On my first trip to Paris, I met a fellow traveler on top of the Eiffel Tower who suggested that if I ever made it to Italy I needed to go to the Dolomites (where he was from). I was sold on the idea as soon as I saw the sawtooth mountains in the pictures he showed me on his phone. For the rest of the evening, I got to hang out with him and his sister as we toured other fun spots in France's capital city, and their company left a lasting impression on me.
I never forgot the dreamy topography of the Dolomites and vowed I would see them in person someday.
My First Trip to Italy
Years later, on my first trip to Italy, I was determined to include the Dolomites on my itinerary. I had spent two weeks on a jam-packed tour of Italy and had already visited many of the country's highlights including Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, the Cinque Terre, Florence, and Lake Como.
I had purposely left a couple of days open at the end of my trip for a possible Dolomites trip before I headed to Venice. However, that would mean that I would need to go from Lake Como all the way to the Dolomites in one day. It doesn't look that far on the map, but it is. In total, it's more than 7 hours on public transportation.
I remember sitting in the dining area of my hostel early in the morning on the day I was supposed to leave Lake Como, deep in contemplation. It was 6:30 in the morning and I literally had no idea what I was doing that day or where I was staying that night. But what I did know is that I needed to kick it in gear and make up my mind. The Dolomites were still in the forefront, but the idea of spending 7+ hours on trains and buses that day didn't sound super appealing to me.
However, my adventurous self I finally had to exert some tough love.
"Fool," adventurous self said. "Yes, you're right. It's going to take 7 hours. But exactly how long will it take you to get there from the USA? If you really want to go to this place, this is your chance."
With that bit of reality sinking in, I was convinced.
I packed up my stuff, checked out of the hostel, and dashed towards the train station to catch the first leg of my journey.
Lake Como to Milan to Verona
Luckily, I was able to get on the express train from Lake Como to Milan. It only took about 47 minutes to get there. Then, I had to wait just a short while for my next train to Verona. Since I was heading that direction anyway, and Verona was one of the stops on this route, I also wanted to make the obligatory girl pilgrimage to Juliet's house.
Pilgrimage to Juliet's House
I was happy that the Verona train station had a place where I could drop my bags for only a couple of euros for the few hours I would be there. Worth it. it's so much easier to navigate a city without being in donkey mode with all your belongings strapped to your back.
It was a drizzly day in Verona, but the bus ride to the city center was quick and before I knew it I was approaching the street on foot that led to Juliet's house. It was jam packed and people were super pushy (probably because of that drizzle), but I at last made it into the courtyard.
Most people were just hanging out on the outside and not paying to go inside Juliet's house. I couldn't understand that since when I asked the staff at the entry, the fee was only 5 euros. Nominal, especially if you come all this way, you might as well go in. Needless to say, I paid the entrance fee and escaped the throngs outside.
The interior was nothing flashy, but still impressive and exactly what you would expect a somewhat wealthy family to have lived in during the 1600s. Now, I know Juliet is a fictional character and so obviously she and her make-believe family did not live here. But the idea is still the same in that this is what people of their class would have dwelt in. I toured the two floors of the home, stopping to look at the few items they had on display, and obviously took that famed photo on Juliet's balcony.
They also had computers set up in one room where you could write a letter to Juliet. I knew all about this tradition due to the movie Letters to Juliet. At the present moment, I didn't have any pressing romance questions to query Juliet's advice, but I still wanted to write the letter. I can't remember what I said to Juliet that day, but whatever it was, it wasn't significant enough to get a reply because I never did hear back from the secretaries of Juliet. LOL.
I asked to use the restroom before I left the building since that's what you do when you pay for admission into anything in Europe. I was shocked to discover that the building did not have a western-style toilet, but rather a squatty potty. Interesting. I didn't take Juliet's family to be so international. When you travel, little surprises like this just add to the overall experience.
Taking in the Rest of Verona
On my way back to the train station, I stopped off at the market square to pick up something for lunch. I bought a panzerotti and a pear sparkling water. The little glass bottle was so cute that I actually kept it. You know it must have been special because I don't keep anything in my bag that doesn't serve some kind of purpose. Later, I cleaned it and draped fairy lights inside to make a cute little night lantern to use beside my bed.
Since the rain had stopped, I opted to walk back to the train station. Along the way, I checked out more of Verona including the famous Roman amphitheater in the piazza. The city is a pretty one and I wouldn't mind coming back and spending more time here to explore further.
Onwards towards the Dolomites
Back at the train station, I picked up my bag and then went to the automated ticket booth to buy my ticket to Venice, which was my next stop on my Dolomite-bound adventure. However, no matter what I tried, the machine would not take my credit card. It was maddening. I had never had this happen before on any other ticket machine in Italy, and now here I was needing to buy a ticket to a train that left momentarily and the dang machine would not work. Finally, a station attendant came up to help. He couldn't get it to work either, so I finally just had to use some of my last euros to buy the ticket.
With ticket in hand and my bag strapped to my back, I darted off to find my platform. I made it with plenty of time because, as is the case often in Italy, the train was delayed. As I waited, I hopped on my phone to purchase my bus ticket to Cortina d'Ampezzo--the city in the Dolomites that my Italian friends in Paris had recommended. There were very few options, so I bought the latest one I could find. Pleased that it only cost about 20 euros, I pressed the button to pay and immediately had my e-ticket QR code sent by email.
I was now officially on my way to the Dolomites.
A Tight Connection
As I sat on the train careening towards Vernice, I had a sudden realization. I looked at my arrival time (which was now a little later due to the delay) and compared it to my bus departure time.
There was only 8 minutes in between the two.
Argh!
I knew that the stars had to align perfectly for this to work. First, there could be no more delays on this train. Second, I had to get off the train and run FAST. Third, I had to figure out EXACTLY where this bus picked up and make it there before it pulled away.
The only one I knew for sure I had any control over was #2. However, if the bus was far away from the station it really wouldn't matter how fast I ran, I still might not make it in time.
I made an executive decision.
I was not going to book my hotel stay in Cortina d'Ampezzo until I was on the bus. If for some reason, I was unable to make the bus, at least I'd only be out the bus fare (20 euros) instead of the bus fare and the hotel (100 euros).
I knew that was a risky venture since hotels can get booked up and there might be a chance I'd have nowhere to stay that night. However, it was late April and I was going to a ski resort town, so I doubted highly that there would be much demand on a random weeknight in spring.
Less Than 8 Minutes to Catch My Bus
As soon as the train pulled into the station, I bolted off. I already had the bus stop information plugged into my phone and so as soon as my feet hit the pavement, I pressed the "directions" button on Google and watched as it calibrated. Deductive reasoning told me that the bus was obviously going to be picking me up outside, so I found the nearest exit as Google figured out the directions.
Once outside, I scanned the map and my surroundings quickly to see which way I needed to be going. Honestly, digital directions can sometimes be frustrating because you can't always tell at the very beginning WHICH direction you're supposed to be heading, especially if you're unfamiliar with the location. I don't know about you, but I don't have a built-in compass inside my body and have zero idea which way is north, south, east, west as soon as I walk out of a building.
I saw someone standing outside the station door and stopped to ask him for help. "Do you speak English?" I asked and then proceeded to query if I was heading in the right direction. He tried to help with his limited English, but after just a short convo, I realized I would be better off sorting this out for myself. I said a quick "Grazie" and dashed off, hoping that I was heading the correct way.
Running At Top Speed
As I hurriedly walked, I could see a bus in the far distance and crossed my fingers that it was my bus and that I could make it there in time.
T-minus 2 until takeoff.
I took off sprinting towards the bus.
As I ran at top speed, I quickly discovered that the sidewalk was super slippery due to the recent rainfall (cobblestone can be treacherous like that). So, I slowed my gait. Cobblestone also has another set of challenges: the uneven surfaces. On one spot, I hit the ground at one of those uneven spots and nearly twisted my ankle.
Ugh! Can you even imagine? What would I have done for the remainder of the trip with a sprained or broken ankle?
Thankfully that did not happen and I made it JUST in time to my bus. As I dashed towards the driver, he was just about to get on the bus. I hurriedly showed him the QR code on my phone, he verified that this was the right bus to Cortina, and he let me on board. Then, he got on behind me and we literally took off.
I had made it with absolutely no time to spare!
I took off my backpack and promptly collapsed into my seat.
I had no time to relax, yet.
I still needed to book my lodging for that night. And I felt an urgency to do so just in case I lost service as we traveled through the mountain roads towards Cortina.
Fortunately, the hotel I had chosen earlier that day was still available on Booking.com. I clicked "reserve" and voila! had a room all set for that night.
I took a deep breath.
Now, I could finally chill.
The Last Leg to Cortina
The drive from Venice to Cortina d'Ampezzo was so much more beautiful than I could have ever imagined. The pictures that my Italian friend had shown me on the top of the Eiffel tower were accurate: a place like this really does exist! Unfortunately, I was on the wrong side of the bus so I couldn't get the exact pictures I wanted. But when I close my eyes today, I can still picture the stunning vistas along this narrow winding road careening into the Italian Alps.
An Unexpected Discovery
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a delightful town. I arrived around 18:00 and discovered that my hotel was just a short walk from the bus station.
As I was checking in, the guy at reception mentioned that the previous day was closing day of the "season" (meaning the ski season) and so that's why things were a little quieter in town. He explained that because of that, there were fewer shops and restaurants open. In fact, tonight there was only one restaurant open and he provided me with the name and location of it. I asked about hiking and nature trails nearby and he gave me a map. I mentioned that I wanted to do some of them in the morning and that I planned on leaving the next afternoon.
Then, he politely informed me that he didn't think that was possible.
"You are planning on taking the bus back, right?" he asked.
I confirmed.
"Well, since it's off season now, there are only two busses that leave Cortina. One is at 6:00 and the other is at 9:00."
That was 6:00 and 9:00 am!
I almost burst out laughing.
How ludicrous that I had literally spent all day traveling, nearly twisted or broken my ankle, and had barely made it to Cortina only to find out that I had less than 24 hours to explore here!
Regardless of how ludicrous it was, I literally could do nothing about it. My mantra when traveling is to always just make the best out of every situation and just go with the flow!
In all honesty, I wasn't mad or irritated at all. I actually thought it was totally hilarious.
Fortunately, this was spring. So, it didn't get dark here until about 20:30 (8:30pm) and it would get light at about 6:00 in the morning.
I had a couple of hours to explore that night and then in the morning, I had a good three hours before my bus left to do more exploring.
It wasn't ideal. But it was definitely doable!
I dropped my bags in my room and took off on the nature walk suggested by the hotel clerk.
Reveling in the Beauty of Cortina
All I can say is the town, the mountains, everything here was breathtaking. The grey sawtooth mountains looked like intertwined sharks' fins that jutted into the sky from an emerald sea of farmland. The countryside below the mountains was a brilliant, rich green and dotted with alpine lodges more reminiscent of what I've seen in Switzerland and Austria than what I expected to see in Italy. In the far distance, surrounded by rolling hills of green, stood a lone church that tolled its bells on the hour and half hour.
On one part of my walk, I heard the sound of a chainsaw and spied a man on a big pile of felled trees in the yard by his house. He was trying to slice his way through in what looked like a process that was a wee bit precarious. I could tell that this man was determined and nothing--including a little danger--was going to stop his progress. It made me laugh because it reminded me exactly of something my dad would do. I actually zoomed in with my camera to see if my dad was here working in Italy!
Wrapping Up the Day
As the sunlight faded, I headed towards the only restaurant in town and treated myself to a delicious dinner--one of my last in Italy. Despite the ravioli entree, I had to continually remind myself that I was still in Italy and not in Austria. It just felt so much like a little town I had visited outside of Hallstatt months before. In true Austrian style, I ordered the apfelstrudel (apple strudel) for dessert and in true Italian style, it came with a scoop of vanilla bean gelato!
My hotel had a sauna, which I happily enjoyed when I returned for the evening. I had the place to myself, which has its pros and cons. The pro is that I got to control the heat settings and amount of water thrown on the rocks, but the con is that it gets pretty boring in a hot room all by yourself. So, after just a short visit, I journeyed back to my room and called it a night.
I slept with my window open in my cute little alpine hotel room. It was delightful feeling the cool mountain breeze and hearing the bells from the nearby church toll first thing in the morning. I woke up at first morning light so that I could go out and explore a little more before I needed to catch my bus.
Blue-Sky Day in the Dolomites
The evening before had been a little overcast, but this morning was clear with robin-egg blue skies. I reveled in the sunshine and the warmth of the air, added a new selection of photos to the cloud, and just thoroughly enjoyed every moment of one of my last days in Italy.
At one moment, I paused, looking at the extraordinary beauty around me, took a deep breath, and let a wave of gratitude and emotion just flow over me.
I whispered to myself. "Never, ever forget this moment. Right here. Right now. Don't ever forget."
And I never have.
Postscript
The Dolomites are an absolute must-visit on a trip to Italy. The next time I come, I want to spend some time hiking and exploring these beautiful sawtooth mountains. The pictures I've seen of alpine lakes and mountain trails are absolutely phenomenal!
