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A Day Drive In The Dolomites Italy
A day drive in the Dolomites Italy is dramatic, delightful, magical, mystical, captivating …
Enjoy my beautiful photo journal, story, and tips; a drive experience to cherish.
The Dolomites Italy: Dolomiti in Italian is a mountain range in northeastern Italy. The Dolomites form part of the Limestone Alps. Named from the carbonate rock, dolomite which is part of the rock formation. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And you can understand why.
The Dolomites can be described as ever-changing, a unique natural paradise, spectacular, like an extraordinarily beautiful painting, majestic, stunning; providing wonderful photo opportunities.
Flying from Melbourne, Australia with five weeks in Italy Stan and I have experienced Mazzorbo, Burano and Murano Islands and Venice. A train, traveling west, of one and a quarter hours takes us to Bassano del Grappa in the province of Vicenza in the Veneto Region. We stayed for four nights with a day drive through the Dolomites.
We have come to Bassano del Grappa with friends from Melbourne to celebrate Nadia ’s birthday. A five-course lunch with views of the River Brenta and the Ponte Vecchio is magical.
The mountains surrounding the historic center of Bassano del Grappa are captivating; with Monte Grappa in the distance. There is much history of war throughout this region with a memorial of trees lining a walkway with Monte Grappa in the distance.
It is Monday, at the end of August and we begin our day drive from Bassano del Grappa. Cars have been booked on the outskirts of the historic center to be collected at 8.00am and returned by 8.00pm.
We travel in a six-car convoy, led by Nadia’s Uncle who lives in Bassano del Grappa. Cars that follow are filled with family and friends from Melbourne Australia. Stan and I drive with our friends Sonya and Paul. It is relaxing to know that we won’t need to worry about GPS for their drive experience.
We are told that it can be cold in the Dolomites at this time of year. We take warmer shoes and clothes with us; clothes that can be layered.
We leave Bassano del Grappa with our convoy traveling together.
The Dolomites are always in the distance. The cameras and phones are out and we begin taking photos. I take photo after photo from the car as Stan drives.
We drive through many small villages dotted along the road from Bassano del Grappa to Cortina in the Dolomites; our destination. The Dolomites are near the border of Austria with some of the homes having a feel of those built in Austria and Hotels that look like Chalets. The Dolomites is an area that has seen much war with fighting taking place amongst the mountain range.
Arriving at Lago de Braies, Lake Prags; we stop and take in the emerald color of the water.
It is difficult to imagine what this lake and surrounding area looks like in winter as the sun shines; the mountains and homes covered in snow.
We arrive in Cortina in the Belluna Province for lunch where I have cod with polenta. A traditional dish from this region that I am acquiring a taste for.
We spend around two hours walking and exploring the area with the lush grass and as always views of the Dolomites. Of course, taking more photos.
We drive to a lookout where we stop to appreciate and photograph the changing colors and beauty of the Dolomites. Mountains that change color from white to grey and in some places black.
In the summer months and late spring and early autumn, the narrow roads will be taken by people wanting to hike, ride bikes, mountain climb, hang-glide and more. And in winter skiing.
We walk taking in the views; imagining what it would be like to be in the valleys of the Dolomites.
We walk along a path for around 20 minutes to a small Catholic Church that acknowledges the many who have died. In this beautiful but harsh land, many have died through accidents while being adventurous. Others have of course died during times of war.
We take more photos from a different perspective with the trees in the valley and the beautiful shades of blue and grey in the background.
I take so many photos and as I look at them they bring back the feelings that I had as I stood in the Dolomites. The contrast of colors from the green to the mountains white and deep grey.
This magical experience is coming to an end; we are on the road that will take us back to Bassano del Grappa.
It is a long, wonderful day; approximately 12 hours and 340 kilometers in our convoy of six cars. We arrive in Bassano Del Grappa at around 8.00pm and after returning the hire cars we are seated in the historic center at 9.30pm for dinner; sharing stories of our day.
The Dolomites Tourism
How To Get To Dolomites, Italy
Book cheap flights, hotels and cars on rent here.
How To Book Your Stay When Visiting The Dolomites, Italy
The Dolomites hotels – If you are planning to visit the Dolomites then you must be wondering where to stay or the best hotels in and around the Dolomites. For best accommodation – hotels in and around the Dolomites, we suggest checking out our favorite sites to book here. We always use these sites to book our stay. Booking can be done through HotelsCombined or Booking.com to save huge and get best deals on booking your stay inand around the Dolomites, Italy.
| Click to book the best hotel/resort in The Dolomites, Italy |
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Tips for your own drive through the Dolomites
- Have your phone/camera ready to take photos.
- Stop often and enjoy the majestic views of the Dolomites; take more photos.
- Allow approximately two and a half hour drive time (without stops) from Bassano del Grappa to Cortina in the Dolomites. Our whole experience took around 12 hours as we stopped to take in the views, have lunch and walk.
- As we were in a convoy and had a local lead us through the Dolomites we didn’t need to use GPS. If we were traveling alone we would have taken one route to Cortina and another one home. Clearly shown on Google Maps.
- You can also leave from Venice – catch a Vaporetto to San Marco Airport, hire a car and drive for approximately one and three-quarter hours to Cortina (not including stops).
- Our day drive was in late August. There was little traffic as it was a Monday. When we return we would do so in Autumn or Spring; fewer tourists.
Bassano del Grappa is on our list of destinations in Italy to experience once again. It is a great starting place for another road trip through the Dolomites. Our plan: spending at least four days weaving our way through the Dolomites finding accommodation as we go. How enticing!
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