The Dolomites
(Part I)

Jack and Kate's Summer '24 European Trip: Part 2

Dates: June 28-29, 2024

Locations: Dolomiti National Park, Seceda Ridgeline

Day 1: First Views

After the whirlwind of Venice and amazingly annoying experience of getting our rental car, Kate and I were finally free on the open road as we raced towards the mountains. Just an hour into the drive, granite spires began to appear- the hallmark of the Dolomites.

As a first chance to breathe in the mountain air, we took a roadside stop at Rifugio Pelmo in the village of Palafavera for a couple of espressos with incredible views. From the deck, we could see Mount Civetta and its line of supporting towers. The dry, cool air and sunshine through spotty clouds made for a very comfortable relief from the Mediterranean heat we'd experienced.

Crossing a pond to get to the rifugio.

Enjoying espresso - my favorite part of the European routine.

From there, the drive became windy and narrow, but each turn revealed a new perspective on the Dolomites as we ascended into them. We had to repeatedly pull off to get out and admire the views more thoroughly. It was a partly cloudy day, and the sunlight streaming through gaps created a light show on the sheer granite faces of the mountains around us. Apparently we were getting above treeline as well, since dark green pines gave way to verdant meadows of flowers and grass that absolutely lit up when the sun struck them.

Slideshow: First mountain views.

Trail markers along the various "vias"

Sun through the clouds highlights patches of trees and stone.

We pulled off at nearly every opportunity, but our favorite one was a hairpin bend in the road that gave us access to the meadows to frolic in the soft grass and abundant wildflowers like the Sound of Music.

Slideshow: Glowing grasslands above Val Gardena.

Kate and I in our Sound of Music era.

Slideshow: Our hike amongst the spires.

After the hike, we drove to Colfosco where we checked into our hotel at Garni Reutlingen. At the recommendation of the owner we walked down the street to Black Hill Pizzeria, starving from a whole day of traveling. We were so excited for some authentic pizza that we ordered 3 pizzas, prompting the waiter to ask if we were really really sure about that. He definitely thought stereotypical thoughts about Americans when we took that third pizza home with us...

A lovely walk through the twilight streets of Colfosco rounded out our day. The air was chilly and fresh up here in the mountains, a welcome relief from Venice/Houston.

My first Italian pizza!

Half-timber buildings lend an alpine feel.

night joy in the mountains

Herbie a-fully a-loaded

Day 2: Seceda Ridgeline

Waking up to the mountain air and sun streaming through our open window, we went downstairs to the adorable dining room of the inn. The innkeeper had set out tiny flags of the countries for the tables of everyone staying there, and we took our seat at our proud American table, looking around to see countries from all over the world represented! The innkeeper was so nice and kept our espresso drinks constantly topped off as we ate some European style breakfast of cold cuts, cheeses, and bread.

Breakfast with a view!

Kate drinking her Americano

After breakfast we drove out of Colfosco to Ortisei, another small town of the Val Gardena area. Since we had grand plans to squeeze in two iconic Dolomite areas, we bought cable car tickets to save ourselves several thousand feet of elevation gain on our way up to area number 1: the Seceda ridgeline.

Seceda Ridgeline

The Odles group of the Dolomites, a world heritage site, houses Mt. Seceda and its accompanying ridgeline. Once an undersea coral reef, tectonic uplift thrust these layers of rock upwards into mountains, which glaciers later came through and carved into dramatic cliffs and jagged edges. Today, Seceda ridgeline is insta-famous for these jagged cliffs on one side, dropping a thousand feet or more, and verdant green pastures on the planar side. The cable car brought us and other tourists up to the far end of the ridge, and we enjoyed an easy loop hike along the path that straddles the ridge's edge.