Dolomites Hiking: A Fantastic Family-Friendly Trail in the Val Badia
December 15, 2021Dolomites hiking is so family-friendly that it’s almost hard to fathom. There are trails suitable for every level, top-notch playgrounds everywhere (at the top of every lift, in every hotel, and in many restaurants), and fantastic restaurants on the mountain…
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Christmas in Italy
October 14, 2021The Christmas season in Italy starts on December 8th (Immaculate Conception) and ends on January 6th (Ephiphany). Christmas in Italy is festive, with markets, lights, Christmas trees, and music in the streets. And the best part is that the Christmas…
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Luxury in the Dolomites: Hotel Ciasa Salares
July 22, 2016The Hotel Ciasa Salares in a UNESCO World Heritage Area You are never prepared for the beauty of a Unesco World Heritage landscape, but pair that with the luxury Hotel Ciasa Salares, and prepare to be wowed. Guests…
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Mountain huts in Italy: a traveler’s guide
January 11, 2016It can be difficult for anyone who is accustomed to hiking in North America to grasp just how user-friendly Italy’s hiking infrastructure is. Multi-day hikes in North America (think the John Muir Trail, the Appalachian Trail or Cheryl Strayed’s PCT hike)…
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Dolomites hiking: the historic Valley of the Mills
October 15, 2014Sixteen of us spent a July morning hiking in the Dolomites along the historic Valley of the Mills path, located about 3 hours north of Venice. Called La Valle dei Mulini or Val di Morins in Italian and in local dialect, respectively, the…
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A cooking class in the Dolomites
September 25, 2014Taking a cooking class in Italy is a great way to get a more in-depth introduction to the local culture, so on a recent trip we decided to take a cooking class in the Dolomites. A group of 12 of…
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A luxury Italy itinerary
June 05, 2013The luxury travelers I work with aren’t necessarily looking for VIP treatment. Rather, they are down-to-earth and well-traveled, but they want their luxury Italy itinerary to be about service and comfort while getting to know the locals as much as…
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Italy’s Dolomites: scenery, food and culture
September 24, 2012Italy’s Dolomite mountains are famous for their scenery, and rightly so, but the region is very different from the rest of Italy in its food and culture. Below are some highlights of a recent trip. An Italian friend and…
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Hiking the Dolomites Via Ferrata: trails with bridges, ladders and ropes
May 13, 2011The Dolomites are one of my favorite places to hike, because of the scenery, the many mountain-top refugi that serve lunch, and the fact that the ski lifts take hikers up the mountain throughout summertime; but add to that some…
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