Flames frozen in stone

We leave Bled early on our long drive back into Italy’s Dolomites. We cross the border and keep commenting how much it looks like Austria. Wait a minute…it is Austria! Google maps has taken us a different route to what I would have expected- and we are in Austria. Unexpected new country travel tick for you Karen 😂. We drive through the beautiful Austrian countryside for several hours- picture perfect vivid green hills, tiny little chocolate box towns, hilltop castles, cows (it’s been a long time since we’ve seen those) and steeples of the cutest little churches everywhere you look.

And flowers…everywhere…picture perfect! Very rural… the smell of fresh animal dung was heavy in the air… and then we realised we were driving behind a poo truck 😂💩

The olive trees that covered the southern part of our trip are long gone but the hills are still covered in vines in this country where wine flows freely everywhere.

As our route is not what we expected, we decide to detour to one of our destinations planned for tomorrow which is now pretty much on our way.

One of the most beautiful lakes in northern Italy, known as the pearl of the Dolomites, surrounded by an imposing backdrop, Lake Braies reflects colours in all shades from emerald green to turquoise blue and is so clear you can mirror yourself.

We had planned to come early tomorrow to beat the tourists and get that perfect mountain reflection that you see in the pictures…but we arrived way too late to crowds of tourists (well not crowds compared to Florence or Venice but still more than we would have liked). We wander to the boathouse where we are rewarded with incredible views of the old fashion timber row-boats, clear waters and breath-taking mountains…

…and if that is not enough, there is a tiny storybook chapel complete with horse stable.

I wander around the lake….

This is our first taste of the mighty Dolomites which some would say are the most visually stunning mountains anywhere… with its dramatic rock spires and clusters of scraggy outcrops…flames frozen in stone…above a mass of pine forests. Despite being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a relatively unknown portion of Italy, to people outside this region… the road less travelled…which I love. It is just 200km from Venice, but seems worlds apart from the Italy we have so far experienced. German is the common language rather than Italian while the alpine landscape makes the area look like a scene from neighbouring Austria or even Switzerland. But you can’t argue with amazing food, amazing wine, amazing people and spectacular behold-the-majesty-of-nature-and-weep scenery. Perhaps no country nails this combo quite as effectively as this part of Italy.

As a nervous driver even at home, I have opted out of the driving side of this trip with the others girls taking up that slack (I have other skills to contribute…driving is just not one of them!) Karen drives to our destination on the narrow winding mountainous roads with steep drop offs to the valleys below…nearly in tears of tension. I am a panicky wreck virtually leaning into her lap so as not to ‘fall off the edge’. I cannot even look at the stunning vistas we are passing without having a panic attack. Sue just laughs from the back seat and takes a picture

We arrive safely in the flower filled village of Ortisei… picturesquely situated amidst the soaring peaks of the Dolomites. It looks back to an ancient trading activity and a rich history. For more than 2 centuries, this village is considered as the international centre of wood carving. There is a lively pedestrian zone in the village centre with many shops and bars and restaurants or should be.

Travel is often unpredictable, especially with weather. And while we have been blessed to have the most amazing warm and sunny conditions for most of our travelling, we are now in a mountain environment where conditions vary, literally minute by minute.

We take one of the three major cable cars in the village (Seceda) and go up Early to enjoy the view of the Odle mountains- inarguably the most famous range of the Dolomites… sandwiched between the Val de Funes and Val Gardena in the Puez-Odle national Park. A glorious view of razor sharp peaks of Torri di Fermeda awaits the moment you step off the cable car…. breathtaking! Or should be. Our view was one of grey cloud and very minimal visibility! So minimal in fact, that at times we couldn’t actually see anything much beyond the station building and adjacent restaurant. But we waited patiently and the clouds did lift enough for us to get a view of what we came to see.

While the Dolomites actually cover a large swathe of Italy’s north, the most iconic image that people have of this mountain range is actually found in the village of Santa Magdalena. An idyllic cluster of old timber houses gravitating around the most photographed church in the Dolomites and nestled amidst lush green alpine meadows of the Val di Funes. This is exactly the picture we were looking for…

…but disappointingly didn’t find. We did find the church…where even the cemetery was extraordinarily pretty.

But no one seemed to know where the viewpoint was…quite a few tourists were also wandering around looking for it. We were very short on time and gave up but ended up speaking to a group of young Germans who said that they had hiked up and found it but due to all the low cloud today, the mountains just weren’t coming out to play. I remember being in Tanzania and passing the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro several times…and never one being able to see it. All part of the unpredictability of travel.

The small mountain hamlet in the shadow of the Idle Peaks is so pristine you almost you almost expect a bunch of little wooded figurines to start singing. It is impossibly scenic with magnificent panoramas over the surrounding peaks… and once again, overflowing with colourful blooms on every surface possible.

We did find the church of St Johann which stands out in the imposing mountain landscape and begs to be photographed.

Time was short as we didn’t want to be driving the winding mountain roads in the dark…and we jade one more stop to make.

I was excited to visit Lago di Carezza as anything known as the ‘rainbow lake’ would definitely be on my radar. Legend has it that the lake was home to a beautiful water nymph, who captured the heart of a wizard called Masare. He was advised to dress up in jewels and throw a rainbow into a lake in an impressive act of seduction. However, he forgot to dress up and of course, she recognised him and disappeared to the bottom of the lake never to be seen again. The wizard was overwhelmed by anger and threw the rainbow into the lake, creating the layer of colours and the Rainbow Lake. The surreal colours set against the mountain background will get even the most cynical wondering if the tale could be true. And if not…I love a good mythology tale anyway.

It is a small lake with a reflection of the mountains and the unique rainbow colours seem totally unreal… layers of acqua, turquoise, emerald and even lime green…. hypnotising…photos cannot possibly do it justice. Breath-taking! I’ve seen many beautiful lakes in my travels but this one was definitely my favourite.