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1 Week In Northern Italy

Posted by on

Hi everybody, first time poster here -

My girlfriend and will be in Northern Italy for a week in late May and early June. I am feeling particularly overwhelmed planning this trip. There is so much I want to do and see in such a little amount of time.

We chose Northern Italy for the Dolomites and really want to experience the mountain villages and alpine culture. We've decided against the rifugio hikes this time around, but would still like to do some great hikes in the form of day trips. Our tentative plan is to use either Ortisei or Cortina D'Ampezzo (can anybody recommend one or the other?) as a jumping off point for various hikes and cable car excursions. This would be 3-4 days. Is there enough to keep us busy in this area for that amount of time (e.g. mountain villages, excursions, etc.).

The remaining time we were thinking we would spend in Bolzano or Trento doing various day trips. What city would be a better base for day trips in the region? We love the idea of the cable car in Bolzano that would allow us to see some of the villages in the mountain, and it seems like there is more to do around the city. Having said that, it sounds like Trento is better for food/wine/culture.

My last question is about Lake Garda - does it make sense as a day trip from Trento or Bolzano or does it need more time than that? We will be going to Switzerland for week 2 of our trip and Lake Lugano is a possibility. Can anyone recommend one lake over the other? Not sure if doing both makes sense.

Thanks so much in advance
Zach

Posted by
17580 posts

Late May might still be too early for hiking the higher areas of the Dolomites this year. They have had near-record amounts of snowfall this month, and it might not all melt off by May.

Posted by
28450 posts

I can't comment on the hiking conditions at that time of year, but with that caveat, I think you'll find good possibilities from just about anywhere. I day-tripped to Ortisei, and it's a very attractive town with a lot of choices of restaurants, etc. I haven't been to Cortina.

Bolzano has a very, very pretty historic center and several museums, including the one housing the Iceman. I think it would be a good choice for your non-mountain time, but keep in mind that if hiking conditions are not good (or you are unlucky with the weather), you might find yourself traveling from Ortisei down to Bolzano prior to your planned stay there. So I'd try to snag a reservation in Bolzano that I could cancel quite late. Three-day notice is pretty common in Europe, and I'm not sure how easy it will be to find something less constraining. Perhaps since it will not be peak season in that area, you'll be OK.

I haven't been to Trento, but the online photos are enticing. Although I enjoyed Bolzano a lot, I think I might choose Trento for its location. You could go north to Bolzano on day trips if you haven't seen it during your Ortisei time, or you could go south to Lake Garda.

There are definitely other interesting towns in and near that valley: Bressanone, Merano, Chiusa, etc.

Posted by
996 posts

I haven't been to Ortisei, but we stayed two or three days in Cortina d'Ampezzo which worked well as a local base.

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