13 September 2018.
We are wrapping up two weeks in Italy’s Dolomites and what a two weeks it has been! While hiking on the Alpe di Siusi one day we stopped to help a couple who were confused by the trail map they held. “You look familiar!” exclaimed the wife. “Don’t we know you? You wrote a book!” Our first celebrity moment. Thanks Judy and Andy! You made our day!
Ric on the deck at Rasciesa before our hike.
Our hosts now for three years, Justine and Siegfried at Residence Astoria seem like old friends. Their cat, Minno, was newly adopted during our visit in 2016 and now he is a strapping lad. As luck would have it, another couple who have our book is staying at Residence Astoria! Cathy and Gene from Auburn, AL are here and hiking using our guide. Turns out we share an affinity for the Berner Oberland as well.
The red cable cars emerge from the fog as we ascend to the Alpe di Siusi. We decided to go on a foggy day and found tranquility but no rain.
Blissful foggy day on the Alpe di Siusi. Very few people bothered to ascend but we enjoyed the fog.
We’ve explored some easy hikes to add to the book and we have taken some ridiculously difficult trails that we will not include. One night we splurged and stayed on the Alpe di Siusi in a lovely old hotel (we are not the rifugio types) so we could hike more easily there for two days.
Below the cable car at Seceda in the Puez-Odle Park there is a madness of marmots.
New to us, a short and scenic hike at Passo Gardena. It will be featured in the next edition of our book.
I am grateful my Italian comes back to me when we are in Italy but here in the Val Gardena — it was part of Austria until WWI — my high school German floods back and I find myself substituting German words when I forget the Italian. The locals often switch between the two languages in casual conversation so I fit right in.
We enjoyed watching these goats play while eating lunch at Malga Laranzer in the Alpe di Siusi.
The Sciliar and Punto Santner stand guard over the west end of the Alpe di Siusi. Our view over a cappuccino.
On the trail to Col Raiser, above Santa Cristina. It was a lot of work to get here!
There’s been pizza (3 times), apple strudel (also 3 times), and canederli (once is enough) along the way, and lots of good Lagrein, the local red wine. Luckily all offset by our average of 19,000 steps per day!
Pizza with anchovies and mozzarella di bufala at La Tambra, Santa Cristina.
Girovaga 