Italian Connection | 1.800.462.7911 | www.italian-connection.com

Highlights: Dazzling views, unsurpassed guides, delectable cuisine, unpack once at Cortina’s favorite hotel, challenging and exciting walks, many custom options.

This trip follows the impressive alte vie - high routes - which traverse a series of high mountain passes withastonishing views of the major Dolomite peaks. By using cable cars and jeep access roads we eliminate uninteresting ascents, and get right into the heart of splendid high-level walking. We’ve planned daily walks of 4-6 hours, with many options for customizing the route to your energy level. It is easy to lapse into superlatives here as each day’s majestic walk appears to be the best, offering unsurpassed vistas... that is, until tomorrow, when yet another unrivaled walk unfolds. Though walks are challenging, remember, this is hiking Italian-style, so don’t expect to rough it at lunchtime; you’ll find that spectacularly situated rifugi - mountain huts - are strategically located along our routes, and are the perfect spot for a delicious lunch.

Day One: Rendezvous in Bressanone and travel through the splendid green hills which soon give way to the spectacular Dolomite mountains. We take a 2-hour walk above Cortina, getting familiar with the surrounding peaks.Over a welcome lunch, our experienced guides will share their knowledge of the trails with you. Most days our walks are at an altitude of 2000-2400 meters (6500-8000 feet) with alternate lower level walks in case of uncertain weather conditions. We stay at a lovely 4-star hotel in the center of the pedestrian zone of Cortina, our home for all five nights, so we unpack just once and settle in. Encircled by mountains, Cortina is in a perfect position for exploring the best hiking trails as well as practicing the great sport of people watching. After an aperitivo on the terrace, a superb multi-course dinner awaits us at our hotel.

Day Two: We take a cablecar from Passo Falzarego up to Rifugio Lagazuoi, enjoying one of one of the finest overlooks in all of the Dolomites, with views stretching to the Austrian Alps. Descend the rocky slopes, and choose a 3-5 hour route, with the towering walls of the mountains always in sight. If the views were not enough, there are often groups of comical marmots to entertain you along the way. Dinner in our hotel dining room where the excellent menu changes daily.

Day Three: We rise early to get the first van transfer into the national park where we may be lucky enough to spot sure-footed ibex, with their great curved horns, dashing along the steep cliffs. This tranquil area is dotted with small lakes and dewy meadows and you may find an isolated malga - alpine dairy farm - offering cheese or milk for sale. After a long, beautiful climb we arrive at a creaky wooden rifugio precisely at lunchtime, and make a steaming bowl of minestrone disappear in record time. Continue along a wide trail with several options for returning to our starting point (4-6 hours). Free night for dinner.

Day Four: We begin in a high alpine pasture dotted with bright blue gentians, and follow a fascinating trail that alternates from stark, rocky outcrops to lush green pasture, with wide-open views throughout the day. Stop at a pretty lake below the striking red rock mountain Croda Rossa, and indulge in a hearty lunch at a turn-of-the century rifugio. Continue our walk along a bucolic trail to the outskirts of Cortina. Dinner together accompanied by a fine selection of wine from the Veneto region.

Day Five: We drive to the top of Passo Tre Croci where our exciting 5-hour walk begins. We follow a shady path to a spectacular alpine lake, its dazzling turquoise color in resplendent contrast to the sheer rock mountains. If you dare you can cool your feet here, but the water is icy cold! Stop for a snack at a rifugio before a long climb, breathtaking in every sense of the word, to a vast, rugged valley, where herds of chamois are often grazing. Stop to admire the stunning views of the many peaks we have hiked this week, then wind down along a path lined with wild rhododendron. Return to Cortina for some last-minute cashmere shopping before heading out to dinner. We celebrate tonight in a favorite restaurant in the hills where outstanding pasta dishes and flaky apple strudel bring together the best of this alpine region.

Day Six: Transfer to the Venice Mestre train station by noon. Arrivederci!

*Our prices are guaranteed in all currencies, with no surcharge for currency fluctuations.

Last year our Dolomites High Routes tour sold out, so make your reservation right away. We're offering a special discount, limited to 4 people, of 200 euro per person, if you sign-up by April 20. Double this discount if you link with our Wildflowers in the Dolomites tour! Call today for more info 1-800-462-7911 and reserve your place!