Where We Be
San Martino di Castrozza -- Dolomites
San Martino di Castrozza is about two hours
south of Val di Funes and Val Gardena. We
spent our last three days here with the thought
of exploring a different part of the Dolomites
that was a bit more off the beaten path. I'd read
about one hike in particular, called Val Venegia,
that was described as being "a hidden gem."
Well, it wasn’t all that hidden when we visited!
We had hundreds of locals for company on a
sunny Saturday morning in August. Luckily, most
of them were coming up the trail as we were
heading down it, so the hike itself was relatively
peaceful and uncrowded -- and it really did live
up to its billing for dramatic scenery without
much effort on our part.

As for San Martino itself, we enjoyed the town
and its relaxed vibe. A local restaurant called La
Vecchia Fornace became our favorite hangout
for pizza and drinks. Alan and Troy also made
the most of the lifts in town, taking the Colverde
and Rosetta gondolas up to Cima Rosetta at
8,900 feet for stellar views on our final morning.
We sat this one out, preferring to enjoy a fine
breakfast at our Grand Hotel des Alpes before
the drive back to Venice and our flight home.
The Val Venegia hike has been described as having
“the best views-to-effort ratio in all of the Dolomites"
We finally parted company with Alan and Troy
at the Venice Airport after a super-fun trip
Our hotel looked even prettier on a sunny afternoon
After a string of sunny days, the weather finally caught up with us
during our drive day to San Martino. The next day was even rainier.
That didn't stop us from enjoying a fine lunch at Malga Rolle, an alpine farm
and dairy on the way to San Martino. Their cheese plate was excellent.
We arrived at our Grand Hotel des Alpes in San Martino just as the rain started
coming down in earnest. Nevertheless, the view from our balcony was terrific.
We watched the weather (and eventually
the fog) roll in as the day progressed
By late afternoon we were in a fog bank. We attempted
one walk through town, but the rain put a stop to that.
The next day was a total rainout in terms of hiking, but we did make it to La Vecchia
Fornace (the Old Furnace) for lunch. Their spicy "Inferno" pizza was deliciouis.
On the morning of our last full day in the Dolomites, the sun broke out.
We went for a hike -- the Val Venegia hike we'd been hoping to do.
Everything was damp after two days of rain. Mist
rose from the ground as we started up the trail.
The views began to open up as we approached Malga Venegiota rifugio
Hello! Now there's a view! Malga Venegiota
is a locally famous rifugio, and you can see why.
The rifugio wasn't opened for business quite yet,
but it would be hopping by the time we returned
The sun crested the mountains as we hiked towards them
The "Pale di San Martino" provided a dramatic backdrop for our photos
The trail turned steeper and started to leave the valley
at this sign, so we took it as our sign to turn around
Now the sun was shining full-on, and more and more people were arriving to enjoy breakfast
at Malga Venegiota. We'd already eaten breakfast at our hotel, so we headed back to town.
We made a second visit to La Vecchia Fornace for lunch. We learned
that, following the widespread destruction of San Martino during WW I,
this furnace supplied the essential lime and mortar used to rebuild the town.
After lunch, we went for a fun walkabout through town
One last night of cards in the Dolomites with good friends!
Next morning, before the drive back to Venice Airport, Alan and Troy went on one last
adventure, taking two gondolas to the top of Cima Rosetta at 8,900 feet. And while the
climb at the top was steep, it wasn't that steep! Troy was having fun with camera angles.
The pictures they shared with us from the top were dramatic
If you're visiting San Martino di Castrozza, a visit
to Cima Rosetta definitely seems worthwhile
We're glad we got to see San Martino on a
sunnier day when the mountains were fully visible