Magical Mountains: A Day Trip To The Dolomites

Getting out into nature always appeals, and the allure of the legendary Dolomites proved impossible to resist. Located in northeastern Italy, their signature sheer spires, craggy cliff faces and pale colour comes from rare dolomitic limestone – hence the name. The drive from Venice takes around two and a half hours, so as part of my Venice solo trip, I booked a day tour to explore some of the area’s mountains, lakes and towns.

The group was small, with just eight of us in one small minivan. My van-mates were all North American, split across the USA and Canada. I’d claimed a window seat in the back of the minivan, settling in for the two hour drive to our first stop of the tour.

After slowly gaining altitude through countryside and forest, we came to a stop at the alpine town of Cortina D’Ampezzo, for a quick stop to use the bathroom, warm up, and get our first taste of rural living in the Dolomites.

Cortina d’Ampezzo hosted the Winter Olympics way back in 1956, and traces of the historical event still remain. A minute or so out of town, we stared out over the Trampolino Olimpico – the Olympic ski jump. The installation has been out of use since 1990, but the structure still remains.

The town itself is exactly what you’d imagine from an alpine ski town – even though as a non-skiier I had little to compare to other than the much lardget resort of Whistler in the Canadian Rockies. The buildings here give are in the mid-Europe style of ‘chocolate box’ architecture, with exposed beams, painted brickworks and flower-filled window boxes aplenty.

Along the main street, you’ll find a selection of shops selling mountain apparel, as well as local crafts and souvenirs. Or, if you just want to watch the world go by, grab an Italian coffee at one of the numerous cafes. I decided to give my legs some action after our bus ride, and found a vantage spot to look out over the mountains, before befriending a dog outside the public toilet and making my way back to the van.

It didn’t take long at all to come to a stop again, just on the outskirts of Cortina d’Ampezzo, where the view was too spectacular not to jump out of the minivan and drink it all in.

I can only imagine how spectacular this view of the Dolomites in winter must look, with a blanket of snow across the hills and valleys!

The Tre Cime di Lavaredo area was used as a filming location for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and with a mist hanging over Lago Antorno, it wasn’t hard to be swept away to a fictional planet in a galaxy far, far away.

By the time we reached Lake Misurina, the late September mist had fully settled, its white wall rendering us unable to see further than the middle of the lake. With hunger setting in, I took a seat in the cosy, traditional Pizzeria Edelweiss to warm up, wait out the weather and tuck into a delicious bowl of gnocchi. By the time I’d filled up, the fog outside had lifted, and I was able to step outside and take in the surroundings of Misurina.

Although I decided to take it easy and not walk the full 2.6 km perimeter of the lake, I did take the opportunity to stretch my legs and take in a bit of the epic natural scenery. At the water’s edge, thick, lush, dark green forest, slowly rising across rocky inclines; and above, the craggy upper contours of the Tre Cime mountains, with wisps of cloud dusting the summits.

Back in the van, we were en route to our final stop of the day, with a few stop-offs to take in some more of the Dolomites landscapes, including charming creeks and more traditional alpine buildings.

To round off the day of lakes and mountains, we were treated to another double dose; this time at at Lago di Santa Caterina – an artificial lake created by the building of the Santa Caterina Dam in the 1930s. Standing at 55m high, you can watch the pounding water fall from above, before heading to the perfect viewpoint of the lake itself – a picture-postcard Dolomites, view even in the haze.

With our last stop done, once we’d left the mountain surroundings and reached the highway, I succumbed to a short snooze in the van, meaning we were back in Venice in no time. Exploring the Dolomites was a brilliant additional extra to my solo Venice trip, exploring some of Europe’s most spectacular natural sites.

My Dolomites, Lake Misurina and Cortina Day Trip cost £139, booked via GetYourGuide.