The fog is thick over the Dolomites

I have dreamed of the Dolomites for almost twenty years but for various reasons it has not materialised. This has of course built up an expectation of great proportions, not least as the net is full of absolutely incomparable pictures.

(This is part two of our trip to the Dolomites. You can read Part 1, Part 3, Part 4 and part 5 here.)

Despite the weather, it is much easier to deal with this in the Italian Alps because in every bush there are so-called refugios, which are a kind of mountain huts where you can seek shelter. When I say mountain huts, you might be thinking of the primitive little huts that are on display in the Swedish mountains? No, this is Italy and what hiker would go any distance without a restaurant with quality food and a glass of wine. Some of them also offer overnight accommodation, which means you can do a 'hut to hut' and leave your tent at home.

One of the first we tested, Refugio Fronza alle Coronella, is a restaurant at 2337 metres that not only has excellent food and wine but also live music in the evenings. The view from their outdoor terrace is apparently quite magical but on this particular occasion you couldn't see more than a few metres in front of you.

Another advantage is that many areas have lift systems that are open even in summer. This means that instead of struggling for half a day to get to the top, you can take the lift up and then hike between the peaks. It really maximises the experience and you get to eat the raisins in the cake in a simple way.

On this particular day, we took hitchhiking to new heights as we weren't super keen on going out in the rain. In the valley between this area we were hiking in, Sciliar, and Alpe di Siusi, we found a small valley that was incredibly cosy. Believe it or not, there was also a real gem of a hotel here, which we of course took advantage of. They offered a local speciality, Kaiserschmarrn, which was an unexpectedly positive experience. It is a kind of pancake that is cut into small pieces and then fried a little more. It's always accompanied by lots of icing sugar and a sweet accompaniment like homemade jam or berries. Cyprian's Court, as the hotel is called, is five-star, and despite our somewhat ragged hiking look, we received excellent service.

Although we were not lucky with the weather, we still got a small taste of what is to come. You will see more about this in future posts about Alpe di Siusi and Merano 2000.

As I mentioned before, there was a lot of lift riding on this day, with nearly twenty trips up and down the mountainside. It might be a good idea to plan a bit in advance as the price quickly goes up if you pay per ride. In most places there are single, return, half-day, full-day and family tickets. Full day may seem expensive but it pays off after three to four trips. When we finally went straight into a storm and were rewarded with a "bucket" of alpine rain, well, then we felt it was time to turn home.

On the way home we also passed Lago di Carazza to experience its marvellous waters. The lake is crystal clear and you can see all the way to the bottom. Add to that the strange colour and you have something that fits into any fantasy movie. The sun and the surrounding mountains were obscured by clouds but if you want to see what the lake can look like on a sunny day, I recommend this one blog.

Finally, I must say something about the cows. Unlike many other mountain areas, there are a lot of grassy plateaus here and on these there are always cows. They are not the breeds we are used to in Sweden, but a slightly more sheltered variant that is simply called alp cow. They are insanely cute and you can hear their bells all over the mountain. I'll end with a picture of them but I can guarantee that you will see more.

If I may send a wish to higher powers, I want to be an alp cow in the next life... 🙂