Wellness
Living is as much a “sport” in Italy as trail running or cycling. In the Italian Dolomites, or anywhere in Italy, living is done very well, they have many centuries of training. If you are on an active holiday and riding, running or skiing each day, you will greatly appreciate the food available throughout the region. Nothing is better than burning so many calories during the day that you can indulge a bit in the evening. Temptation will certainly be found everywhere. In the words of a good friend, while traveling in Europe and seeing some delicacy, “Well why wouldn’t you try?”
So yes… “Living” is a category all its own. What to do on a rest or rainy day? LIVE
Wellness Hotels
While also a venue for sport and mountain activities, the Dolomites, and Sud Tirol in general, are home to a massive Wellness industry. Catering to the check in and check out of life crowd, the Wellness Hotels are truly magnificent. Get packed in herbs, soak in mud, inhale essential oils, get a body massages, relax in a Turkish Bath, and much more. Along with all of this is of course the obligatory culinary pleasures.
For the athlete, these hotels and centers come in all shapes, sizes and price. If nothing more, get a massage or take advantage of the salad bars. Other options for wellness, without the hotel or “center” being attached to the name, are the swimming pools in the larger towns, like Brunico or Bressanone. In these you will find more simple offerings, check in at a fixed rate and stay several hours.
Easy Days
Rest days are for doing things easier than the previous days. This is of course relative to what you have been doing. A rest day might be an easy stroll through the forest and lunch at a nearby hut. Or, it might be a mellow, flat loop on your road bike. Of course it might also mean laying in the grass and reading a book. The Lago di Braies outside of Dobbiaco is one of the Dolomite’s most scenic lakes. Also the starting point to the Alta Via 1, the lake sits directly beneath huge walls of Dolomite and is extremely popular for tourists. For good reason, the azure waters lined with green forests is spectacular. Rent a row boat, paddle to the middle and enjoy.
Just remember that in the Sud Tirol, a region that caters to all ages, sports, and abilities, there is never “nothing” to do. Countless options are available. Ride a tram in the summer to the top of a peak, have an amazing lunch in a nearby hut, sit on the deck and people watch. Then cruise the descent on your mountain bike. Or, try that Via Ferrata you have been hearing so much about… The Via Ferrata experience is a perfect easy day option; you’ll get your hike in, have some exciting moments climbing, and in all likelihood do something you will never do back home, climb a rock route with a delicious meal waiting for you somewhere near the top.
Via Ferrata
The Via Ferrata to do, in our opinion, is the “Lipella” on the Tofana di Rozes, one of the Dolomite’s highest peaks. While it is also one of the more difficult Ferratas, it is more difficult due to the length than the actual climbing. It is not just our favorite but also considered by many to be the best in Italy.
If you are a road cyclist visiting the Dolomites, the Tofana is the massive peak you have stared at while riding either the Passo Falzarego or Passo Giau. To think of climbing its steep side is not likely unless you are an actual rock climber, but the existence of a Via Ferrata opens up the possibility for the non-climber to do it and do it safely.
The Planet Mountain website has extensive information on the route, including pdf’s with route details. Also available are numerous other Ferratas in the same region. Visit Planet Mountain and type Via Ferrata into their search field. The “Lipella” and “Dibona” Via Ferrate are our favorites. Planet Mountain provides all the route info.
Mountain Guides
If you prefer an actual guide to take you up a Via Ferrata for the first time (advisable if you have never climbed or are concerned about the exposure and weather), then we suggest contacting any of the following, Cosley Houston Alpine Guides, Guide Star Mountain out of Corvara or Bruneck Alpin. We know all of these guides personally and can guarantee you will enjoy a day, or many, out with them.
Mountain guides in Europe offer more than just a secure journey through the mountains. They will also explain the history of the area, know of many not so obvious tidbits of info, and make your overall experience that much better.
The weather in the Dolomites changes quickly, what starts out as a warm summer day can quickly turn into a frightening lightening show. No big deal when trail running or cycling, but when climbing on a steep wall things are more serious. Their job is to keep you from getting into that situation in the first place, but if it does occur, your guide will get you down and enjoying the storm from the great indoors. To return to wherever home is with a Via Ferrata memory is a great bonus.
The Experience
Being professional mountain sports photographers has us traveling the world on a very regular basis. We are lucky enough to get to sample many mountain regions. Italy, and the Dolomites in particular, is the country we kept returning to – and finally just stayed. No matter what you do in the Dolomites, the sensations are always magical. Nowhere else have I been has the same sweet mountain smell, the summer flowers that carpet the hillsides not for days, but months, and especially the feeling of being a kid amongst something bigger, something I want to explore, to turn every corner to just see what is out of sight.
So maybe rest days are the time to live a little here. Not on the bike, not on an agenda, but only to see where the experience leads. A walk to a hut, a chat with a stranger, a grappa is poured, stories, struggles with language, but somehow we communicate, we laugh and share something together. We are in Italy and the people are forever approachable, they want to talk. Doors open and stories are made from the sheer joy of living.
I have found countless special moments in the smallest encounters. Asking where to find water, sitting on a bench, sharing a table at a busy cafe, the simplest things become the beginning of something more. The point is – open up. Americans tend to be somewhat shy in Europe, perhaps it is a feeling of inferiority with languages. The typical European speaks at least two and is accustomed to the language barriers that comes from living so close to other nations. Maybe they don’t speak English and you no Italian, but try to communicate, there is more to communication than words.
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PatitucciPhoto’s April 2009 Women’s Adventure Cover
Lago di Braies
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When building your itinerary and booking services, such as hotels, guides or huts – please utilize our DolomiteSport Network which offers a handpicked selection of what we know to be some of the finest services, accomodations and resources in the Italian Dolomites.
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