For our final day in Val Gardena, we headed up to Alpe di Siusi, which is Europe’s largest high-altitude plateau – and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We excitedly set off on a big loop walk across the plateau, and while most of the snow had melted on the meadows, it remained on the peaks and higher slopes, creating a beautiful contrast.
Rustic wooden cabins sat on pristine pastures, where cows grazed and the sound of their bells reverberated off the nearby peaks.
It was a delightful 10km walk, with distant views of Seceda and a whole range of jagged peaks to gawp at.
There wasn’t much elevation gain or loss so before we knew it we’d finished our hike – but we weren’t ready to say goodbye to the glorious views. So, the only sensible thing to do was pop into a rifugio and boy did we strike gold with this one.
The building created a windbreak, so the warm sunshine beamed down on us, and we had a panoramic view of the landscape. I ordered a cold beer while Craig stuck to his red wine, and we opted to try some local cuisine: knödel, in German, or Canederli, in Italian. It was basically two bread dumplings, one stuffed with cheese, and the other with spinach.
It sounds simple, but it was so delicious, and it was served with a sort of healthy coleslaw, made of cabbage, white wine vinegar and caraway seeds, which acted as a perfect palate-cleanser.
To finish off our feast we got a macchiato each and at long last, the notorious apple strudel that I’d been meaning to try for the past week. We seemed to accidentally pick the best place in the Dolomites to try this cinnamon-spiced dessert, as the slice was the size of my arm. They topped it with big dollops of cream and edible flowers – for €6 it was a bargain.
We eventually had to tear ourselves away from the view and say goodbye to Val Gardena as we made our way further south where we’d spend our final couple of days.
I found a cheap place to stay and it happened to be inside an old mill. Typical of the region, it was a huge three-story building with plenty of wooden detailing. Inside were a handful of rooms that the host rented out. I’m not sure if they were in their original form, or if they’d been renovated at some point, but the decor was very 1970s with a retro tiled en-suite and mustard carpet.
It was in a great location for exploring the surrounding area, and our room even had a balcony where we could sit and listen to the trickling stream.
Just up the road was Karasee lake which was high on my list of places to visit. The lake is fed by subterranean springs, along with snowmelt from the mountains during the warmer months – which is what gives the lake its vibrant blue and green colour.
It was even better in person than I expected, and it reminded me of the colourful hot springs in Yellowstone National Park.
A board walk encircled the lake. where we got to see it from a few different vantage points, but the main viewing area was the best to see the intense colour of the lake, backed by dense forest and jagged mountain peaks.
I had another hike planned for this region, but sadly the cable car we required was out of service, so we ended up picking a couple of lesser known trails.
One of them led us up a forested valley until we arrived at a rifugio beneath sheer, rocky walls that were topped with sharp points. Between a couple of the jagged points, was a shiny triangle glinting in the sun. I had a suspicion what it was, and after zooming in on my camera I confirmed that it was the rifugio we should have hiked to, had the cable car been working.
So instead we sat on the terrace, about 1000m elevation below that shiny mountain hut, sipping hot chocolate as the sun crept above the peaks and pierced down on us.
In the afternoon we parked up on a quiet section of road with a 360° mountain view to enjoy our picnic lunch on a patch of grass. Ahead of us was a lovely green plateau with a trail running through it. We weren’t really sure where it led, but we decided to investigate.
We met a little pony along the way, who excitedly galloped towards us and posed ever so well in front of the mountain backdrop.
We continued hiking until we arrived at a reservoir, which would have been very scenic if it hadn’t been encircled by a metal fence, but I managed to get a photo through a gap.
While staying at the mill we didn’t have a kitchen so we ate out both nights, which was a great success the first evening with a delicious pizza. Sadly that place was closed the next day, and the alternative restaurant made us a rather boxstandard pizza. I’ve had better ones in China and the Philippines believe it or not.
For our final day in the Dolomites, we opted to take the scenic route south to Verona. It involved driving down into a valley with autumnal hues surrounding a lake, before climbing back up a pass.
The hike I picked wasn’t too long or strenuous, leading up to a small pond with a backdrop of some incredible spikey peaks. We turned around after reaching some lovely wooden seats that spun around so we could enjoy every angle of the view.
It was our last hike in the Dolomites, so before we said goodbye to the glorious h jagged peaks, we had a picnic beneath them. Just as we sat down, a herd of sheep corralled through the valley until we were suddenly encircled by them.
We had some spare time before dropping our rental car off at Verona airport, so we opted for a little detour to Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy at 370 km2. I visited the lake when I was a teenager on a school trip, but I don’t remember much so it was nice to revisit.
Villages and towns are scattered along the shoreline, and they bring in hordes of tourists. I tried to select a slightly less busy spot, settling on Lazise at the southwestern edge of the lake.
It was quite a surreal experience after nine days in the mountains – suddenly the sun was shining, it was actually warm, and all of the buildings looked Italian instead of German.
Lake Garda was completely flat and glassy, and a bizarre sort of foggy pollution covered the horizon, blocking some of the distant views of cliffs and mountains.
We decided to treat ourselves to lunch in one of the many eateries along the promenade. Not only was it a great location to enjoy the lake view, but it was also great for people watching.
We enjoyed a margarita pizza, tomato and mozzarella salad, and a couple of beers, finished off with a big scoop of gelato.
Then it was time to return the car which we were a little paranoid about. There seemed to be so many scary stories online about fake charges, but that didn’t happen for us.
Remarkably they just gave the car a thirty-second look-over and we were free to go. It was our third time renting a car through Discover Cars and they’ve all been positive experiences.
It was a bit of a shock leaving the dramatic landscapes and blue skies of Italy and landing back in grey England, but wow – what an incredible trip!
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NON STOP TRAVELLING 