European Escape (Part 2, Dolomites, July 2025)

Monday, July 7, 2025

At last we were off to the Dolomites!  We had enjoyed our too-short introduction to Milan, but now we were on to the main delight of this 3-course northern Italy sampler. .

Leaving the hotel and heading to the Milan Centrale train station was eased by an elevator into the Duomo station, just out the door from the hotel.  Four stops later, we disembarked from Line 3.  Walking with the luggage wasn’t too difficult as there are tapis roulant (a cross between an escalator,  a ramp and a moving sidewalk).

The train left right on time, at 10:05 am and after changing trains in Verona, we disembarked in Bolzano only 5 minutes later than our predicted 1:30 pm arrival.  It was so cold on the train, it was a relief to disembark and warm up. A 5-minute roll with the luggage and we arrived at the Parkhotel Laurin, an attractive and centrally located property which fully deserves the Park in its name.  The grounds are shaded by luxuriant, fully grown trees. There are multiple inviting sitting areas.

Our guides GP (Gianpaolo Fosco) and Enrico Pizzorni met us in the lobby.  The other couple, Steve and Debby, arrived from Salzburg shortly after us.  They were escaping Phoenix’s summer heat, having already done a Santana Norway bike trip and a stay with their son and his family in Austria. It was a relief to meet and like them immediately.

This was Enrico’s 200th trip since becoming a Ciclismo Classico guide in 1998.  In the off-season, he teaches PE where he lives in Piedmont.  Steve and Debby knew him already from prior Ciclismo trips they had done.  Gianpaolo also has a long history with Ciclismo as a guide since 2002.  In the winter, he works as a ski guide where he lives in Canazei.

Frederika led us on a walking tour of Bolzano, which is an attractive small town that appears quite well appointed.  Surprisingly, in May and June, it often is the hottest city in Italy, apparently due to the volcanic stone which paves the cobblestone streets. My impression that Bolzano and South Tyrol are prosperous was confirmed by our guides, who explained that the region has greater autonomy than other regions of Italy, with 90% of revenue retained and controlled locally.

Dinner was under a large white canopy in the garden of the hotel, a 3-course affair, beginning with gazpacho surrounding a burrata ball, beet gnocchi stuffed with goat cheese with swirls of pesto and a sensational cranberry linzer tarte for dessert.

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Today was our first day of Dolomites riding and what an introduction! We rode from the hotel, accompanied by Enrico, with GP manning the van.  He would pop up at easy-to-miss turn-offs.  It was cool enough (around 60 degrees) I was glad I brought along my arm warmers and a windbreaker vest. Apparently, a heatwave that affected the prior week’s trip had broken, just in time for us.

Bolzano is surrounded by a network of bike paths, which took us out of the city center and along farm paths between apple orchards and vineyards.

Once out of the city, we could see a more expansive view of the Dolomites themselves. Our route took us through forests of mature trees with a section of pine-covered dirt paths, leading us to overlooks of two small adjacent lakes.

Given the elevation, we elected e-bikes for this trip, as did Debby.  This proved to be a good decision. Debby’s Steve is on his personal carbon fiber bike brought from home and he is a cycling machine.  So are Enrico and GP, also riding (mostly) without motorized assistance.  The e-bikes enable us to keep in a reasonably tight formation, although I would have preferred to have stopped to drink and take pictures a little more frequently.  Debby’s Steve is able to take shots while riding, but not being familiar with these routes, I reserved all my attention to riding and route-finding.  At home, I use a Camelbak backpack, so I had to relearn plucking a water bottle from a cage on the bike, drinking and replacing it while riding.

We had to climb, via bike and cable car, to reach lunch in Passo Mendola. GP spread out a huge map in a cafe with the week’s routes outlined while we sipped cappuccinos.  We stayed there for lunch, which was heart and satisfying (for me, dumplings of bread and speck with meat ragu).

A funicular took us up even higher, where we had a panoramic view of the region and could see rain in the distance.  We only felt rare drops as we careened around switchbacks down the slope (inside leg up!).

At Kellerei Bozen, we were given a private tour of the very modern operation by Maximillian, the grandson of one of the founders.  The co-op was formed by 224 local growers in 2015. We were surprised to hear this is considered a small-scale operation, exporting 3 million bottles a year!  Most goes to Germany and Austria (40%) and Italy and the local area (40%), with 4% to the US, 4% to China, etc.  Of the wines we tasted, we most enjoyed the Pinot Bianco and the Gewürztraminer. By the way, Bozen is German for Bolzano, which is the Italian name.  We were to encounter many dual identity towns with two names, reflecting the centuries this region was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, before becoming Italian territory in 1919 in the aftermath of WW I. Even this region has a multiplicity of names, from the English South Tyrol, the German Südtirol and the Italian Alto Adige.

Given the surprisingly chilly weather, Steve asked about a cycling shop to buy a jacket.  In the van en route to the huge Sportler bike shop,  we encountered a surprising amount of traffic, prompting us to disembark from the van and walk the last bit. I also found a long-sleeved layer, which was to prove very useful in the coming cool days.

A terrific dinner of a huge Panzanella salad, bronzino with cubed vegetables and strawberries with vanilla ice cream, awaited us at Bistro Zum Bogen, set in the arches arcade. GP had arranged with the restaurant for a surprise cake for Enrico, celebrating his 200th Ciclismo tour.

Facebook alerted us to sad news in stark contrast to the good times we were enjoying.  A transplant surgeon we worked with for decades, Randy Schaeffer,  posted on FB that his parents were caught in the flooding then making the news in central Texas.  His father managed to escape their vehicle, but his mother was unaccounted for until days later when she was identified via her wedding ring.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

We rode out of Bolzano on a cool and sunny crisp day, heading north into the V-shaped Eisack Valley (Val Isarco) (as opposed to the glacial carved U-shaped valley in which we rode the day before).  This is a main thoroughfare between Austria and northern Italy, traversed by rail, highway and a bikeway, completely separate from cars,  running along a pale grey-green river.  We crossed several charming small towns, each more picturesque than the next.  We stopped for coffees and bathrooms in Chiusa/ Klausen and ducked into the baroque cathedral of Bressanone. The vineyards were now supplemented with cornfields.

 

We again earned our lunch, with a climb (grade averaging 7%) up to Rasa and a tasty lunch arranged by Frau Herta at Gasthof Kaltenhauser of cheeses, breads, cured meats, and salad ingredients.  Dessert was irresistible, a thick eggy pancake-like treat served with cranberry sauce, with a fruit salad of peaches, blueberries, and apples.

The original plan had us regrouping at Rio Pusteria (German name Muhlbach) where a cablecar would take us up if we chose not to do the extra mileage climb.  Although only 6.8 kilometers, the grade averaged  7.7% up to Maranza, for a total of 61 km (38 miles), with elevation gain of 1531 m (5023 ft!).  I had plenty of battery left (about 60%) but used much of it to make it to the hotel, Milla Montis, a beautiful property with stunning views, which opened 10 days before the pandemic shut-down. It survived, gaining a MIchelin star for its chef-owner last year.  Steve started the climb with 50% battery and was in danger of running out (in the red) with the climb, having to shift down to Level 3 of 5 the last few miles. 40 miles 4880 feet

Dinner was a fabulous, multi-course affair. I especially loved the girolle mushroom starter.  This was followed by a nice version of the veal carpaccio with tuna dish we’d first encountered in Milan. Course after course were both beautifully presented and equally scrumptious.

We had an unpleasant surprise waiting for us back in our room.  We had both taken baths in the gorgeous stand-alone tub with a view.  Steve thought there was an unusual amount of water around the fixtures but mopped it up.  When we came back from dinner, we found a moat of water pooling against the patio door.  I summoned the front desk, who produced a maintenance man and we were moved 2 doors down, to 114 (there was no 113).

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Our route today took us from west to east, along long stretches of the Rienza River, in Val Pusteria. We didn’t have far to go before stopping for a tour of the Capriz Dairy and cheese tasting with Sasha and Angela.  The complex includes a miniature museum explaining the cheese-making process, which is cleverly designed and engaging.

The legend goes that a shepherd accidentally discovered cheese when he stored milk in a pouch made from a goat’s stomach.  When he went to drink, he found the liquid milk was now solid, transformed (we now know) into cheese by contact with an enzyme, rennet, found in mammalian stomachs. Today, most cheese production utilizes calf stomach. I was surprised to learn about the differences (and advantages) of making cheese using goat’s milk rather than cow’s milk.

Whether a soft vs. hard cheese is to be made will influence the size the mass is cut into and how long the pieces will be immersed in a salt bath (a soft cheese like Camembert may be immersed for 20 minutes, vs a hard cheese like Parmesan which will require upward of 20 days).

Capriz Dairy is very much a local operation, with trucks picking up milk daily, rain or shine, from multiple local farms (4000 cow farmers and 40 goat farmers).  The farms are generally small, averaging 15 cows per farmer, with most of the farmers having other employment. The milk is tested for antibiotics.  In a vat, it is heated and rennet is added, forming a pudding-like consistency.  This is sliced into grains, large for soft cheeses, small for hard. The grains are manually ladled into forms. Hard cheeses are pressed to decrease the liquid content.

After lunch in Valdaora di Mezzo, we elected to do the extra loop to see Lake Braies.  Debby had had enough and headed straight to the hotel, Paradiso Sole.  She normally rode with her Steve, using just enough pedal assist power to keep pace with him, but riding alone, she evidently let it rip, as Steve said later he had to work to catch her.

Enrico rode with Steve and me to Lago di Braies.  It is the crown jewel of Fannes-Senes-Braies Nature Park and arguably, of the Dolomites, being rimmed by soaring peaks and a beautiful sight. It was thronged with tourists. The giant hotel on its shore and the alpine views made me think of the Ahwahnee and Yosemite.

By the time we made it to the hotel, I was ready for a tush transplant, having logged 84.9 kilometers (53 miles), including 1631 meter elevation gain or 5351 feet.

I almost missed the Dolomythos Museum tour.  At 6:04, I realized we were supposed to meet downstairs at 6 pm.  Steve hadn’t even showered yet.  I hurried down.  Owner Michael Wachtler took us through the exhibits and artifacts, many of which he personally collected from the Dolomites in his climbing days. It is a terrific collection and cabinet of curiosities, ranging from dinosaur bones to beautiful fossil records from the region.

We had dinner at the hotel, beginning with hazelnuts in honey with braised endive, then moving on to polenta with a seafood sauce and duck with purple potatoes and asparagus.  Dessert was billed as a lavender creme brulee but seemed more like an excellent ice cream.

Friday, July 11, 2025

Everyone elected to do the “extra loop”, since today was a lower mileage day (34 miles instead of 25).  Our route took us south through the Val di Landro, which divides two parks: Fannes-Sennes-Braies and the Natural Park of the Sesto Dolomites. The carrot was views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.  We definitely worked for it: a long steady climb with hairpins, making for a thrilling, at times almost scary, winding, long cold descent. Our elevation gain was 4800 feet!

Apparently, we lucked out with the weather as this same ride the prior trip was scorching.

We were chilled to the bone by the time we stopped outside Cortina for lunch at Ristorante Rio Gere.  The ravioli selvaggina with veal ragu which Steve and Debby ordered was excellent, as was my zuppa di giorno (minestra verdure or vegetable soup) and a side of cooked cabbage (verze cotte). (46 E for the two of us).

Cortina is actively preparing to host the 2026 winter Olympics, with cranes dotting the skyline, which is otherwise as picturesque as can be.

The Hotel de Len is the best hotel yet.  All have been interesting and attractive, but this 3-year-old modern alpine-style hotel really appealed, with a free mini bar, a second-floor lounge with snacks and a gorgeous spa.

Our stay included an hour in the 6th-floor spa of the Hotel de Len, featuring a delicious body temperature spa, screened for birds but otherwise open-air, with a stunning view. I spent most of the hour in the jacuzzi, trying to soak away soreness.  I lasted only a minute sampling saunas of different temperatures and degrees of humidity.

We vanned to dinner at a lovely restaurant on the outskirts of town, well worth the drive, Dolomiti Lodge Alverà.  We shared our starters, a warm salad with bacon and paté with onion marmalade, served with thick toasted brioche. Steve preferred his tagliolini with beef ragu over my porcini and chanterelles with polenta.  Both desserts were excellent, a pistachio cremoso (mousse) with a cookie crumble and panna cotta with wild strawberries.

Saturday, July 12, 2025

Debby sat out today’s outing to Passo Falzarego and Valparola, to give her knee a break.  My Steve thought abdominal cramps might force him to forego the hike, but Pepto-Bismal and a well-timed visit to the WW I museum, worked out satisfactorily. I came down to breakfast in shorts, with a wool jersey and two jackets, but was advised to change into pants, which proved to be good advice, especially combined with knee-high compression socks.  I only had one option for footwear, my mountain biking Five Ten shoes.   I had to pick my way carefully but they proved to be reasonably grippy.

This area was a front during WW I between Italy and Austria.  Our hike passed remnants and reconstructions of stone and wood-lined trenches, as well as an unused Austrian fort, Tre Sassi, converted now into the WW I Museum.

The views were incredible, especially from the Cinque Torri, a grouping of strikingly sculptural granite monoliths.  A gondola whisked us to the top.  The light was beautiful when we alighted, with the clouds becoming thicker and nearly obscuring the peaks while we lunched at the restaurant Rifugio Scoiattoli.  Steve and I shared a beet “tartare” (really a beet salad with lingonberries) and eggplant parmigiana (tasty but oily) and a pasta dish called Violette ai sapori del Bosco con Porcini, Pinoli, Pancetta (violets with a forest aroma, served with porcini, pinenuts and pancetta).  The pasta is tinted with blueberries.

Fortunately, the clouds were mobile and the Torre and surrounding peaks were gorgeously revealed for our after-lunch stroll.  Climbers were ascending and rappelling down one of the most formidable-looking of the towers.

Back at the hotel, I enjoyed another muscle-loosening session in the jacuzzi after returning from the hike while Steve napped.  After some instruction from others in the large bubbling pool, I managed to slap the stainless steel button controlling the jets back into action when they stopped.

Dinner was on our own.  The hotel was so nice we decided to try its restaurant, which had more interesting than usual vegetarian offerings. We were seated in a small room with street views, thankfully away from several large groups of Asian tourists.  We had two courses each, all delicious, beginning with the greenest gazpacho ever (Steve) and a courgette (zucchini) and chicory lasagna with walnut cream.  Steve followed up with a perfect rosy duck with leeks and I enjoyed the braised escarole (endive), served rolled like sushi, filled with almond cream, with confit tomatoes. We were too stuffed to try the no doubt delicious desserts.

Sunday, July 13, 2025

Yesterday’s drive to the hike gave us a preview of the intimidating climb we’d be making today, up and over the Falzarego pass, to be followed by another epic, Giro d’Italia-worthy climb over the Pordoi Pass to finish in Canazei, home to our guide GP.  61.3 km and 1763 meters climb, or 38 miles and 5784 feet of elevation.

The climb was steady, with an average grade of 6%.  There is no shoulder and the road is also traversed by motorcycles, other cyclists, trucks and giant buses, so it takes some steeling oneself to trust that everyone else has their mode of transportation under control, especially rounding the numerous hairpin turns.

Despite the day off from riding, sitting on the bicycle seat was still uncomfortable enough that it was a relief to get up off the saddle a little for the serpentine and seemingly endless descents. Feathering the brakes to keep our downhill speed under control is tiring to the hands and fingers, enough to bring on carpal tunnel tingles, usually quickly relieved by stretching and extending the fingers.  My feet also tend to go numb with cycling shoes, so between my rear, hands and feet, it was challenging.  The temperature was also difficult to manage.  It was raining lightly on the climb to Passo Falzarego.  The descents were fast enough that tears streamed from my eyes and it was cold, despite having 5 layers on top (thin short-sleeved Merino wool jersey, thin long-sleeved cycling jersey, a sleeveless windbreaker vest, the new red long-sleeved medium-weight jacket and an Arcteryx rain jacket).  The cold was penetrating enough, it was a relief to have to peddle for the gentle climb between the passes,

Lunch was a few miles shy of albi di Canazei.  The access to the bathroom was controlled by a high-tech ski resort-type metal gate, which opened after we were given slips of paper with QR codes to scan.  Lunch was delicious, linguini with gorgonzola and salsiccia and we shared a paprika-spiced and satisfying goulash.

Debby’s Steve was the only one to elect the extra mileage today.  Debby and I indulged in hot stone massages at the capacious spa at La Cacciatora, our home for the night.  The inn is owned by GP’s wife’s family.  We met his 19-year-old daughter briefly when we passed through town, on her way to work at the tourist information office, and his wife greeted us when we landed at the hotel. This area is a center of Ladin culture.

Dinner was a multi-course affair, beginning with a lavish salad bar, including a vinagrette cole slaw and excellent sardines.  I felt bad eating the octopus starter with chickpeas, but justified it only because the octopus was already dead and it would be worse to waste it.  My duck entree was perfectly pink and the mango mousse dessert excellent as well. Steve savored his veal filet entree and tiramisu dessert.

Monday, July 14, 2025

Today is La Fête Nationale (the French don’t call it Bastille Day) and our last riding day of an outstanding circuit of the Dolomites.  Our ride today completed the loop, from Canazei and the Val di Fassa back to Bolzano, racing to beat a mobile rain front back into town.  The route was altered to accomplish this, shaving a little mileage off our total.  We had an extended climb, cresting at Passo Nigra at 5500 feet, followed by another of those hair-raising descents, before returning on the dedicated Val d’Isarco bike trail back to Bolzano.  Steve and Debby seem to enjoy the descents more than we do.  My favorite portions of the rides were the dedicated bike trails, some paved and running for miles between towns and some graded gravel stretches.  Having motorcycles and Ferraris racing past on narrow, two-lane mountain roads takes some stomach steeling and concentration. 

At one point, Enrico paused on the path, waving his right arm.  At first, I thought he was motioning to signal the next turn.  No, he was waving to a pair of figures on the balcony of a small B & B.  “Wave to the mother of Gianpaolo!”  GP himself was just passing on the adjacent road in the van, waving to his mother.

Safely back in Bolzano, with the bikes stored in the shed at the hotel, we walked into town for lunch, ending up at Romerkeller where we shared a cabbage salad, a good counterpoint to another hearty bowl of goulash for me.

Our final Ciclismo activity was a tour of Batzen Brewery, where we also had dinner on the terrace.

We were guided by brewmaster Thomas (one of 3).  The brewery was initially conceived to supply the restaurant, but now supplies the local area thirsty for fresh (unfiltered and unpastuerized) beer.  Amazingly, there has been a restaurant on these premises since 1404!

At dinner, we shared a huge leg of pork, with sauerkraut and bread dumplings, although the “colorful” salad was surprisingly lackluster.

Enrico guided us to the best gelateria afterwards (his family had a gelateria), Portogallo.

I selected pomegranate and lemon with basil and tasted Steve’s dense dark chocolate and mango.  It was so good I was sorry we ordered the smallest cup size!  It was a sweet ending to a dream trip, with fantastic scenery and cycling competing with delicious food and drink for preeminence.

The following morning, we’d hop on the train again, this time to check out Verona, immortalized by Shakespeare as the proverbial home of those star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet.

-Marie