Dolomites

Leaving Liechtenstein, Mom, Dad and I enjoyed a night in Innsbruck (check off another Olympic host city!) where we enjoyed a surprise traditional music concert during dinner. Driving south over the Brenner Pass, we re-entered Italy into the the Alto Adige, home of the famed Dolomites.

Another highlight of the trip was staying in this Agriturismo. The Italian government, trying to keep families on their farms, subsidize the renting out of rooms in agricultural homes. The place was clean, new and had a kitchen.

Here's the view down the Anterselva/Anholtz valley.

Why does everything have two names? Back in WWI, Austria-Hungary was defeated and the treaty gave the province of South Tyrol to Italy. Italy, tried to Italianize everything (that's why the province is called Alto Adige in Italian) but the residents still speak German as their first tongue. I loved it up there because I speak a little of each language and I could mix and match and the people understood me.

A typical scene driving through the Dolomites.

We drove up to the lookout for the "Tre Cime" or "Three peaks." The weather was amazing and at the end of the day, the light was soft and perfect. Plus, we essentially had the entire place to ourselves. Note to readers, travel in Europe in late May/early June. Europeans kids are still in school and the weather is not yet too hot.

Dad in action.

A requirement that I pose for a picture for Dad. More importantly, I've had those faux aviators for 8 months now without losing them. A record for sure.

I have lots of more pictures of the Dolomites, but they all look repetitive after awhile. Again, as with any grandeur, it's impossible to capture the feeling and awe of the place.

This is the view from Corvara, home of a THIRD language in the region, called Ladin, which is an ancient derivation of Latin. It is primarily spoken and taught in two valleys, Val Badia and Val Gardena. It is officially recognized by the country of Italy and given legitimate status. In those areas, there are three names for every place.

Descending into the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo (check for another Olympic venue). It's just on the other side of one of the Dolomite ranges, but historically Italian and therefore, Italian comes first. It's a mere 20 km but the line is distinct between the two languages.

One more look down the Anterselva. The area is known for being a hotbed of biathlon and there is a world cup competition sometime in January 2011. I want to head up and see it and see the area in the wintertime.