The Dolomites is the mountain range that is outside of Venice. In the Veneto region this part of northerner Italy is one of the more spectacular sites you can see if you are a nature lover. The Dolomites are part of the Italian alps and was only incorporated into Italy until after the first world war.
Because the Dolomites are on the Italian alps this is a mecca for many skiers who choose to vacation here during the winter months. In the summer you have the mountain climbers who make it a challenge to scale the many steep ridges that make up the Alps.
Because this was once a transport route between Italy and the rest of Europe there are many mountain passes that can be walked by foot, driven by car or even by train if one should choose to do so.
Many sporting events take place around this area and during the summer you can see many free climbers trying to scale mountains without any help from gear. Free climbing was invented here when a 17 year old Georg Winkler scaled Die Vajolettürme. While I would not recommended doing this for the average tourist it is certainly something to look out for and if you are lucky enough to see one of these acts in person then take the time to see if the person actually makes it.
You can visit many villages in the area including Arabba, Oritzer and San Martino di Castrozza to name just a few. Most of the villages here though will not be pure Italian as they will have some influences from the surrounding areas. Rather you will see a mix of cultures of Austrian, Swiss and Italian that pervades all of the surrounding valleys and hills in the area.
Regardless if you are backpacking through Italy it is vital that you check out this area as it contains many wonders that are not to be missed.
rafting in chile | 08-May-08 at 11:46 am | Permalink
I am thinking of putting a trip together for this area.
Very beautiful me and my wife spent our honey moon in Venice.
But unfortunately we weren’t able to make it to the Dolomites.