Anytime I get a chance to travel to Europe, I return to Italy time and time again. I have trained, planed and automobiled and I highly recommend driving the countryside. I was looking to escape the city crowds & traffic, and experience life in the mountains. Tucked away in the hills of the German-Italian Alps are quaint towns full of culture and the simple life. The Dolomites were high on my list to climb and from Germany down to Italy we traveled! The jagged, limestone picturesque peaks did not disappoint!
Highlights: The hundreds of via ferratas, the Refugios, Tre Cimi, Cinque Torre, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Val di Fanes and my favorite the war caves on the Forcella Lagazuoi trail.
The Great War in the Dolomites...the most bitterly fought battles occurred back in 1914 between the Austro-Hungarian Empire & Italian army over these famous peaks. The soldiers were forced to undergo extreme conditions and severe winters in the high mountains. This was the most treacherous battle of World War I.