8300 feet). A magnificent cloud free and chilly morning quickly warmed as the sun rose. This hike was challenging in that we encountered narrow trails, inset with concrete forms, meant to not only define the trail but to protect the meadow. A misstep would mean rolling down a steep meadow for 600-1000 feet. Other trails were rocky and slippery: not the super-highway of the prior day. (And no baby strollers!) Still the beauty was awe-inspiring as we made our way to Rifugio Firenze (trail 1) and on to the lift at Col Raiser (trail 4). Again herds of cows, tiny mountain barns, a distant church, and rifugi dotted the landscape backed by majestic rock formations and mountain peaks. Luckily we choose this direction as it was mostly downhill. Folks hiking toward us, having ascended at Col Raiser, were quite out-of-breath from the almost constant uphill trudge of 2 ½ hours. Lunch at Rifugio Odles (milk fresh daily from their own cows!) was restorative, including another lovely Radler.

Mountain rifugio in the Dolomites

Site of another mountain lunch: tagliatelle with fresh mushrooms and a grilled vegetable platter. Try to find that on the trail in Oregon.

Our final day we succumbed to the lure of the Alpe di Siusi again, taking a lift that is practically in the back yard of our hotel. We’ve had quite a work out for four days, so opted for a less-demanding route with slightly less elevation. As we encountered cows, horses, and a number of people making hay in the morning sun, Ric commented that we were, in actuality, hiking in farmland. However this “farmland” sits about a mile high, and is ringed with mountains, a far cry from the fields of North Dakota.

I started out talking about going back to familiar places, that although familiar you can find new adventures. Clearly we enjoyed our return to the Alpe di Siusi and the Val Gardena, and we know we will be back again.  When you hike in most places – at least those we have hiked and we are especially familiar with the Pacific Northwest and to some degree Hawaii – you start at one place and end at another, seeing only the path in front of you and the vistas as you pass them. Here we encountered a different phenomenon. Because of the broad vistas across the meadows, often we could see where we had been hours ago, or even days ago. At Col Raiser we could see back to

Ric said we were hiking in "farm country."

Ric said we were hiking in “farm country.”

where we had started 3 hours prior. From our hike through “farm country” we could see a rifugio far across the Alpe that we’d visited 4 days ago. This ability to see the landscape was almost as though we were looking at a map. And yet what seemed so vast was really a speck on the map of this great region, the Trento-Alto Adige, in this beautiful Italy.

Laying right across the path, ambivalent to the parade of hikers passing by.

Laying right across the path, ambivalent to the parade of hikers passing by.

View of the Dolomites

From a tiny rifugio with goats and bunnies, we had a fine view down the meadow.

As we hiked down the meadow, we saw this group hiking out above us. Glad we were going another direction!

As we hiked down the meadow, we saw this group hiking out above us. Glad we were going another direction!

Luckily we walked down the mountain. Our ultimate destination is in sight at the end of the green area, a hotel on top of a cliff, but far below where we started the hike. We could see the starting point from the end, after 2+ hours of hiking.

Luckily we walked down the mountain. Our ultimate destination is in sight at the end of the green area, a hotel on top of a cliff, but far below where we started the hike. We could see the starting point from the end, after 2+ hours of hiking.

Across the delicate meadow "they" laid these concrete forms as a path, protecting the meadow from trampling and preserving the path. In some places the drop off below this "trail" was quite steep. One misstep and you'd roll for hundreds of feet.

Across the delicate meadow “they” laid these concrete forms as a path, protecting the meadow from trampling and preserving the path. In some places the drop off below this “trail” was quite steep. One misstep and you’d roll for hundreds of feet.

View from Seceda, about 8500 feet high.

View from Seceda, about 8300 feet high.

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Feeling German in Italy

25 Jul
A nice Italian man - who lives in NYC - offered to take our photo high in the Alpe at Puflatsch.

A nice Italian man – who lives in NYC – offered to take our photo high in the Alpe at Puflatsch.

I am feeling rather German – or perhaps more accurately, Austrian – right now for three reasons.

  1. I bought a pair of hiking shorts for the first time in 12 or 13 years. Thanks first to my vascular surgeon, but also to my personal trainer, my legs are in better shape than they have been in 25 years;
  2. We are drinking beer with lunch;
  3. We are eating apple strudel every day.

Even some of my high-school-and-university German is flooding back into my head, crowding the Italian I work so hard to speak. The other day I asked for a spiesekarte (menu) at a restaurant. What deep and obscure part of my memory bank did that come from?

We are in far northern Italy, the Val Gardena, an area that was Austrian until the end of WWI and has kept its flavor more German than Italian. Here we see menus with spaghetti aglio, olio e pepperoncini alongside weinerschnitzel and strudel.

This is a hiker’s paradise. First stop, the Alpe di Siusi, the largest high-alpine meadow in Europe.  We scoped out the area on our

Sunrise on the mountains as seen from our hotel at Saltria.

Sunrise on the mountains as seen from our hotel at Saltria.

2012 trip to Ortisei and made a two-night stay in the meadow a priority this year so we could hike more up in the alpe (meadow). We chose the Hotel Saltria  for its relative remoteness. One train, two buses and the cable lift/gondola up to the meadow made for a varied travel day, proving you can visit the alpe without a car.  Hotel Saltria is a half-pension hotel: both breakfast and dinner are included in the per person price, something we’ve not experienced before, preferring to find our own dining options. Did I mention this place is remote? There are no other dining options. The food was plentiful and nicely done.

I didn’t really understand the Alpe di Siusi until we had visited. It sits at about 6000-6500 feet with mountain peaks towering over the meadow. The meadow is rolling, with tiny barns, haying operations, herds of cows and horses, crisscrossed with hiking paths for every level of fitness and dotted with wonderful little places called rifugi, refuges where one can take sustenance, quaff a beer, or spend the night. Ric said the word “refuge” brought to mind a rustic lean-to to shelter to use in case of inclement weather. Far from his description, in a rifigio you can find food to rival a café in a major city.

Rifugio means a place to refresh, eat, even take a room for the night.

Rifugio means a place to refresh, eat, even take a room for the night.

Monday we took the first bus out of Saltria, connected to a chairlift at Panorama, and set out on a four hour excursion, a loop that had us walking to a point where we could make our descent to the hotel at the end. This up-and-down hike allowed a stop for second-breakfast at cute Rifugio Molignon, serving apple strudel and great coffee.  We marched on through alpine splendor, ending at another rifugio for lunch before taking a final chairlift down.  For those seeking this particular journey, and for the record so I can look back at this blog and remember, after ascending to Panorama, we hiked to Rifugio Molignon, and then on to Rifugio Zallinger, ending at the Florian lift, using trails 2 & 7. It’s briefly described in Rick Steves’ guide where he calls the hike “moderately strenuous.” We’d agree!

Tuesday we only had time for a two-hour trek, but what a walk it was! Taking the Puflatsch-Bullaccia chairlift, we toured the north side of the Alpe di Siusi, looking back at the previous day’s venue and taking in the view down into the Val Gardena and little Ortisei, where we were to spend the next four nights. From the very edge of the Alpe di Siusi we could make out Castelrotto and see far to the north toward Austria before moving on to complete our hike, descend the Alpe and make check-in time at Ortisei. For the record, trails PU and 14 make a nice moderately easy loop.

The trails are amazingly well-signed. You barely need a map once you have a vague idea of the area you wish to hike. The landscape

Well-signed trails make it easy to find your way.

Well-signed trails make it easy to find your way.

changes from lush meadow with wildflowers to alpine scrub, with rushing streams – some of which need to be forded – as well as forested glades. You hear only the sound of cowbells on the breeze, occasional bleating of goats, and the voices of passing hikers. Pure serenity seasoned with the odor of freshly mowed hay. Some paths are carefully laid rock while others are more traditional dirt. All are well-engineered for drainage. It is much easier to navigate than the Cinque Terre and much less crowded.

We made it to Ortisei Tuesday evening. But that part of the trip will have to keep for another post.  Time for dinner, but I cannot resist adding a few more photos to illustrate the beauty of this area.

The varied landscape of the Alpe di Siusi.

The varied landscape of the Alpe di Siusi.

Chairlift at Florian

The way up…and the way down. Chairlift at Florian.

One of the fun aspects of hiking here is seeing the path you travel unfurl behind or in front of you.

One of the fun aspects of hiking here is seeing the path you travel unfurl behind or in front of you.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away....Does it count if it's in your strudel?

An apple a day keeps the doctor away….Does it count if it’s in your strudel?

Rifugio Zallinger. Amazing location!

Rifugio Zallinger. Amazing location!

You can hike from rifugio to rifugio, for snacks, meals, rest, restroom. What a concept!

You can hike from rifugio to rifugio, for snacks, meals, rest, restroom. What a concept!

One segment led through a pasture with horses and cows.

One segment led through a pasture with horses and cows.

Cows have the right of way.

Yes, this is the trail. Cows have the right of way.

Alpine meadow view of the Sciliar

Alpine meadow view of the Sciliar

Cat on suitcase

Ric’s overbonded cat Janie planted herself on his suitcase as if to say “Don’t go.”

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Laurel & Ric on vacation: Part II – Ortisei

28 Jul

It’s been hot everywhere it seems. Ric and I took it hard here in Rome when the heat hit in mid-June, earlier than “usual” we are told. Hottest June in 231 years said one source. Who knew weather records were kept for more than 200 years?  We’ve also been warned that “Rome closes down in August. All of the Italians leave town.” Everyone, it seems, goes to the beach or the mountains to escape the hot city.

Now we get it. Three refreshing days in Ortisei (OR-tee-zay) in the Alto Adige region was an amazing, revitalizing getaway.

VIew down the main pedestrian-only street in Ortisei.

The town is absolutely charming. While heavy on tourist lodgings with more rooms available for tourists than there are residents of the town, Ortisei retains its character and doesn’t come off as phony or overly commercial.  Ortisei feels more like Austria or Germany than Italy.  One of our Italian colleagues said “It’s not Italy!”  The food, the bread, the signs, the architecture all led to a we’re-not-in-Italy-any-more feeling.  Given that the region was Austrian until 1919, this is not so terribly surprising. Residents generally speak three languages: German, Italian and Ladin, a regional dialect. While many also speak at least some English, the first words out of their mouths are likely to be German. But respond in Italian or English and you will likely end up in a polyglot conversation!

From our balcony we had a view up the valley toward S. Cristina and the Sella Group.

We stayed in the very lovely Hotel Garni Walter. It was a short hike up from the central piazza, and oh-so-pretty and serene. La famiglia Demetz has owned and managed the B&B for 43 years and recently renovated the entire place. Each room is outfitted in pine furniture, Tyrolean fabrics, and federbetten (German-style feather comforters) that kept us warm during the cold nights. No A/C required! To give you an idea of how refreshing the summers are, Sylvia told us on arrival that it was “warm for here: 24C (75F) degrees.” Ortisei is the first of a string of three villages in the Val Gardena. Only a few minutes apart by car or bus, you can also easily visit S. Cristina and Selva Gardena.  All three towns have two names: one Italian and one German. Ortisei is St. Ulrich to the German-speaking population. Each street has two names as well. (Luckily they are clearly marked unlike many in Rome.) The architecture is Tyrolean, with onion-domed churches throughout the area.

Gondolas or “cabinovia” ferry people up — or down — from the Alpe di Siusi.

We love trains, as most of you know, and the area is easy to access by train and bus. Local transportation options include great, comfortable busses plus the cabinovia and funivia: cable ways, lifts, funiculars. Serving skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer, these lifts crisscross the hills, mountains, and high meadows.  (Ric was in heaven with all of these transportation options. During our 6 day trip we took 4 trains, several busses, and 4 cable lifts.)

In the Alpe di Siusi, starting our hike at 44 degrees F, bright sunshine, and a terrain so beautiful it could bring tears to your eyes.

The Val Gardena is a hiker’s paradise. One can hike in the mountains on either side of the Val Gardena, or from town-to-town in the valley. You can hike up to the high meadows or ride cable ways up and hike – or bike – down. We had a lovely hike in the Alpe di Siusi. Starting out one morning at 09:00 the temperature up on top was a brisk 44F/7C but sunny and clear. The green meadows, wild flowers and soaring peaks of i Dolomiti are achingly beautiful.  The peace was disturbed only by the distant ringing of cowbells carried on the light breeze. We set off for Saltria, a “town” at the other end of the meadow from the terminus of our cable way. As is often the case in Italy, the trails are not groomed in the way they are in the Pacific Northwest. Sturdy hiking shoes are a necessity. The trails in the Alpe di Siusi are well-signed however, so getting lost is unlikely. Our terrain included a road large enough for a horse-drawn cart, a footpath through a grazing herd, and a forest path much like in Oregon.

Ric on the hike to Saltria, through a meadow with grazing animals. Yes, this was the marked path, through the herd.

Not common in Oregon are cows straddling the road

Wildlife in the Alpe di Siusi.

nor ponies looking for a handout. (Shannon T., this photo is included for you.)

Moments earlier, this little guy had been rolling in the grass, thoroughly enjoying the alpine morning.

The “town” of Saltria consists primarily of two resort-hotel/spas and a large bus stop. You can take a comfortable bus from Saltria to Compatsch, where there are more resorts, lifts, and hikes. We were quite taken by the opportunity to actually stay in the Alpe di Siusi, and plan on doing so next year.

I could go on and on. The food is great, as we have come to expect in Italy. You can have a fine pizza from a forno a legno  (wood burning oven), and certainly there is pasta, but also many regional specialties like canaderli (dumplings), Wiener schnitzel, and speck (a type of bacon) is everywhere. We saw – and ate – more potatoes in a weekend than we’ve had in two months in Rome. One of the more unique pasta dishes was spaghetti con cervo, a sauce made with venison.  And a vegetarian option of grilled vegetables is served with a round of warm camembert cheese. That’s one dish I plan to try at home.

We will likely make this an annual trip. Rates go up significantly in August when Rome empties out, so I think we’ll take our annual cool-down break in July when the area isn’t over-flowing with everyone else escaping the hot cities.

We’ll be back next year for certain.

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