In the UNESCO World Heritage heralded Italian Dolomites of South Tyrol, nestles a glorious valley called Val Gardena. It's famous for its plethora of year round adventure sports, with hiking, mountain biking and climbing in the Spring/Summer/Autumn months, and snow sports in the Winter, spectacular panoramic mountain views and gourmet cuisine. Autumn plays host to a particularly special natural phenomenon called the 'Burning Dolomites' where the mountain range glows red during sunset, as ancient red corals baked into the rock formations reflect the suns rays with a beautiful crimson salute. Inspired by the prospect of witnessing this, I traveled to the region this September to see things for myself.
Getting There:
I flew into Innsbruck in nearby Austria – it's about a 90 minute drive from there into Val Gardena which is easy enough to do with a hire car or transfer. Alternatively, you can do the same from Verona, Venice or Milan and there's plenty of low cost (if you like) airlines operating out of all of these. The flights are short enough to make this work great as a mini break destination for 3-4 days, but there's enough to do there to stretch a stay out over a whole week, even two.
There are three main villages in Val Gardena: Ortisei, S. Cristina and Selva, each well placed to explore the area from. We stayed at the 4* Wellness & Spa Hotel Alpenheim in Ortisei, which was a delightfully quaint haven with wonderful spa facilities, including both an indoor and outdoor pool, and offers spa and beauty treatments. Rooms are well maintained and the restaurant is good. A nice touch is their afternoon tea spread which gets laid out around 3pm every day, perfect for an after hike snack. It has a number of offers over the Summer and Autumn season, which you can check out on their website http://www.alpenheim.it/en/offers.asp?id=27, starting at €495 pp for 4 nights’ bed, breakfast, afternoon tea and dinner.
Ortisei town itself is very cute. It's medium sized, with winding hilly streets lined with brightly coloured, decorated houses and lots of little boutique shops. There are plenty of dining options and a ski lift up into the mountain range above it. Public transport links are excellent and so hiring a car is not essential and all the hotels, including the Hotel Alpenheim, offer a free transport pass on arrival.
Activities:
The region is famous for its adventure sports and so there was no escaping that whilst I was there. Over my three day weekend, I tried both hiking and mountain biking, both of which taking me very much out of my comfort zone. I'm notorious reluctant to sacrifice my creature comforts and so if I enjoyed it, so will you! First up, hiking…
There are 7 nature parks in South Tyrol, set up to protect the exceptional natural beauty of the area, and within these are scores of world class hiking trails across the region, suitable for all levels. Comforted by the prospect of a leisurely stroll, we headed up on one of the ski lifts and set off with our friendly mountain guide, Paul. Paul has been guiding people through this area for 20 years and kept me enthralled by pointing out birds and plants along the way. You can hire a guide from the tourist office, or via your hotel, and whilst it is optional, it was a good asset.
Scores of wildlife and fauna exist there and from wild ponies to eagles, edelweiss and owls, the area is bursting with life. Paul told us that every year he's been seeing edelweiss arrive in greater numbers, and indeed there did seem to be an awful lot. Fun fact; did you know that edelweiss can survive being buried in snow? It has it's own antifreeze which keeps it snuggly over winter!
Everywhere you look there is beauty. Complete, panoramic majesty, from peak to peak. It makes you want to burst into song and, indeed….there may have been a few rounds of yodeling from our group! 
Along the way there are various huts and chalets offering welcome spots to pause for lunch or refreshment. Here I got my first tastes of the region's local cuisine, which is a curious mix of Austrian and Italian influences, uniquely its own. Below is shown a gigantic bowl of venison pasta – a local favourite!
You can make the hiking as ambitious or leisurely as you like and, no matter the pace, the views are ever present and breath taking from every angle. The below picture shows me having reached the peaks of the Secada range – have you ever seen anything more beautiful? I honestly couldn't have been more impressed with the experience.
If walking isn't your jam, try one of the cycle routes. If, like me, your thighs aren't made of iron, you can do e-biking which is essentially mountain biking but with a little motor attached to give you a helping hand up the hills. Don't be fooled, also like me, into thinking this makes it easy. I thought it was going to be like riding a scooter, but sadly not – you still have to pedal but the motor makes a huge difference, particularly after one of those hearty lunches! I was an absolutely dismal cyclist and fell off my bike before even reaching the mountain, but loved taking in the views and feeling like an adventurous wild woman!
Food and Culture:
Beyond sports, the region is also famous for its cuisine and culture. Wood carving is a big thing, and the villages are covered in art installations. Even more excitingly, once a year a special event comes to Val Gardena called the Sky Dinner and we were lucky enough to be there for it. For one night only the ski gondola system is converted into a fine dining restaurant, and twenty lifts are converted into 6 person tables where you can sit and enjoy a tasting menu, whilst admiring the insane views as the gondolas move up and down their route. Each course is cooked by a different local chef, showcasing the diverse talent the region has, and giving you a peek into what to expect from their respective restaurants. It's a marvel in service too – when the gondola reaches the top or bottom of the lift, the plates are cleared, wine (copious volumes) is poured and the next dish served. Just amazing. Try to time your visit for this as it is really very special. Each 6 person gondola is €840, and at the end of the dinner there's a party at the top of the mountain.
If you don't make it for this event, never fear; food is great all year round and anyway, I swear Prosecco tastes better with views such as these in the background.
The style of food is generally hearty, which is exactly what you want after all those adventure sports and includes dishes such as schnitzel, ravioli, goulash with bacon dumplings and a strange (but tasty) dessert comparable only to a jam sandwich with custard (photo below). There is a lot to try!
Close:
All in all, Val Gardena amazed me. Not only in that I actually loved the adventure aspect of it! The hiking and the biking can bring you to some of the most exceptionally beautiful and special locations that this world has to offer – they don't give UNESCO World Heritage Site statuses out to just anybody, don't you know!? Beyond nature, the town life is also rich and cultural, with top notch pottering to be done and, best of all, plenty of eating. I would love to come back and explore it more in snow season (December-March) – I can imagine that those peaks covered with sparkling white snow are something very special- but summer here has been a revelation. This was both my first summer mountains experience and my first to the Dolomites and I tell you what….I'll be back. What about you?
Did you think I'd leave you without a glimpse of the 'Burning Dolomites'? Ladies and Gentlemen, enjoy.
