Europe - The Dolomites

After an exhausting day in Venice it was time to venture from the flatlands of Venice into the mighty peaks of the Dolomites. Named after the carbonate mineral they are composed of, The Dolomites were somehow even more impressive than the Alps. Steep towers of rock rose from lush green bases like natural castles with dramatic veils of clouds shrouding the tallest peaks. At their feet were meandering valleys dotted with quaint historic towns, each possessing their own unique charm. Our circuitous route headed north out of Venice to the town of Ponte Delle Alpi, then east through the National Park of Belluno Dolomites, over the San Pellegrino Pass and back down to Trento in the Adige Valley.

Our Route

Torrente Cordevole

The National Park of Belluno Dolomites

Agordo

Once we were deep in the Dolomites we hung a left at the town of Canale d. Agordo and followed the road up a narrow box valley. The road ended at a small alpine village named Gares. There were several signs depicting a waterfall, but the language barrier made finding the trailhead difficult. We hatched a plan to park in town, perched high on the eastern slope of the valley, and traverse the ridge laterally to the falls. There was no way to tell how long the hike would be, it could be one kilometer or ten. We were under-prepared for a long hike, but once we got started we were determined to finish. In the end it was only a few kilometers each way, but a total lack of food and water made it a slight epic. The thick forest made it impossible to navigate by sight so we followed our ears until we emerged to see the stream cascading from a notch in a slightly overhang wall. It was on par with the best of Austria.

Canale d. Agordo

The Narrow Valley to the South

The Alpine Village of Gares

The Waterfall Trail

The Reward at Its End

Can You Find Me?

Severely bonked from our short epic we desperately searched for lunch. Unfortunately, due to the afternoon siesta we couldn’t find food until the town of Falcade. Once nourished, we pressed on cresting the San Pellegrino Pass and descending down to Adige Valley. On the way I thoroughly enjoyed the driving bliss that only a mountain road in Italy can offer. Right up until I enjoyed it too much by “removing” the passenger side mirror during a perfectly apexed turn. A road marker was leaning into the road and smashed the mirror into pieces. It looked like someone hit it with the backside of a snow shovel. Jo was not pleased. I continued driving for a few minutes to gather my thoughts and figure out a plan. The internals of the mirror were hanging in a mangled web of plastic, wires, and twitching electrics. The painted cover was long gone. It was probably destroyed, but was worth a shot at turning around and looking for. As we pulled over we caught a glimpse of one of the prettiest sites of the trip. It was the town of Moena framed by the heroic peaks of the Latemar Dolomites. After a few shots we drove back up the pass, found the mirror cover intact, and I managed to miraculously piece it all back together like new!

Falcade

San Pellegrino Pass

Perfectly Apexed Mirror Removal

Fixed Like New

Moena and the Latemar Dolomites

The rest of the drive down the Adige Valley was drama free. We joined the A24 and headed south past the Castle Beseno to the town of Mori. Then we crossed over the northern Gruppo Del Baldo (Baldo Mountains) past the Castle di Arco into a scene that was beyond my meager vocabulary’s ability to give justice to. It was ancient glaceral sculpture that is Lake Garda. For more words on that you'll have to wait for the next post.

The Adige Valley

Castle Beseno

Castle di Arco