Month: September 2026

OK, one more day in Cortina.

Our final day in Cortina we had a planned hike up to Tre Cime. I was lucky to stumble on a group thread that stressed the importance of buying a parking pass beforehand. I did and what a pleasure passing all the people waiting for a bus as you could not drive up and park at the starting point without your QR code. There was at least 70 people in line for the bus at 8:30 and many more streaming in. I was impressed by those hikers that parked before the checkpoint and walked. That was at least 6.5 km and an ungodly amount of elevation given all the switchbacks we did. We arrived and parked around 8:30. We went the opposite direction as most people and our hike was in general quiet with only a few people along the trail. Initially the mountains had wispy clouds at the top but eventually they were covered in clouds.

By the time we were finishing our loop there were oodles of people on the trail, at the viewpoints, and at the Refugios. Ugh! End of September and still going strong. Hard to imagine what summer is like here.

We decided to add to our hike and walked a mile or so out to Punto Panaramico d’Cassini. People have commented it is a view of Modor. I could agree but in all, fantastic views all around.

We drove back down to our new hotel in Cortina and found a wonderful if not eclectic room at our hotel. We walked about town some. We had our usual Laguinitas and then Aperol Spritz at our favorite hangout. We shopped for T-shirts but not many tourist shops selling their multitude of hats, t-shirts, stickers, and glasses. We decided we were hungry and chose a pizza shop across from our hotel. Good cheap pizza. Across the street from that, some musicians were setting up in a wine bar so we moved over there. Fun to listen to but off to bed by 9 again! We woke up leisurely and after a good breakfast we drove south to Belluno. First things first, we found a self serve laundromat and got 2 load done before noon.

We then drove down to the historic center where we walked about several lovely piazza’s and settled in to a trattoria for a couple of Spritzers. From there we drove back North through Agordo then Alleghe where we had lunch. Alleghe is a beautiful town on of course Lago di Alleghe, with Mount Civetta looming over the town. There is a beautiful lake promenade we walked and we found a wonderful enoteca just before closing for some wine and spinach dumplings. Perfect.

We drove on over the passo Fedaia which passes very close to the base of Marmolada which we have seen from various points along our trip. We stopped in Canazei for some salami, cheese, and wine. The town is a little more touristy than others along this route but gorgeous Dolomite backdrops. We had booked a stay just outside of town earlier in the day and enjoyed the heated pool and sauna there. Good views from the balcony as well.

Just coffee in the am and drove down Val de Fassa then over to Bolzano. We both enjoyed the downtown area with narrow cobblestone streets mixed with a few piazzas. We had cappuccino’s and chocolate croissants on Pizza Walther then walked up and down a number of streets looking in shops. We drove off onto the Weinstrassa down thru South Tyrol’s wine valley. Also a lot of apple orchards. Our first stop was one of the larger wine producers in the area. They had a nice tasting room with many wines you could sample. We tried Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, Lagrein, and Cab Sauvignon. We bought a bottle of the Cab and they waived all tasting fees. We drove further south to Manincor winery. ChatGPT had recommended it along with others. Turned out they had some good wines. We ended up with a Chardonnay and a red-blend that just so happened to be named after my new grandson. Cassian! Although it was the Italian version, Cassiano. They recommended a restaurant down the road that they are affiliated with, Panholzer. The restaurant is set in a wonderful old stone building though a little hard to find and it overlooked some vineyards with hills in the background.

The Bruschetta we shared was awesome. Katie loved her deep-fried fish and beans and I was ok with my radicchio risotto. Mine was a little too bitter, but I tried. We drove farther south to Lago di Molveno where our next hotel was. I used Google maps to choose a course using smaller roads and avoiding the Autostrada. Well, I turned right instead of left out of the restaurant parking lot and Google changed the route to the Autostrassa. Of course once one thing goes wrong things tend to snowball. First  I chose the wrong fork in the road and ended up on the autostrassa going North instead of South. The next off ramp was 15 km ahead.  When we got to the off ramp and the ticket booth, we couldn’t find the ticket right away! Yes a few more curses escaped my inner voice network and made it to the outside world. Once back on the autostrassa going South no problems. Just not very pretty and lots of trucks and racecar drivers. Lake Molveno is gorgeous. Again a lovely balcony with views of the surrounding hills. Some cows in the close by pasrures bothered Katie some but they were singing to me and I slept well. We had a leisurely start on a bright blue sky day and drove down to Riva del Garda a lovely town on the northern shores of Lago de Garda. We walked the narrow cobblestone streets and down to the harbor where small sailboats and windsurfers traveled across the lake. Katie found a nice leather purse but what was fascinating was the Italian shop owner who said his dad up in the mountains made them. Something we would hear in the shops of Mexico all the time. We saw these bags in multiple cites on our journey around Lake Garda. Busy dad!

We drove to Limone sul Garda a tourist town built on the steep cliff sides of the eastern shore. Many bikes on the road out which were difficult to pass as the road was narrow, winding, and full of tunnels. We walked through the cobblestone streets and stopped for an Aperol Spritz but no major purchases. Most items had a lemon theme. Katie and I sat in the piazza, drinking our Spritz’s and counting the number of lemon outfits passing by.

We drove around to the west side of the lake and checked into our final Italian hotel in Malcesine. This is a beautiful town and the hotel was right on the lake.

We shared a nice lunch of Bruschetta and a forgettable pasta. 

We walked the narrow streets and eventually stopped for Gelato. We had to. There was a Gelateria every 20 feet. After a great nights sleep listening to the small sailboats rocking in their anchorages and a well stocked breakfast buffet we set off for Milano. We left with an estimate of arriving at our car rental return an hour and forty minutes before our train departure. As usual, getting to the actual car rental return was an adventure. Google maps had a spot picked out right in the middle of the road about a kilometer from the airport. We followed a poorly marked trail to the airport and eventually to the return spot which was only marked right at the entrance not before. We were one of a number of cars trying to return and no workers were around. We stressed abit but got it returned. We went to the Uber pickup spot but after 2 cancellations by drivers our third was 16 minutes out, probably going to cancel us as well. So we cancelled that ride went outside and found a taxi. Turned out cheaper than Uber and got us to the train station with 20 minutes to spare. We scrambled for the right platform but couldn’t find our assigned car. The train had loaded cars at the front that were out of order so we kept walking and walking down the train. We finally got to our assigned seats and the train took off 5 minutes later! I was busy typing a complaint to Uber as they had charged me $12 for cancelling the last Uber when I looked up to find a crying 9 month old and a distraught 1 1/2 year old across the aisle from us. Katie and I moved up to the restaurant car which was very quiet. A lovely trip to Zurich but having been in the Dolomites for 2 weeks the hills were not quite as inspiring. We sat at a street cafe in Zurich for dinner and the main noteable was how expensive everything was. We boarded our Night Jet train to Berlin without problems. 2 bunkbeds, a sink and a tiny table off the wall i slept well with the clicking and clakking of the railcar. We woke to a modest breakfast in our sleeper car then Uberred over to Zac and Maria’s

The adventure begins with a lift ride. Not cheating. That’s what the guides said to do. In fact we went past are hiking starting point and road two cable cars up to the top of Tefano Mezze. The second cable car was installed for the Olympics in 1956. A classic!

The views up top were fabulous with a striking vantage point of Cortina way below and the mountains surrounding it. We also had a view out to Marmolada, the Sella, and the Geisler group again. 

Rode back down to Col Druscie where we began our hike. We had great Mountain View’s but the trail was not the best. Seemed like we climbed vertically up talus flows or hiked on gravel roads with occasional cars going by. Not the bucolic scene we were thinking of. We stopped at the first Refugio, Duca d Acosta, for a Coke then onward and upward to the second Refugio on our trail, Refugio Angelo Dibona where we had lunch and a beer. Katie had onion soup and I had Tofanellini with blueberries and speck. Surprisingly good.

From there we knew the trail was up. An hour and a half and 2000 feet elevation gain later we reached our final Refugio, Giussani.

Basically it sits at the top of a pass. They do have toilets, beer, Aperol Spritzes but no showers or electricity in the rooms.

Our room sleeps 9 in bunk beds and 1 solo. I got the solo. Bathroom across the hall. No sink. Beautiful views coming up. Looks like the moon according to Katie.

We did see a family of Chamois on the way up.

At the top, Aperol Spritzes and beers on the deck then dinner. Katie had a bean soup as her primi. I had spaghetti ragu which was actually a tube pasta but good. Our secondi was sausage and fried potatoes for both of us. Strudel for desert. All in all filling for so isolated up on the mountain. Now time for bed though it is only 9. Ok sleep despite a room of 9 people. No big snorers. Up for breakfast at 7 which was jellies, Nutella, and a slice of cheese. Coffee was good! We set out at 8. Pretty much straight down hill. Talus fields so lots of loose footing then cliff drop offs.

Some parts were even getting a little technical with cables and washed out trails leaving scary vertical descents.

We went 2.93 miles down, from 8900’ down to 6078’ at the river crossing. Not particularly great views on the way down, mostly moonscape. The trail going up was pretty good wandering thru trees and alpine valleys until we entered the moonscape again. Zig zag up the hill. We did pass WWI tunnels and bunkers, lookout posts carved into the cliffs. It was the Austrians vs the Italians here. Brutal living conditions. Brutal hiking conditions.

I was stopping every 50 yards. We finally made it to the top, now at 9018 feet. Total trip was 5 hours and 20 minutes but way too much down and way way too much up. We had large Forst beers then a Laguinitas IPA with fries. Spectacular views at this Refugio Lagazoui.

We could have hiked down to Passo Falzarego but our guides said take the cable car down! We did that. Short hike to our Refugio Col Gallina where they had showers and our room is only 5 people. On the deck with an Aperol Spritz after showers and our mood is getting better. There is talk of an orange storm warning tomorrow. We have a 17 km hike on our schedule so we will see how bad it is.

After a pretty good sleep and significant rain during the night we ate a pretty good breakfast and decided to at least try part of the hike.

We met some drizzle early on but then just cloudy. No further rain. No thunder. No lightning. So we hiked and hiked. Some of the trails were crazy up. Basically bouldering up a chute 10-15 feet wide.

We had some downhill sections that were like that as well but more scary going down. With the previous rain, things were slippery. After 4 hours we made it to Passo Giau, a pass we had driven over coming into Cortina. We had our usual beer and fries then waited to see if the skies would open up and roar. We didn’t want to hike over 2 more passes if there was lightning about. But no. All stayed calm so off we went. The trail lulled us with some modest inclines in open meadows. We did get to see quite a few Marmots and sometimes the clouds would lift a bit giving us very pretty views of the surrounding peaks. We hiked up and down for the next 3 hours eventually making it to Refugio Croda da Lago.

Beautiful site though inside was very cramped quarters. I have never seen a shower so small. My legs were cramping trying to get out of my pants in such a small place. Tomorrow we have a choice of two trails. One backtracks uphill the way we came from. The other is pretty much downhill back to Cortina. We are heading downhill to Cortina. Katie is already planning out the spa visit. So the hike today was 6 1/2 hours. 11.3 miles. 3481 vertical feet. We are pooped. A night with 7 people in a room much smaller than my bedroom. We did sleep reasonably well with the window open and ear plugs in. I woke up about 2 am worried about fire having seen the wall of electronic items charging just outside of our room. After some muesli and coffee we set off downhill to Cortina. Some parts of the trail were good but others were quite vertical and slippery between the mud and the tree roots.

We stopped for a cappuccino at Refugio Laga d Ajal. They were booming country music out over their deck.

We continued down and eventually made it to Cortina, taking 3 hours and forty minutes for 6.9 miles some 2800 feet down.

No bruised butts or broken ankles and though there has been a yellow warning all day for rain and thunderstorms. No rain on us! Currently waiting to check into our hotel room. We put all our dirty clothes together but struck out on the two laundry services in town. Another day we’ll get that done.

Ciao!

Here is Katie’s visual interpretation of our hikes

We arrived in Milan after an hour or so weather delay. Had an easy drive to Lake Iseo and a good night sleep in our hotel on the lake there. In the am after a provided lovely breakfast we headed out into the burbs here which is a DOC called ‘Franciacorta’, an area specializing in sparkling wine made using the Methode Champagne. Can’t call it champagne though. We tried one place which turned out to be closed to visitors and since another was close by we said well one more try before we drive on. Antica Attica. Fantastic! The receptionist said well I do have a couple bottles open that you could try so I called Katie in from the car. She was pretty sure there would be no tastings today. I did namedrop that we lived near Napa and what do you know, the grandson of the owner comes out and sits with us for the next hour opening and pouring many of his sparkling wines. He also gave us a tour of his cellars and was just all in all awesome. Some of the bubbles were equal to some we’ve had in Champagne and he told us his wine has been selected to be served at the Emmy’s this year. What a great find. 

We drove up north along the lake and then on towards Bolzano trying to stay on smaller roads rather than the autostrasse. It did take longer this way and the journey was a constant flow of 1 lane and windy roads but the countryside was just spectacular. Just east of Bolzano was our resting place for the next four nights, Ortisei. Placed in the middle of Val Gardenia, the city provides not only great views but easy access to superb hikes. 

In the morning we drove to the valley to the north of us, Val di Funes, where we were introduced to hiking in the Dolomites. We parked right at the trail to the church, Santa Magdalena. This church is apparently famous on Tik Toc because of some pictures of the church with the Geisler Group in the background.

Chat GPT didn’t give me all the important info with the transportation and parking in this area so we got back to our car after our hike and drove off up the valley for our next hike. Mind you there were cars lined up to get our $13 parking spot. We drove up the road less than a mile and we were turned back. No parking available further up the road! So we turned around and got in line with a few other cars waiting for an open parking spot at the place we just left! After about 15 minutes we were able to snag a spot but the bus going up the hill had passed by a few minutes before. We checked the schedule at the stop and of course they run once an hour. A few swear words with both inner and outer voices as we waited. The bus showed up 15 min late but we got a seat and on up we went to Zanes parking area where we started the Adolf-Munkel Trail. This led us up about 1500 feet and along the base of Furchetta and Sass Rigais, peaks that are part of the Geisler Group. The first part of the trail was kind of a slog up thru forested hills, climbing over tree roots and mud pits, but the at the base of the peaks, gorgeous. Just stunning mountains erupting from the hills. Maybe three quarters of the way along our hike we came to Refugio Geisleralm.

A kleine beer for each while we stared at the peaks and the cows in the fields. These Refugio’s are amazing. We finished our 6 mile hike and caught the bus back to our parking lot. I think the bus lines are like what I hear the ski lift lines are like. A glob of people all trying to get in the same door. There is no defined line just a glob.

We made it back to the hotel and then off for our dinner at Tubladel. It is supposed to be a Michelin starred restaurant but I thought it was just ok.

In the am, again after a lovely breakfast we were off to the Seceda Cable car. We had made an 8:30 reservation yesterday while we were hiking the trail and sure enough a ton of people in line. You ride up an 8 seater gondola then transfer to a 60 person cable car that whisks you up some 1250 feet in total.

$85 each for a round trip ticket. Once at the top the views are everywhere and unending. We followed an All Trails route that ended up being 7 miles and 1750 elevation gain. Pretty crowded which Katie and I and other travelers occasionally wondered out loud, what is it like in the summer here!? People would wait in line to take a picture from one spot, where if you moved just a little bit you would get essentially the same picture. I don’t get it sometimes. We hiked and hiked up and down with stunning views with us 100% of the time.

We did come across a cow on the narrow trail at one point that had everyone scrambling off the trail to get around. Katie tried her friendliest petting but the cow just head butted her! She was not gonna move. And I mean the cow. Katie and I scrambled off the trail to get around her.

We did manage a beer at another Refugio. This was Firenze and it looked out at Sassolongo, a very impressive peak jutting out of the valley.

We rode the lifts back down, stopped in town for an ice cream then up to the hotel for a swim in the pool. We sampled some local cheeses and champagne on our patio. Dinner out later at Ultaria de Chacco, known for its traditional food. Katie had a Caprese salad and then Canderli (dumplings of spinach and speck in a beef broth). I had a pea soup with speck then some cheese ravioli with a pumpkin sauce. All very good. 

After another hearty breakfast we were off on a driving tour of four passes that circumnavigate the Sella Massif. We chose a Sunday drive for no particular reason but we were so lucky as they closed the passes to cars the day before, a twice a year event known as Sellaround allowing bikes a wide open road around all the passes. Now I can’t say there were just a few bikes going up and over the multiple passes on this Sunday the day after the official Sellaround. I thought there were gobs or hoards of bicyclists making the trip along with about a thousand motorcyclists. Well despite the fellow travelers, we had a terrific ride with fantastic views along the way. The road was very narrow the majority of the way with many hairpin turns mixed in. You definitely had to slow or stop at some points to let a bus or truck go by in the ‘other’ lane and equally to pass clumps of cyclists climbing the hill ever so slowly. Now downhill, a different story. I had motorcycles whizzing by on blind curves and cyclists passing me on the left despite me being a car length behind the car in front of me of me! A highlight was a stop at Passo Pordoi and a ride to the top of the Sella Massif in a gondola. 360 degree views over the Sella formation and views of Sassolongo and Marmolada. Amazing. 

We completed our circuit around 1 o’clock so we gathered from our hotel some of our previously bought cheeses, sausage, crackers and apples and headed up Mount Seuc in the gondola which was next to our hotel. This ride dropped us off in Alpe de Suisi. This is a high alpine valley with multiple trails, refugios, and unending views of Sassolongo, the Sella Masif, and the Geisler group. A mecca for biking as it turns out and influencers working on the ultimate pose for their selfies.

After our lunch on the grass looking out over the valley we ended up with a 3 mile loop ending at a refugio where we had our first Aperol Spritz. Lovely. We rode a lift and gondola back to the base in Ortesei where our hotel is and went for a swim. Today we had a short drive to Cortina d’Ampezzo crossing Passo Giau which we will hike to over the coming days on our Hut to Hut adventure. Welcome to Cortina d’Ampezzo

Ciao!

I booked an Air France flight for Katie and I in Premium Economy as any business ticket on any airline was typically 400,000 points each or the flight had multiple stops and it took more than 24 hours. Fortunately, the day before leaving they offered an upgrade to Business Class for $650. Well that had Katie jumping up and down in our kitchen.

We took BART to SFO with the usual couple of crazy people on board but we arrived early and made it thru security very fast. We enjoyed the Air France lounge where they served up some pretty good food and poured some nice wines. The flight was non-stop and both Katie and I slept a large part of that. We Uberred to Erin’s apartment in downtown Paris where she served us a variety of fresh cheeses and breads. Erin went off to work so Katie and I walked exploring the area around the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

We walked a total of 10 miles before boarding our sunset champagne cruise on the Seine. Beautiful views and it was just like I remembered in that people lined the river to watch the sunset. Great atmosphere. We met Erin and her 19 year old daughter, Hannah, for dinner. A nice warm night outside in a cafe watching the people go by. I guess I will note it now. Smoking is everywhere. Young and old though the young tend to vape a little more. The restaurants have indoor non-smoking sections but outdoors is fair game. Erin’s husband says its because it’s cool. I don’t see it. We slept 9 hours then in the am walked down to explore Ile de la Cite. Heavily touristed around the Notre Dame but just a few blocks away it was quiet. We did a tour of the restored towers in the church. 400 and something stairs but great views and the woodwork is astounding.

We made our way back to Erin’s where Katie and I fell asleep for a couple hours. We took the Metro to the Musee de Rodin. Amazing how frequently the trains come on the Metro. We rarely waited more than a minute for our train. The Rodin Museum is one I visited before going off to Berkeley a number of years ago! Spectacular sculptures both in the garden and in the building. Pretty much as I remembered and equally as impressive.

We had a glass of wine at a streetside cafe as we waited for Erin’s husband then off to dinner.

Lovely day but off to bed as soon as got back to Erin’s place. 9 hours of sleep again, some coffee, the newspaper, then Uberred to the airport for our flight to Milan. EZ Hertz car pickup and surprisingly easy driving to our hotel on the shores of Lake Iseo. 

Au Revoir and Boungiorno.