With dramatic peaks and sweeping trails, the Dolomites feel as if they were commissioned by set designers for the next James Bond. Roughly carved from Italy’s northern Alps, with sharp-toothed summits, plunging bottle-green valleys and storybook rifugi, or refuges, the Dolomites can’t help but exude Hollywood glamour. And just like our favourite British secret service agent, they too are able to go from ruggedly outdoorsy and perilous to almost unfathomably delicate and romantic in pretty much a single shot. From the famous via ferrata (iron ways) and their vertigo-inducing series of ladders and bridges built by soldiers and mountaineers in World War I, to the less strenuous Cinque Torri, that’ll have you frolicking through meadows of wildflowers, there is a hike for everyone no matter how high sights are set – literally. Here are our favourite hikes in the Dolomites.
Tre Cime di Lavaredo
We couldn’t begin a blog about the best hikes in the Dolomites without mentioning its most famous. Protruding like animal teeth from a limestone gum, the three peaks (or Tre Cime di Lavaredo) are considered to be the poster child of the Dolomites. Part of what makes them the favoured peaks though - aside from their chiseled good looks, of course - is how versatile they are. Want to put your mountaineering skills to the test? Scale its highest peak, Cima Grande (sitting at 9,839ft, it is pipped as one of the hardest climbs even among alpinists). After an amble instead of a scramble, suitable for all family members? Take on the 5.5 mile, 1,400ft loop round its base. Pause for a drink at the chapel Chiesetta Alpina, take detours up crowd-free paths for unique views and stop for a bite of pasta at the rifugi locatelli. Really, it’s all very civilised up in the Dolomites. It is Italy after all.
Cinque Torri
What’s better than three peaks? Five. Just south of Cortina, the Cinque Torri, which simply translates to five towers, is anything but modest. Home to an ampitheatre of skyward spurs and lung-busting inclines that can easily be reached by good old-fashioned leg or electric power (via chairlift), Cinque Torri is where you go when you just want to be charmed. Discover its history at the Museo all’Aperto delle 5 Torri, which unearths the region’s past life as an artillery headquarters in World War I. Divert off time-worn paths to trench ruins and disused officers’ shacks. Feel the burn on Alva Via 1 (aka Dolomite High Route 1), a five-day 75-mile route that works its way down the spine of the Dolomites from Dobbiaco in the north to Belluno in the south. Or get to grips with its geology along the hair raising via ferrata Averau, that won’t just test your camera’s quality but your nerves too.
image by Sergii Mostovyi / stock.adobe.com
Catinaccio to the Sciliar
The best hikes in the Dolomites don’t just stop at one day. If it’s a multi-day romp you’re after, it’s a multi-day romp you’ll get on the epic Catinaccio to the Sciliar trek. With your pack and walking boots at the ready, head up into the wind-chiselled Val Ciamin valley. Follow sinuous paths across vertiginous passes and rest your legs at rifugis, which feel less like simple mountain huts and more like boutique bolt holes happily hemmed in by muscular mountains. From there it’s an undulating climb up the 8,523ft-high Molignon Pass and down to the foot of the imposing Denti di Terrarossa. It’s at Monte Pez though where you’ll want to make check your camera has plenty of storage. Watch as the massif turns from sweeping alpine meadows to panoramic views over the Alpe di Siusi and surrounding Dolomites. It’s no wonder UNESCO snapped it up as a World Heritage Site in 2009.
Lago di Sorapis
You can’t do hikes in the Dolomites justice without a visit to one of its many lakes. Looking like something out of a Pixar production, you’ll be hard pressed not to assume a magical creature isn’t going to pop their head from the still turquoise waters and grant you a wish. Reached only by foot (which really adds to the whole enchanted element), you can follow two trails – the 215 and 217 – across rivers, valleys and round exposed cliff edges. Stop by rifgui Vandelli if you’re feeling ravenous or continue along the path until you reach the alpine lake. Lap up its glassy waters and ogle its perfect mirroring of the formidable Mount Sorapis above. If food is still on your mind on your return, treat yourself to a Michelin-star meal with wraparound views over the Puster Valley at AlpiNN. After all, this is Eataly and you’ve earned it.
Header image by Faustine Poidevin