2010 Italian Alps

We had to escape the heat of Venice, so we headed north, looking for a cooler climate, towards Cortina, Italy. As we drove closer and closer, the countryside changed, and soon, we were looking at the mighty Dolomites, a mountain range at the northern end of Italy, which make up the Italian Alps.

These rugged mountains are awe-inspiring, and the photos, unfortunately, don't do justice. This is a view from our hotel balcony. We stayed in a little town just outside of Cortina, called San Vito de Cadore. The first evening, we were greeted with a brief lightning and thunder storm - our 4th of July celebration! No hot dogs, though.

The area is lined with clumps of rocky spires, with rolling green hills below. There were a handful of roads that you could drive up to get to the passes, to reach the highest elevation possible. We were surprised to find not only the passes to be filled with cars, campers, and motorcycles....

but also filled with bicyclists!!! Can you imagine riding a bike up these windy roads, up towards 8,000 - 10,000 feet on a bicycle? There are bicycle vacations that are advertised here - for those hearty souls who feel the need to challenge themselves up the mountain. On the day we chose to drive up the pass, there was a bicycle race going on, which closed some of the roads for hours.

The hills are alive... ok, so this is another corny picture - and couldn't resist. Where's my nun's habit?

We found this mountain lake and town nearby. The color of mountain lakes are always surprising to me -- unreal colors, created by the mineral deposits in the lake.

The entire area is dotted with Tyrolean style houses and buildings. Close to the border of Austria, this area was once Austrian. After losing to Italy during WWII, it was given over and has remained as part of Italy since then. Today, it's a favorite vacation spot for Italians and Austrians, alike.

Market day at Cortina.

Cortina is a beautiful little Tyrolian style town, and was featured in the James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, and also in the original Pink Panther.