One of the reasons that we’ve long been wanting to visit Northern Italy is to hike the Dolomites in the Italian Alps. The pictures we’d seen, of dramatic formations rearing above diminutive hikers, really drew us in. The Dolomites are considered a world-class hiking destination and we finally were going to experience them.

We left Venice the way we came, by speedboat to the airport. There we picked up a rental car from Europcar to drive up to the Dolomites, showing our requisite international driver’s license. The scenery on the drive up gave us our first taste of the fantastic Dolomites scenery. The narrow road wound through picturesque mountain villages, with soaring peaks ever-present in the background.

Our base for the next three nights was Cortina, home of the 1956 winter Olympic games. The vibrant ski resort sits in a basin surrounded by mountains, with wonderful views in all directions. We had excellent meals at some of the many restaurants in town, and daily purchased picnic supplies at a well-stocked Italian grocery.

Our room in Cortina, at the Hotel de Len, had clear views to the mountains west of town, and we took every opportunity to enjoy the scenery from our deck.

Our first hike was to the Cinque Torre, about a 25-minute drive west from Cortina. These rock pillars are perhaps one of the most well-known in the Dolomites and exceeded all our expectations for jaw-dropping scenery. The formation is so-called because it appears to be five towers, but actually consists of multiples smaller pillars and columns. We took a cable car up and stopped for a picnic lunch before an easy hike around the spectacular towers.

The Cinque Torre also is a site in the World War I Open Air Museum. In the peaks and passes of the Dolomites, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire established extensive trenches, tunnels and cable-ways in their 30-month high-altitude battle for control of the area. The trenches and fortifications have been restored in multiple sites, with trails and interpretive signs throughout.

After exploring the Cinque Torre, we hiked up 1,100 ft (335 m) to the Rifugio Nuvolau at elevation 8,500 ft (2,575 m), for sweeping 360-degree view of the area. Numbering over 1,000, the refugios (mountain huts) provide food and shelter in remote, dramatic settings and are a wonderful part of the Dolomites experience. We visited several during our short time in the area.

The following morning, we departed early for the 40-minute drive east to hike the 7-mile (11 km) loop trail around UNESCO World Heritage Site Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo). This hike is exceedingly popular, with a long line of cars forming by mid-morning. At least a dozen already were queued up when we arrived at 6:30 am. We hiked around the eastern flank of this spectacular formation in the golden morning light. The hike also has sweeping views to the surrounding Dolomites.

Continuing north, we passed several World War I fortifications before reaching the midway point of the trail at Rifugio Locatelli. A short spur trail leads up to caves that were former World War I bunkers, and some of the best views of the area. We had lunch at Rifugio Locatelli, with an amazing view to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, before completing the loop and returning back to Cortina.

Our final adventure in the Dolomites was the most challenging via ferrata we’ve ever done, and we’ll cover that in a subsequent blog. After our third night in Cortina, we drove west to Milan to attend the Italian Grand Prix. The winding mountain road was busy with cars and intrepid cyclists, and full of more spectacular Dolomites scenery. We made many stops en route to take in the views up close and at our own pace, and had a leisurely lunch in La Poza as we exited the Dolomites. We’d had a fabulous three days, but could easily have spent several weeks, and would certainly return.

Our routes around the Dolomites are shown on the interactive map below. Click here for a full-page map.