Welcome to the final post of Roadboy's Fall 2023 London / Venice / Dolomites adventure.
Before I get serious here let me venture into a little aside. I've always found it a bit frustrating that when I prepare multiple posts sequentially documenting my journeys using Blogger they wind up being displayed in reverse order. Seems like we should be able to re-juggle them. But that would require a process of cutting and deleting whole posts in order to repost them again in proper order. I.e, when you open my site, this, the last contribution to this multi-post series, loads first. So if you scroll backwards you can read earlier posts and understand the whole trip in order 😵💫!
But I digress.
After decades of winter trips to Venice I've been awestruck by the beauty of the necklace of mountain peaks rising in the distance. The mountains (the Dolomites or "Dolomiti" to the Italians) reside in a district referred to as Veneto. They form the natural physical barrier between Italy and its neighbors to the north. A strategic location that assures a long and storied history.
When I came across Vermont Bicycle Tour's "Valleys of the Dolomites" tour it appeared to be a perfect way to immerse myself in the region.
VBT's tour begins at Venice' Marco Polo Airport. Here VBT staff collects everyone for a shuttle to the breathtaking city of Cortina d'Ampezzo.
Globally renowned as an elite ski resort, Cortina has been the set for Bond movies and Winter Olympiads. The first Scheduled Cortina Olympics was postponed until 1956 as a result of WWII. On this visit the village was chock full of construction cranes in its preparation to co-host the 2026 Winter Olympics with Milan.
VBT's tour assembles rides near Cortina (Cortina to Cadore), Brunico (Dobbiaco, San Candido, Aurina and the Tures Valleys) and Merona (the Isarco River Valley, Glorenza and the Venosta Valley). At the conclusion of the cycling tour guests are shuttled to Verona to fly home. Verona proved to be a wonderful stop with its spectacular Roman stadium and Shakespearean ties.
The Dolomites are the central section of the Italian Alps that extend from Slovenia and Austria all the way to Switzerland. In many ways the region is a slam dance of Italian, German, Austrian, and Swiss cultures, food and sensibilities. It has its own language entitled Ladin, but many locals also default to speaking German.
Everywhere we toured was delightfully efficient and immaculate. It is a region where residents are justifiably proud and it shows. We marveled that there no litter cans on each corner, yet there was no litter. A contrast to the US where we find piles of litter within a few feet of every urban trash can. Yep. Many American's are just lazy slobs.
Veneto
On our first day in Cortina d'Ampezzo we met our VBT guides Elena and Matej for an overview of the trip. Elena is a lifelong resident of Northern Italy. And Matej is from Slovenia. So they each provided great insight to the nuances of the local cultures.
VBT Hosts Elena Fossati and Matej Pavlic Present the Trip Overview
Elena and Matej noted our first few days would include fairly short rides from Cortina d'Ampezzo allowing us time to explore and take the amazing aerial tram journey up to the limestone peaks of Tufana.
Rails to Trails
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina is one of those places mere mortals (like myself) can initially find intimidating. This little village is home to every exclusive designer boutique. And here they are so exclusive they seal up their windows to avoid gawking window shoppers.
When I ventured into our hotel's garage to check on something on my bike one evening I found it's twelve parking spaces contained five Ferrari's, four Maserati's, two Porsche's and one lonely (but brand new) VW bus. The concentrated automotive wealth on display was obscene.
Happily we had lots of sunshine for our tram trip up Tufana. The spectacular trip requires three sections with the last section feeling almost vertical. At the top there are stacks of chaise lounges for anyone dermatologically unafraid to absorb the sun's rays at high altitude.
Residing in Arizona's "Valley of the Sun", I am
respectful of the devastating impacts of unbridled exposure to the sun. Old leathery Scottsdale residents are examples of that.
The View from Tufana
Oh, but the the views from the top of Tufana were just stunning, especially blessed by clear sunny skies.
Upon leaving Cortina d'Ampezzo our next stop was Riscone (a little village just above the city of Brunico). In Brunico we found the another beautiful community, but this one felt "normal". Brunico's streets were filled with normal families that worked normal jobs and might not know what the words "trust fund" means.
We enjoyed two full days cycling paved trails near Brunico. Our cycling routes took us past golden valleys, skies filled with parasailers, storybook castles, waterfalls and swift running rivers. I found myself stopping continuously to just absorb the beauty all around me.
The Freeway to Verona
After arriving in Verona I parted ways with my cycling friends and checked into an AirBNB I had booked near Verona's massive ancient Arena.
Verona's Roman Arena was built in 30 AD and remains the defining feature of the City. It's outer ring was initially clad in white and pink Valpolicella limestone. Much of the original limestone was lost after a major earthquake in 1117 when it was quarried for use in other buildings. The Arena's outstanding acoustics makes it a desirable venue from everything from opera to rock concerts.
After awakening early I made my way to Verona's airport and my journey back home to Phoenix. This trip was very picturesque and wonderfully special.
Roadboy's Travels © 2023
