Fresh Air in the Italian Alps

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*Sniff*, ahhhhhhh - escaping from the city to northern Italy was like a breath of fresh air, literally. As an avid hiker, the great outdoors have always been like food for my heart and soul, and I fed both during our journey through the mountainous region known as the Italian Dolomites.

Dolomite, a magnesium containing variant of limestone, towered above us as our train snaked through the valley floor. Architecture and language gradually shifted while we entered what was formally Austrian territory, a cultural gradient resulting from annexation after the First World War. Suddenly, German was the lingua franca, and our traveler’s phrase book was put to good use.

Our stay at the Hotel Rier turned out to be an excellent bargain, with friendly service and resort-like accommodations a pleasant change of pace.

Of course the centerpiece of our stay was an all day hike involving more than 1000 meters of elevation change. In the past, I’ve made the mistake of deciding on grueling hikes that morph into epic struggles for my hiking partners, but this time Allie wanted to take the more difficult journey and she pulled through like a champ. Light rain and constantly changing cloud cover gave us a well-rounded hike and some excellent photo ops.

Enjoy!

Jason

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