I get this feeling a lot in Italy - accelerated breathing, a sense of urgency, impatient to wake up, bursting with excitement to start the day. It happened again in the Dolomites.

Early morning first glance from the window of our hotel in Selva nestled in the valley of Val Gardena was of a fresh snow fall that had happened during the night. The sky was a vibrant blue and the sun made the snow glisten on the majestic mountains.

The plan was to visit the nearby village of Ortisei that has a gondola ascending to Europe’s largest high-altitude alpine meadow; a funicular that travels to the summit of Resciesa mountain; a two stage journey with a gondola and a cable car to reach the summit of Mount Seceda which arrives at the famous ridgeline within the Puez-Odle Nature Park.

Stunning weather and a day stretching ahead with endless adventures created a sense of exhilaration. Choosing Resciesa mountain first was a good decision because I had never seen it like this before. Leaving the funicular at 2,093 metres, there is an easy trail that is a five kilometre walk to a tiny white chapel before returning on a higher trail back to the starting point. For those of you who don’t always trust my ‘easy’, it is marked on the map as an easy walk!

Walking a path crunching on snow with flakes falling from the snow laden trees and an endless vista of soaring jagged mountains felt like being on top of the world. Standing very still, breathing the crisp mountain air, feeling the sun on your face, gazing in every direction, only then can you appreciate the incredible beauty before you. All in complete silence because there was nobody around.

The second week of June is the perfect time to visit the Dolomites: flower filled valleys at the end of spring; snow capped mountains; cable car/gondola stations open for the beginning of the season; not many tourists. Doesn’t get better than that!

The network of gondolas, cable cars and chairlifts is a well-oiled, incredibly efficient system. Our five day pass for the duration of our stay in Selva gave unlimited access every day to more than we could fit in. Ascend 2,000+ metres, take a short walk, choose another gondola, repeat. Walk on, walk off, no queues.

It doesn’t matter whether you are a casual walker with moderate fitness or a serious adrenalin seeking hiker, you choose what fits you best. I can promise you that no matter how you explore the Dolomites, every single day will be a breathtaking experience.

There’s something about being high in the Alps that creates an insatiable hunger. For me anyway. Picture this. Walking through an alpine pasture sprinkled with wildflowers, you arrive at a rifugio (mountain cafe), knowing that there will be apple strudel with vanilla cream! It’s the best and enough to sustain you until you spy the next rifugio. Everything tastes good, the staff are smiling and welcoming and you feel so alive.

A ten minute walk from our family owned boutique hotel is one of my favourite gondola rides to an alpine ridge called Dantercepies at a height of 2,298 metres. Different mountains made up of bizarre, sculpted shapes and views to the next valley called Alta Badia, at the bottom of which nestle the two villages of Colfosco and Corvara with yet another network of cable cars and gondolas.

Only a gentle, 20 minute awe-inspiring walk from exiting the gondola is one of the most famous and highly rated alpine mountain huts in the Italian Dolomites called Jimmy Hut. It is my absolute favourite for lunch and I can never resist the burger and crunchy chips. I know! But it’s so good.

It happens every year when we are here and today was the day. The HERO World Cup Mountain Bike Race is considered the toughest mountain bike marathon in the world due to the massive climbs over Alpine passes.

As we ascend almost 3,000 metres in our gondola, the riders are beneath us tackling their first uphill climb on a winding mountain track that will take them to where we exit the gondola. It’s cringeworthy as they almost seem to be pedalling on the spot it’s so steep.

To give you an idea of the intensity, top elite riders usually finish the 86 kilometre route in just under 4.5 hours, while hobby riders have up to 12 hours to complete the ride. This route has a massive 4,500 metres of elevation gain; the 71 kilometre route has 4,100 metres of elevation gain and the classic route of 60 kilometres has 3,200 metres of elevation gain. All grueling.

In 1868 John Ball, Guide to the Eastern Alps, said:

“A traveller who has visited all the other mountain regions of Europe, and remains ignorant of the scenery of the Dolomite Alps, has yet to make acquaintance with nature in one of her loveliest and most fascinating aspects.”

I am in awe of this part of Italy and feel incredibly lucky to continue the journey of learning more each time. Join me next year for the Lake Garda/Dolomites Tour in the first two weeks of June. This is yet another region of Italy that everyone needs to experience.

Our village of Selva in Val Gardena

Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.

Deb