7-Day Best of the Dolomites: Hiking and Gourmet

Arrive in Cortina d'Ampezzo (1,224m / 4,016') on your own (private transfer on request), and check into your hotel. Cortina d'Ampezzo is a charming alpine resort town surrounded by stunning peaks. Host to the 1956 Winter Olympics, Cortina enjoys a reputation for great skiing in winter, and in the summer attracts hikers and climbers who challenge the rocky faces of the nearby mountains. Dinner at your hotel (Gourmet).

If you are doing this trip as a self-guided adventure, you will meet with a local representative who will provide a trip briefing and orientation, as well as maps, and everything necessary for your self-guided adventure, typically around 6-7pm. Guided treks have their briefing tomorrow.

Dinner at your hotel.

Meals included: Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)

For guided treks, you will meet with your guide who will provide a full trip briefing and orientation at 8:30am. Self-guided treks have a briefing the night before.

Take a transfer to Rifugio Auronzo (2,320m / 7,611'). Today is a superb itinerary to the soaring Tre Cime di Lavaredo - probably the most famous landmark in all the Dolomites and known across the world. Hiking a loop around these mountains is one of the most wonderful ways to appreciate the Tre Cime in summer, during which their shapes mutate from sharp points to soft corners, the three sections of the mountain apparently merging into one. The area is a sort of "open air museum," as there are lots of reminders of the First World War - tunnels, bunkers, and old barracks. Tre Cime is also part of the world history of mountaineering - the first routes were climbed in the 1930s.

Hike on path n.101 north-east passing a small chapel - Capella degli Alpini - within the first two kilometers of your hike. Pass by Rifugio Lavaredo (2,344m / 7,690') which sits at the base of the eastern side of Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Along the way you'll admire the spectacular Cadini mountain group to the south, with its rock spires and strangely formed needles. Your hike is along a wide gravel wartime mule track - path n.104 - that leads to the Lago di Cengia. A series of steep zigzags leads to a stony amphitheater, at the edge of which stand extensive World War I fortifications. Another 20 minutes brings you to the Forcella Pian di Cengia (2,522m / 8,274') where you can admire the view of the Tre Scarperi mountain range. From here the path becomes n.101 and descends on a steep rocky trail for the first stretch, then traverses almost horizontally on a vast scree slope, and finish with a short climb to the Rifugio Locatelli (2,405m / 7,800'). From the rifugio hike on path n.105 under the north faces of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo back to the Rifugio Auronzo, completing a loop around Tre Cime. Return to Cortina by private transfer.

(~6 hours hiking 12,9km / 8 miles, 610m / 2,000' ascent and descent. Option to do it shorter or the other way round. Simple loop around Tre Cime di Lavaredo: ~4 hours hiking 8,6km / 5,4 miles, 568m / 1,863' ascent and descent.)

Tonight, enjoy dinner at a famous restaurant of the area. Mentioned in a number of Italian dining guides, you will discover a varied selection of both local specialties typical of the region.

(Dinner at Beppe Sello Restaurant.)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)

This walk to the Alpe di Sennes uplands entails a wonderful range of scenery and habitats, two natural parks - Dolomiti d'Ampezzo and Fanes-Sennes-Braies - and the spectacular Croda Rossa mountain group.

In the morning, at 08.30am, take a private transfer to the Rifugio Malga Ra Stua (1,688m / 5,538'), a cozy hut-cum-dairy farm set in a valley lying between the Croda Rossa (northeast) and Lavinores (west) Dolomite groups. From here, you have two options:

Short option:

Hike uphill on a wide gravel trail to Rifugio Sennes (2,126m / 6,975'), and on to Rifugio

Fodara Vedla (1,980m / 6,496') where you stop for lunch and enjoy a lovely view east to the Croda Rossa. After lunch, you'll hike on a stony track, a former wartime mule route, traversing a series of grassy basins dotted with bushes and dwarf mountain pine, the ideal home of marmots and chamois. The final part of today's hike winds steadily down through Arolla pine and larch, back to the Rifugio Malga Ra Stua. Private transfer back to your hotel.

(~4 hours hiking 9km / 5.5 miles, 500m / 1,640' ascent and descent.)

Long option:

From Ra Stua, hike uphill on the main Jeep track. After 20 minutes you'll arrive at Campo Croce (1,772m / 5,814'), where you head east toward Rifugio Biella on path n.26, first up loose rock, then through dwarf pines, into a lovely flowered basin, and past the usually dry lake, Lago di Remeda Rossa. Continue to Lago di Fosses (2,162m / 7,093'), along the foot of the impressive Piccola Croda Rossa to your right (east). Climb from the lake to Rifugio Biella (2,327m / 7,634'), with its beautiful panoramic views of the Tofane and Pelmo Massifs to the south. Option to stop for lunch here, or at Rifugio Sennes (2,126m / 6,975') further down the trail. You'll rejoin the jeep track at Rifugio Biella, hiking on path n.6 on undulating terrain with masses of gentian, edelweiss, and marmots and hike south downhill to Rifugio Sennes. Continue to follow the jeep track in the direction of Rifugio Fodara Vedla (1,965m / 6,447'). You'll depart the jeep track on path n.7 continuing south, following a panoramic ridge with views of the Croda del Becco, Croda Rossa, and Cristallo. When you are ready to return to your hotel, follow path n.9 down a steep, gravelly route to Campo Croce. From Campo Croce, retrace your steps to Rifugio Malga Ra Stua and from here you will have a private transfer back to Cortina.

(~4 hours hiking 9km / 5.5 miles, 500m / 1,640' ascent and descent, possibility to do a longer hike, to be discussed with your guide.)

Tonight's dinner is included at a highly esteemed restaurant serving delicious gourmet dishes and boasting a great selection of pairing wines. Return transfers from/to Cortina included.

(Dinner at Baita Fraina Restaurant)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Beppe Sello (Cortina)
Luxury Accommodations: Hotel Cortina (Cortina / 4-Star)

In the morning, take a private transfer to Passo Giau (2,236m / 7,336'). From here hike to the Cinque Torri area, and on to Passo Falzarego (2,105m / 6,906'), where you will have a private transfer to La Villa in Alta Badia and check into your hotel.

(~4-5 hours hiking 6.9km / 4.3 miles, 477m / 1,566 ascent, 615m / 2,019' descent.)

Alta Badia is a sunny hollow on the south side of the Val Badia in the South Tyrol / Alto Adige region of the Dolomites. Incredible hiking, skiing, and vistas abound - particularly of the Sella Massif. Home to three cultures - Italian, Austrian, and the native Ladin, most signage in Alta Badia is written in three languages - Italian, German, and Ladin!

Tonight you will enjoy dinner at a traditional Ladino working farm with local Ladin dishes, an "Agriturismo" characteristic of the region. Transfers to/from the restaurant are included.

(Dinner at Maso Runch Restaurant.)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)

Today you'll hike to the Santa Croce Sanctuary at the base of the Sasso della Croce (Sass dla Crusc for the Ladin-speaking population). From your hotel, walk uphill passing through a number of closely knit hamlets formed of clusters of ancient shingle-roofed timber farmhouses and barns known as viles. Continue walking through the pine forest with great views of the Santa Croce, Conturines, and Sella mountain groups as well as the towns of La Villa, San Cassiano, Corvara, Pedraces, and San Leonardo - all part of the Val Badia. Along the way there are a couple of steep ascents. It takes about two hours to get to the church and sanctuary of Ospizio Santa Croce (2,045m / 6,709').

The sober white church was consecrated in 1484 and holds an image of Christ bearing the cross, hence the name of the mountain - Sasso della Croce, "Stone of the Cross." Enjoy lunch at the adjacent Rifugio Santa Croce: the place is very inviting, and the food is delicious. You'll be able to taste the turtres (Ladino vegetable pancake like pastries, filled with potatoes and spinach or other fillings), often accompanied with barley soup, grilled vegetables, and homemade cakes. In the afternoon hike back to your hotel on the same path.

(4-5 hours hiking 11km / 7 miles, 590m / 1,935' ascent and descent.)

Tonight you are in for a treat, dining at a Michelin 2-Star-rated restaurant (from July to Mid September only; not available in June or October). Touted as one of the best restaurants in the Dolomites, this simple yet elegant dining establishment reaches all new heights of taste and gourmet cuisine. Nestled amidst the towering peaks of the Dolomites, the restaurant offers a menu of traditional mountain dishes and Mediterranean specialties, as well as international cuisine, set in a traditional-style dining room. Eating here isn't simply dinner - it's a one of a kind experience. Private taxi to and from the restaurant.

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)

In the morning take a transfer to Capanna Alpina, a restaurant built just at the edge of the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park, from where you will start your hike with a steep 1-hour ascent. After arriving at Col de Locia (2,069m / 6,788'), the path climbs more slowly as you enter a fairytale-like valley set in the midst of the mountains, with lush green pastures that will take your breath away. Climb to the Forcella del Lago, a narrow and dramatic gap in the mountain, with a trail descending through steep talus on the south side. At the base of the slope is Lago di Lagazuoi, a lake whose green waters are framed by pines with a backdrop of the sheer walls of the Cima del Lago and the Cima Scotoni. Reach Rifugio Scotoni (1,985m / 6,512') and finally descend again to Capanna Alpina from where you will have a transfer back to your hotel.

(~ 6 hours hiking 16km / 10 miles, 600m / 1,968' ascent and descent.)

For guided trips, option to hike through WWI tunnels near the top of Monte Lagazuoi, where the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies dug shelters out of the mountains. Numerous routes take you on a behind-the-scenes tour of dramatic, high-altitude battles where the mountain was transformed into an impenetrable 20th century fortress of tunnels, trenches, and machine gun posts.

Tonight, enjoy dinner at your hotel's restaurant. Featured in the Michelin Guide, the restaurant offers new and exciting variations on local, South Tyrolean game dishes, and an excellent wine bar that includes 500 excellent wines from their cellar.

(Dinner at La Perla / La Stua de Michil.)

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner
Mid-Range Accommodations: Hotel Stores (Alta Badia)
Accommodations: Hotel Christiania (Alta Badia / 4-Star)

Breakfast and departure on your own (private transfer on request).

Meals included: Breakfast