Fall Adventure Part 2 – Rick Steves Best of Italy Tour

Venice and the Dolomites

Touring Italy has been on our destination list for years. We choose to do a Rick Steves Tour, “The Best Of Italy”. Seventeen days experiencing and exploring various areas of Italy.

Although we did our own pre-tour in Venice, we learned more tidbits from both Nancy (our Rick Steves tour director), and the local guide Corinna (a born and raised Venetian) during our walking tour in and around Venice. We weaved our way thru small alleyways and local piazzas away from the crowds visiting Venice.

We learned about the three parts of the gondola from a local craftsman while visiting his shop. Ferro is the decorative ornamental iron prow at the front of the gondola; the Remo is the single oar used to propel the gondola, and the Forcola is the wooden oar lock where the Remo rests. The Remo and Forcola are measured to the height of the gondolier. There are approximately 400 gondolas in operation.

Our first group dinner was lasagna. No ricotta cheese is used just creamy bechemal and mozzarella cheese. Dessert was tiramisu. Delizioso!

Day 2 we departed Venice and journeyed to the Dolomites. A water taxi ride to our giant tour bus and our wonderful and skilled driver Dino. He definitely is an expert…he can load our luggage and be off in under 10 minutes for our group of 28. We have planned stops every 75 to 90 minutes either bio or lunch breaks. And he safely maunvers traffic and challenging curvy roads!

We drove past castles, proscetto vineyards and apple groves sprawling the valley floor and hillsides with views of the foothills of the Alps. We followed the Adige river that flows together with the Isarco river and takes a southerly course towards the Adriatic sea. Along the river was a paved trail that cyclists, walkers and runners use.

We did a short sight seeing trip to Bolazano visiting the National Architectural Museum, to see the famous preserved glacier mummy Otzi The Iceman. Discovered in 1991 by two German hikers in the Tisenjoch pass, in the Ötztal Alps, near the Austrian-Italian border.

Day 3 and 4 were exploring The Dolomites mountains.

The Dolomites are a mountain range in northeastern Italy, part of the Southern Limestone Alps, known for their dramatic rock formations, jagged peaks, and picturesque landscapes. Our hotel was located in the valley in the small village of Kastelruth. Kastelruth is the largest holiday resort in the Dolomite region of Seiser Alm and has a German feel to it. It is known as being one of the most beautiful places in Italy.

From Kastelruth we drove to Compatsch the gateway to the Alpe de Siusi. We hopped on a gondola and rode to the upper meadow, only a mere 6900 feet of elevation, which was the starting point for our hike. We opted to do the “Witches Trail” and it was perfect! This was a loop trail of approximately 5 miles. The views, trail and countryside were amazing! We had lunch at a delightful restaurant on the mountain known for their homemade ravioli and venison ragu.