The Dolomites, Italy — Bella Via Travels
Italy
The Dolomites
Europe's most dramatic mountain landscape
The Dolomites are the most visually extraordinary mountains in Europe — vertical towers of pale rock rising from green meadows, turning pink at dawn and gold at dusk in the phenomenon the Ladins call enrosadira.
The Sella Ronda is the great circuit of the Dolomites — a route that links the Sella massif with the valleys of the Gardena, Badia, Fassa and Livinallongo, passing through some of the finest alpine scenery in the world. In summer it is walked and cycled; in winter it is one of the great ski circuits of Europe.
The culture of the Dolomites is a blend of Italian, Austrian and Ladin — the ancient language of the valleys that predates both. The food reflects this complexity: speck and canederli from the South Tyrol, polenta and casunziei from the Veneto, and the Ladin dishes of the Gardena and Badia valleys that are unlike anything else in Italy.
The rifugi — mountain huts — of the Dolomites are among the finest in the Alps: well-equipped, well-fed and positioned on ridges and passes with views that make the walk to reach them entirely worthwhile. Bella Via designs Dolomite itineraries that combine the walking with the culture and the extraordinary food of the region.
“The Tre Cime di Lavaredo at dawn, with the rock turning pink and the valleys still in shadow — it is one of the great experiences of European mountain travel.”
What to Expect
The Bella Via Experience in The Dolomites
The Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Three vertical towers of dolomite rising 2,999 metres above the Sexten valley — the defining image of the Dolomites and one of the great walks in the Alps.
The Sella Ronda
A circuit of the Sella massif through four valleys — one of the great mountain routes of Europe, walkable in summer and skiable in winter.
Cortina d'Ampezzo
The most glamorous resort in the Dolomites — a town of extraordinary beauty, with a food and wine scene that rivals anything in northern Italy.
Ortisei
The cultural heart of the Val Gardena — a Ladin-speaking village of carved-wood workshops, Baroque churches and mountain pastures that has remained largely unchanged for centuries.
Rifugios
The mountain huts of the Dolomites are unlike anywhere else in the Alps — stone and timber buildings perched on ridges and cols, serving polenta, speck and local wine to walkers who have earned the view. Bella Via plans routes that make the rifugio the destination.
The Dolomites reward those who arrive with time and leave with a new understanding of what mountains can be. We will help you design the journey that does them justice.