I call this part the entry to the Dolomites since you are at 900 meters and have access to high mountains, but can just as easily head down to the valley and visit some vineyards, orchards and Oetzi (the man in the ice) in Bolzano (Bozen) or Merano (Meran) where it is almost tropical at times.

We were staying at one of our favorite hotels ever, and I got out in the morning (6am) to hike/jog above the town. There were only a few folks on the trails, and it was great to explore. What is fun here is that there are huts along the way for food and drink despite how remote it can be (not that they are open at that hour), and I look forward to doing some runs there again.

Evening before

Starting from the lake above town

Trail starts wide

Then narrows and gets steeper (hard to see here)

Getting higher

A good place for lunch, if it were lunch time ... I will be back for breakfast

German/Italian signage

View

You can drink the water

Back at the hotel -- Time for food

And a swim!

Lovely pictures!

 

On the signs, if I'm reading right, they're "travel time" to the next location, right?

That's pretty cool.

Correct on the signs! The 3'20" is basically to the top of that massive rock face. Next time!

That looks really great.  At some point please let us know the name and location of the Hotel.

Ooooo.  Thanks for sharing, Watoni!  Just gorgeous.

Thank you! For folks interested in the hotel.

We stayed at the Hotel Turm in Voels am Schlern (Fie allo sciliar in Italian). The restaurant is incredible (in my view), as is the spa. They have their own vineyards now as well. It can be expensive, but as with many European hotels half board arrangements and staying for 5-7 days make it a good deal. Also, most glasses of wine we ordered were quite good and were 4-7 Euros, even at the restaurant. One should spend a day or two in the high Dolomites, but this is a retreat from the somewhat more crowded venues of Alta Badia or Cortina.

View of the Schlern from our room

Family on the balcony looking towards the valley

View from the terrace

Lucky you!   Loved both sets of pictures.  Thank you for sharing.

breathtaking....