Our second week with Vanessa and her family began with celebrating her brothers birthday. Another windy drive up the hills behind the town of Marostica took us to a typical Italian food place were the special dish to get is either rooster or beef. We have sort of got used to the way of eating here (although we still need our big breakfast) so were ready for our late night dinner. We weren't ready for the amount of food though. Our booking was at 9 and we arrived just after and didn't get back home till before midnight. Antipasto for starters with beautiful cured meats, vegetables and fresh breads and we were almost full. Jake went with the pasta made with rooster which was good but not the best pasta we have had. The meat I was recommended was beautiful tender and cooked to perfection simply in oregano and olive oil served with sides of spinach, beans, more onions and fries. By this point we were struggling to finish and we still hadn't had dessert. Ness and I shared a huge slice of beautiful meringue cake with macaroon biscuits and ice cream through-out which brought on a small chat about the origins of meringue and the historic debate between NZ and Australia over the origin of the pavlova.
After sticking around inside escaping the heat in Marostica for the weekend we were ready to check out something new, hopefully somewhere cooler and Vanessa's dad had been very excited for us to check out their little slice of paradise in the mountains. Only a two hour drive away Vanessa's family had a cute little caravan and attached room where they come up in summer to walk in the hills or in the winter to ski down the slopes. The drive to her family caravan through the valleys was gorgeous with amazing scenery from every angle. We stopped at a few cute villages for our token daily gelato and Vanessa gave us some history lessons along the way. One town we stopped at for food has a massive dam peaking out high above it between two mountains holding back a lake of water. Apparently the geological testing of the surrounding hills was not up to scratch however and in 1963 a hillside collapsed into the lake causing a massive wave of water (200 meters they say) to surge over the dam and into the town wiping out several villages in the valley below and killing a few thousand people. A sad story but a reminder of natures force and the importance of good engineering when building.
Arriving into the campground we were amazed by the breathtaking mountains of the Dolomites. Vanessa's family have been coming to this campground since she was a little girl and have a great setup with a caravan and a permanent wooden
extension. We were based at the bottom of Mt Pelmo. The pink hues shimmering from the rocks and steep cliff sides stand strong above the slopes covered in pine trees. The swirling colors from the mountains, land and sky are stunning and I am sure in the winter when covered with snow it is just as majestical. The Dolomites are in the North-East of Italy not too far from Venice and make up part of the Southern Alps.
extension. We were based at the bottom of Mt Pelmo. The pink hues shimmering from the rocks and steep cliff sides stand strong above the slopes covered in pine trees. The swirling colors from the mountains, land and sky are stunning and I am sure in the winter when covered with snow it is just as majestical. The Dolomites are in the North-East of Italy not too far from Venice and make up part of the Southern Alps.
A short walk down from the camp we arrived into a little town full of cute wooden villas with beautiful flower beds under the windows. A few beers later and we weren't keen on the 2km walk back up the steep windy hill. Having never hitchhiked before we though it would be a laugh to try it here especially as apparently Italians never hitch hike. After a few failed attempts and speeding of cars we were in luck. Success our first attempt at hitch hiking and within five minutes we had a ride from a lovely local Italian dude coming back from work. Hopefully tomorrow we will be lucky again :)
The Dolomite range is very popular as the mountains offer outdoor activities year round and the week we spent here was testimony to this. We were never alone on any of our walks although in parts of a couple of them we were able to walk someway without passing someone. It was bit of a shock coming from NZ where you can go for a day walk or even an overnight tramp and only run into a handful of people coming the opposite way leaving you to enjoy the silence of the forest to yourself. Our first walk we hiked up the peak and passed hundreds of people coming both ways. At the top of a pretty tough scramble up the side of the mountain was a restaurant bar where you could also stay for the night and it was packed with people. These restaurant/ home stays are common place and on all our walks we passed at least one stopping in for an espresso or beer depending on the time of day. Prior to leaving for the mountains Vanessa's dad had also warned us of the vipers in the forest. Now I had lived in Australia, home of the worlds most deadliest snakes, for almost two years and had never actually come across one outside of the zoo, even though Jake and I had done a bit of exploring in the countryside around Brisbane. But our first walk in the mountains of Italy and we almost tripped over a viper in the first few
minutes before it slid out of sight. From then on I was definitely more aware of where I put my foot shying away from the long grass and piles of wood.
minutes before it slid out of sight. From then on I was definitely more aware of where I put my foot shying away from the long grass and piles of wood.
I had never heard of the Dolomites before and I am glad that we had the opportunity to be taken and shown around. We are very lucky to get to explore a region of Italy that we would not normally get out to on our own and are thankful to Vanessa and her parents for showing us this not so undiscovered gem.
Over the next week we spent the days walking, enjoying the fresh mountain air, listening to the jingles from the bells as the cows grazed in the meadows, stopping at the family-run wooden villas for a cold beer, panini lunches and a bit of sun baking. Our evenings were spent getting lost in the tiny little villages, trying all the flavours from Jakes favourite gelataria and me losing every single game of jenga (hence why I am not a surgeon but good to see that Vanessa has very steady
hands lol).
hands lol).
The one stormy day was a good excuse to rest the legs. after a pretty lazy morning and the weather not looking like it was going to let up Ness decided to take her new car out to test it on the steep and windy roads and show us a bit more of the Dolomites. Tourists in NZ often describe our roads as pretty tough but obviously these people have never driven in Italy. Not only do they have historic lanes just big enough to tightly fit a car down, streets paved in cobblestone shaking your core as you drive over them and of course some crazy Italian drivers, Italy also has some of the windiest mountain roads I have ever been in. Although very scenic drives you definitely would not want to be someone prone to getting car sick up here. A small car that can handle swinging around corners at top speeds but also with a bit of grunt to get the steep gradients is required. I don't even want to think about what these roads are like in the middle of winter with ice and snow adding an extra element of danger to the already precarious roads. We did however get to admire a lot of small villages and stop in a few larger tourist aimed towns. Loki (Vanessa's car which we named after Thor's brother) managed pretty well and even took us up over the pass to view one of the highest Mountains at 3342m, Marmolada, where there are two gondolas that can take you to the top in summer for panoramic views of the ranges or to drop you off to speed down on your skis in winter. Unfortunately the storm seemed to be brewing up here and from there on out we were continuously chased by the dark clouds. Stopping only briefly for a few photos ops we were back in Locke trying to outrun the pebble size hailstones.
The one walk where we were joined by both Vanessa's parents took us to the top of Mt Rite (2181m) where a military fortress has been turned into a museum by a famous climber from the area, Reinhold Messner. The fort was built originally as a strategic military point to keep out the Austrians. In WW1 the Austrians took over the fort but before they were forced out by the Italians they destroyed most of the buildings. Now the museum in the clouds occupies the remaining buildings and houses a great collection of artwork of the Dolomites and a short history of some of the important climbers and climbing eras in the region. From the top we were also endowed with more spectacular views from every angle. Before we came up to the mountains Vanessa's parents, her dad especially, were excited for us to visit and I am so glad they shared this magical corner of Italy with us. Although not speaking any Italian we enjoyed meeting the fellow campers, seeing the nona's make gnocchi, watching a few competitive kids soccer matches and trying some of the local ham and cheeses (Jake even got a bit of work in helping one neighbour make wooden tyre stoppers). We had a lovely relaxed week in places looking like they came right out of the Sound of Music (it is one of my favourite movies). Hopefully this winter or next winter we will get to also experience it in the ski season. Until then it's time to move on and explore the more well known parts of Italy.
Next stop: Canals and back alleys in Venice