DH & I arrive in Bolzano on Wed. September 16 and fly out Wed. October 14. We want to spend our first night in Bolzano, as our flight arrives at 19:20pm. The next day, September 17, we plan to pick up a VW T-Cross from Avis (we have IDPs), and have 27 nights to spend in the Dolomites before returning to Bolzano on October 14. We have previously taken many other trips throughout Italy (Venice, Milan, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Verona, Padua, Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Florence, Rome, Amalfi coast, Sicily), and prefer having the luxury of time to explore regions slowly and in-depth. (We've also spent a lot of time hiking in Switzerland & Austria.)
My husband is a photographer, and hopes that by the end of our trip in mid-Oct. some of the larches may have started turning color. We're retired, fit, and in late 50s-early 60s. We like driving through the mountains at our own pace, stopping to pull over for scenic photo-ops, taking chairlifts up the mountains, and hiking down or doing circular day-hikes of 3-4 hours (not via Ferratas or overnight or hut-to-hut hiking). We also love wine, local food, markets, and festivals (I'm hoping we might be able to catch one of the Almabtrieb in one of the towns, when they bring the livestock down from the alpine meadows in the autumn). We usually prefer to spend at least 3-7 nights in each place we stay, using each as a base for hikes & day trips. We would like advice on the best 4-6 places to base ourselves over the course of the four weeks, and recommendations for accommodations with great alpine views.
We've started reading, research, and looking at maps for ideas about places we'd like to see. So far I'm picturing it kind of like a circuit, but we're not sure what the best direction or order would be over the course of mid-September to mid-October, especially for trying to see autumn foliage. If the route is shaped roughly like the face of a clock, we're envisioning (after 1st night in Bolzano):
- Lago di Braies -- maybe 3 nights/2 full days here (in case weather is bad one day)
- Tre Cime/Dobbiano/San Candido/Misurina -- maybe 4 nights in this area? (Or is it easy enough to do it all from Cortina?)
- Cortina/Croda da Lago/Passo Giau/Lago Federa -- maybe 5 nights?
- Alta Badia/Corvara/Colfosco/La Villa/Badia -- maybe 4 nights?
- Val Gardena/Ortisei/Santa Cristina/Selva -- maybe 5 nights?
- Alpe di Siusi/Castelrotto/Siusi -- maybe 3 nights in this area? (Or is it easy enough to see it all from Ortisei area?)
- Val di Funes/Santa Maddalena -- maybe 3 nights?
We would appreciate any thoughts on the above itinerary, suggestions on what we should leave out or add in, as well as recommendations for accommodations, restaurants, hikes, excursions, etc. in these areas. In theory we could start anywhere on this circuit and either go clockwise or counter-clockwise. I know most people just stay around Cortina and Ortisei, and we definitely want to spend some time in those areas, but we'd also like to stay in some places that are a bit quieter and closer to nature. I'm assuming things may be more crowded in September and get less crowded in October, so maybe we should try to save the most popular places/hikes for later in our trip rather than earlier.
Unfortunately I don't think we can stay in any Rifugios unless they are accessible by car, as we'll each be traveling with one small rolling suitcase plus one backpack (my husband will have a big tripod for night photography/star trails, two camera bodies, etc.). We don't require luxury but do prefer rooms with private bathrooms, preferably with alpine views (mini-frig & balcony/terrace a big plus). Our budget for accommodation is up to $300 max per night but preferably closer to $200. In terms of food, we don't eat breakfast, and just bring picnic lunches with us while we're out driving/hiking during daytime, then enjoy dinners out most evenings -- local fare, preferably with wine but nothing fancy.
Thanks in advance!