Guided Walking Tour to Verona and the Dolomites 2012

(13 days / 12 nights) - $5,990 AUD per person
18 September 2012 to 30 September 2012

Dolomites

"The Dolomites National Park protects a series of highly distinctive mountain landscapes that are of exceptional natural beauty, extraordinary in a global context, and amongst the most beautiful in the world...."
UNESCO World Heritage Listing, June 2009.

The vast Dolomite Mountain range forms the north-eastern frontier between Italy and Austria, and is one of the most beautiful in the world: formed when the Italian peninsula crashed into continental Europe, towering limestone pinnacles and spires, some over 3000 metres high, rise dramatically above deep green valleys of pine forests and rolling meadows scattered with centuries-old villages, Gothic churches and isolated timber farmhouses.

This sublime monumental landscape has attracted travellers, artists and scientists for hundreds of years but the Dolomite’s real importance has always been strategic: for over 7,000 years its high passes and narrow valleys have connected the Germanic worlds to the north with the Mediterranean worlds to the south. Today the Dolomites' valleys and towns are a fascinating blend of Austrian and Italian culture but there are actually three official languages: German, Italian and Ladino. The latter is the language of the indigenous people of Celtic origin, the Ladini, and it is the ‘Ladini' valleys, in the heart of the Dolomites between Bolzano and Cortina d'Ampezzo, that will be our base from which to explore this fascinating region. The tour starts with two nights in romantic Verona and finishes with two nights in glamorous Cortina d'Ampezzo. The accommodation during the tour is in excellent 4-star hotels.

The seven walks during the tour are straightforward, following well-marked and well-maintained paths with no dramatic climbs or descents (where necessary, we take cable cars to the start of the high walks) and follow good tracks across alpine meadows to the valleys below, stopping at mountain huts along the way for breaks and lunch.

"The tour lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Each day was a highlight for me, I can't single one out. Thank you for a great trip and with great company" CD, Dolomites tour.

	Tour Dates:	18 September 2012 to 30 September 2012
	Tour Size:	7 to 15 people
	Tour Cost:	$5,990 AUD per person (two people sharing a double room) (single supplement for a double room for single use $ 600 AUD) (approximately $5,500 USD - subject to daily exchange rates**)
	Tour inclusions:	12 nights accommodation (see the itinerary for details) in 4-star boutique hotels All breakfast, and all lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary All transfers and activities during the tours All taxes and service charges at the hotels and restaurants All paid admissions during the tour 7 guided walks Guided sight seeing tours of Bolzano and Innsbruck Services of a full-time professional tour guide

Tour Snapshots: (click the image for a larger version)

Verona with River

Bolzano

A View along the Way

Autumn Mushrooms

Ladino Wood Carver

One of Our Hotels in the Dolomites

Our First Mountain Base

Start of a Walk

Starting the Walk

The 'Fish' Castle

Typical Church Steeple

View of the Sassolungo

Walking in the Dolomites

Walking on Day 10

Verona and the Dolomites Walking Tour Itinerary

View a Print Friendly Version of this Itinerary

Day		The tour starts in Verona, one of the most beautiful and romantic towns in Italy. After an aperitif in a central piazza, we'll have a traditional dinner in one of the town's finest osterias, founded in 1890. Dinner.
Day		This morning you'll be taken on a guided walk around this fascinating city, which has been an important military stronghold guarding the access to the Alps since Roman times. It includes visits to the famous Roman Arena; the Castelvecchio; Juliette's balcony (or is it?); Piazza delle Erbe markets and finishing with a light lunch on the other side of the river, enjoying the views over the city. The rest of the day and evening are free. Lunch.
Day		Today we drive north, into the heart of the Dolomites. Following the 'wine road� beside the banks of the Adige River, we will stop to visit a vineyard before having lunch in a tradtional restaurant then continuimg into the Dolomites Our base for the next four nights is in a small town at the far end of a spectacular valley. Dinner will be at our hotel. Dinner.
Day		Our first walk in the mountains is a spectacular introduction to the Dolomites. We take a cable car to the top of the northern side of the valley (2,500 metres) from where you have breathtaking views over the whole mountain range, stretching to the horizon on all sides. From here we take a good path across alpine pastures, through pine forests and back down to our village, stopping for lunch in a mountain hut along the way. (4 hours). In the afternoon, we'll visit the workshop of a local master wood sculptor. Dinner is at the hotel. Lunch and dinner.
Day		Today we drive to Bolzano, the capital of the Alto Adige, a pretty town on a river with a long history and strong Austrian feel. After a guided walk through the town centre and a visit to the excellent museum (dedicated to Otzi, the 5000 year old 'Iceman� found in 1991) we take a short walk to lunch. Returning to our base, we stop to visit a dramatically located 10th century castle, dedicated to the history and traditions of mountaineering. Dinner is at our hotel. Dinner.
Day		The walk today starts with another cable car ride, this time up the southern side of the valley (2,000 metres) from where we walk across the beautiful Siusi Alps, a vast undulating amphitheatre of alpine meadows surrounded by some of the most spectacular ranges in the area. After a picnic lunch, we continue under the cliffs of the Sassolungo range before dropping back down through forest and into the valley, via the 'Fish Castle', to our base. (4 hours). Lunch and dinner.
Day		Today we leave the valley, driving over the Gardena Pass before descending into the neighbouring valley and heading north through idyllic countryside towards the Austrian border 40 kilometres away. Our base for the next 4 nights is in a smaller tributary Ladino speaking valley, one of the most secluded and spectacular in the Dolomites. We stay in its most charming village at the foot of the Fanes highlands, in a lovely family-run chalet, surrounded by pastures filled with lowing cows and frolicking donkeys, with views over the village. We have dinner at our hotel. Dinner.
Day		Today we take a short cable ride up the southern side of the valley, picking up a gravel road that takes us through pine forests, over the ridge and into the neighbouring valley. On the way down the other side, we pass through a number of 'viles', clusters of ancient timber farmhouses and barns that have survived from another era. After a light lunch, we'll be picked up and driven back to our base, stopping to visit a recently restored 14th century castle which houses a fine ethnographic museum. Dinner at our hotel. Dinner.
Day		Having started in 'Latin' Verona, today we balance the account and drive north, across the Brennero Pass and into Austria to visit the marvelous city of Innsbruck. Formerly an important centre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Innsbruck remains the capital of the Tyrol regional, of which the Dolomites were part for 400 years until 1919 when they were annexed to Italy. We'll spend the day exploring Innsbruck, returning to our base for dinner. Dinner.
Day		This morning we drive to the head of our valley, transferring to jeeps to be taken up a steep winding road into the rugged beauty in the heart of the Fanes National Park, to a mountain hut which is perched on a plateau surrounded by soaring mountains. We'll spend the day exploring the area including an easy walk to the 'green' lake to see the 'parliament of marmots', a colony of furry mountain critters and the site of one of the most famous Ladino legends. We'll have lunch in the hut before taking the jeeps back down. Dinner at our hotel.
Day		Today we leave the valley, picking up the famous Strada delle Dolomiti (the Great Dolomite Road) which was built by the Austrians in the early 1900s and is one of the most beautiful roads in the Alps. On the way we pass under the Marmolada group, the highest peaks in the Dolomites, where we'll stop for lunch, before descending to the town Cortina d'Ampezzo, the 'Queen of the Dolomites' and host of the 1956 Winter Olympics. A little faded from its heydays in the 1960s and 70s, Cortina still has a lot of charm and a wonderful setting in a sunny upland basin, with magnificent views of the mountains on all sides. Our 4 star hotel was the first in the town, founded in 1826, and is in the heart of the town and considered one of the best in the region. The afternoon and evening are free. Lunch../td>
Day		The final walk is one of the most famous and spectacular in the Alps - a circular walk around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, a 40 minute drive from Cortina. The walking route follows a mountain path that loops around the base of this extraordinary formation, three jagged peaks rising over 3000 metres. After a picnic lunch, we return to Cortina via Monte Piana, an impressive open air museum commemorating the bitter fighting between the Italians and the Austrians in World War I. Our farewell dinner will be at our hotel on their 'Viennese Terrace' overlooking the pedestrian Via Roma. Lunch and dinner.
Day		After breakfast, we will be transferred to Venice, 1.5 hours away, which has national and international rail and air connection.