Day 1 – Prepping for the Alta Via 1 hike (AV1)
We could not have asked for a better touchdown in Italy. We flew out of the Santiago de Compostela airport to Madrid, then on to Venice and arrived at night. We stayed at Venice Green Agri resort right near the airport which made getting to bed as easy as possible after a long day of travel.
We opted to leave Venice the very next morning to start our journey out to the Italian Dolomites, which are a 550 mile stretch of the Alps that reside in northern Italy. We will do 4 days of hiking following the Alta Vista 1 hike (AV1). The course is usually 7 to 11 days but we opted for 4 days as we were unable to secure accommodations for the last 4 days. We also knew we'd be ready to hike, but also possibly tired from our Camino walking. We are trying to catch the very last days of the hiking season before it becomes too cold and refugios begin to close.
We took the ATVO bus from Venice to Cortina d’Ampezzo, which we learned is the site of the 2026 Winter Olympics, and it is stunning! The town is a center of spring and winter outdoor sports and is surrounded by the Dolomites. We arrived on the sunniest, clearest day we could’ve hoped for and started to acclimate.
We secured some last-minute items (groceries, a new rain coat for Mom as her last one failed the downpour test during the Camino) and then boarded the Cortina Express 445 bus for our next leg to Dobiacco where we’d stay the night before starting the AV1 hike the next morning. The scenery from the bus was again, amazing. It brought back memories of driving the Canadian Rockies! My mom was reminded of our trip to Zion national park, where we were amazed by views of the rock walls from the bus.
We arrived at the Dobiacco Youth Hostel right across from the bus station and it reminded us a little of Hogwarts! We arrived while about 100 energetic tweens were checking out of their rooms. What a school field trip that would be!
The forecast is calling for rain off and on over the next few days so we made the most of this sunny day. We checked into our room, dropped our bags and did a quick 7km round trip hike around Lago Dobiacco, which we passed on the way in to town. And we are so glad that we did - the lake was stunning and a magical blend of every shade of blue! We were in disbelief of the stunning beauty of the Dolomites and the greenery that surrounds them.
We finished our hike and arrived back at our youth hostel just in time to go to the Dolomite UNESCO Nature Center before it closed. We learned about the geologic shifts that have been forming the Dolomites over the last 20 million years. We learned about the flor and fauna, the changing microclimates, the political role the mountains played in World I and II, and the multi-country collaboration required to preserve the Dolomites as a UNESCO world heritage site. We could have spent hours here learning from all the exhibits.
We were treated to the most scrumptious dinner of salad, gnocchi and potato pancakes. This felt like Thanksgiving dinner compared to our simple meals on the Camino de Santiago. We met the nicest people who are also hiking the AV1. We hope to see them along the course of our hike – we have formed a little Famiglia Dolomiti. Tomorrow we will get up early to start our first leg of the AV1 hike with a 7 km hike straight up, covering 1000 meters of altitude, to arrive at Biella Refugio where we’ll stay for the night.
Day 2 – AV1 Lago di Braies to Biella Refugio (8.3km, 1000 meters, 5 hours)
We left our beautiful youth hostel in Dobiacco at 9am and took the bus to Lago de Braies, a lake that serves as the beginning of the first stage of the AV1. The 7 km hike today is a short distance relative to our Camino De Santiago stages, however we will be increasing in elevation 1000 meters so it will be straight up. The forecast is calling for rain for the next four days of our hike, so we are grateful that this morning it is only mid cloudy and gray. Rain is not forecasted to arrive until 5 PM, so walking today is a balance of moving quickly while still enjoying the scenery of our first day.
The beginning of the hike was in the 50sF and clear at the base of the mountain. We took in views of the stunning Lago di Braies as we began. We climbed slowly over gravel trails while we caught our breaths and reached 1800 meters (the starting point, Lago di Braies sits at around 1250 meters).
Right at the 1800 meter mark, the weather started to change and a wet chill was palpable. It started to drizzle, then the fog rolled in which eventually became full on white out. At that point the trail narrowed and became very dicey with rocks and gravel. A few ascents required us holding on the ropes and wires. At times we could barely see a few feet in front of us. We had nowhere to go but up so we steeled our nerves and kept going despite our fears. We were definitely struggling on the last kilometer of the trek as we knew the refugio was close but we couldn’t see anything. We use All Trails app for navigation and that has never let us down so we kept going and followed the AV1 marks trying to beat the arrival of the rain. Nishant is an experienced hiker from his eagle scout days and is an amazing navigator. He had our backs and kept us moving in the right direction.
The Biella Refugio appeared right in front of our eyes as the clouds lifted and we cried tears of relief and joy! We took off our gear in the basement level and walked right into Biella’s lunch room and collapsed. Everyone in the room was both exhausted and relieved! After a lunch of pumpkin soup and grilled cheese, we felt better, We went to our rooms and collapsed for a nap before dinner.
While we were falling asleep after dinner, Asha and I talked about how challenging the trek was, and how we completed it, working together, even though it was hard and scary at times. I told her that there’s often something waiting on the other side after going through something really hard – a lesson, a new perspective, a new confidence, and sometimes a new sense of caution. We fell asleep thinking about that and hoping tomorrow would bring that something. We needed hope as tomorrow’s forecast was calling for snow starting at 2pm. We prayed it would hold out until the afternoon.
Day 3 – AV1 Biella Refugio to Pederü Refugio (9.3km, 3.2 hours) to San Lorenzo (by bus)
Give our experiences yesterday and a new forecast of snow today, we decided for safety to shorten today’s hike. Instead of reaching Lavarella Refugio at the 14km mark, we will stop instead at Pederü Refugio at 9km which, according to the guidebook, is on wide trail and down, with very little climbing. There is no other way to leave Biella Refugio than on foot as there are no taxis or buses allowed in this part of the park. We didn't want to risk continuing the rest of the climb up to Lavarella which would include an ascent likely into snow. We knew we were definitely not equipped for that!
We woke up to clear, sunny skies and we so grateful to have a complete visibility of the trail! After a quick breakfast, we left for our hike, which was mostly on wide dirt and gravel roads, and saw the most magnificent views of the Dolomites above the clouds. While starting the hike, Asha turned and said, “This is what’s on the other side. We would have never seen this had we not climbed yesterday.” We saw clear blue skies sitting above a sea of floating clouds with the sun piercing through. We saw all shades of yellow as the sun's reflection illuminated the rock walls, and the most magical blend of green trees carpeting the mountain sides.
We continued along the trails at a good pace, and made it in three hours down to the bottom to reach Pederü Refugio. Our Camino legs got us down the mountain quickly. We had learned yesterday that conditions can change quickly and we didn’t take our clear skies for granted! We felt relieved when reached the refugio and knew it had been the right choice to end here.
We caught the bus to San Lorenzo where we decided to stay over night to wait out the snowfall in the mountains. As soon as we arrived at our airbnb the sky opened up and the rain came. We were grateful to be warm and together. We relaxed, read and reflected over the first day's AV1 hike and all that we had learned from the experience to plan the next couple of days.
Day 4 – AV1 San Lorenzo to Lagazuoi Refugio (by cable car)
We had the best night’s rest in San Lorenzo and woke up to clear, but gray skies. We read that snow fell 2-5 inches in the mountains last night so we felt good about our decision to end yesterday’s hike early. Had we continued the hike on Day 3 and 4, we’d be reaching Lagazuoi Refugio today, the highest refugio in the Dolomites at 2752 meters. Luckily, there is alternative route to Lagazuoi and that is to go by cable car. The cable car up to the Refugio is said to be one of Europe's top 10 cable car experiences and Refugio Lagazuoi is known for the amazing views from its terrace so we decided to go for it and we are so glad we did!
The clouds cleared and the sun came out just as we arrived at the base of the cable car station. The view of the cable car rising into the sky was a bit unsettling from the ground but we had read it was very safe and the ride lasts only 3 minutes. We were all both nervous and excited. The ride was very smooth and we loved the views as we rose into the sky.
We arrived at Refugio Lagazuoi and entered an entirely different climate – there was snow on the ground and a strong windchill. We shouldn't have been surprised given the weather reports but it's one thing to read it and quite another to feel it! We walked in to the refugio and were taken aback by the beauty and elegance of this beautiful refugio in the sky! We were also reunited with many hikers that we had seen during our first hike to Biella and we caught up on all of our adventures of the previous day’s hikes. We were relieved to see everyone had made it in one way or another. We spent the afternoon playing card games and having snowball fights with new family friends that we made on the 1st day's hike!
Every few moments the clouds would clear and we’d get amazing views of the Dolomites! It was breathtaking. We even had the opportunity to have a sauna before dinner thanks to our new family friends who had a couple of extra reservations. We had a lovely dinner and felt right to sleep in our cozy beds.
Day 5 – AV1 Lagazuoi Refugio to Cortina d’Ampezzo (by cable car/taxi)
We woke up to more snow on the ground and felt grateful that we had had this once in a lifetime experience up in the Dolomites. We had breakfast, packed up and boarded the cable car back down the base. We met a taxi and returned back to Cortina d'Ampezzo where we are staying for a couple of days to do laundry, rest, and catch up on phone calls, planning and work. We had some of the clearest views of the mountains on this day. Tomorrow, we will try to do a day hike tomorrow at the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (three peaks) park tomorrow. The Tri Cime are 3 distinctive peaks that are one of the best-known mountain groups of the the Italian Alps.
Day 6 – Cortina d’Ampezzo to Tre Cime di Lavaredo (8 km, 700 meters elevation, 2 hours)
The day started out gray but the forecast showed clearing skies, and no rain, so we woke up early to catch 2 buses out the Tre Cime and arrived by 9am. We timed the buses perfectly so did not spend much time waiting at either stop which was ideal because it was a chilly 32F! Our plan was to do the 10km trail loop around the peaks that we read is mostly gravel, flat and one of the most accessible hikes for all levels of hikers.
The bus zig zagged from Cortina, which sits at 1224 meters, up to Refugio Auronzo de Cadore at 2330 meters, one of the best day hike starting points for Tri Cime. Views from the bus ride alone were enough of a reward for getting up early and heading to this area of the park. We reached the Refugio, oriented ourselves by reading the signs and started the hike. It was bone-chilling cold. It felt like we were another planet! We took in as many amazing views as the clouds cleared but the weather also became colder and foggier.
We reached about 1 kilometer and found one of the refugios - Refugio Lavaredo, to already be closed the for the season. We were hoping to warm up there and continue walking. The cold did not let up so Nishant, Mom and Asha decided to go back to the Refugio for something warm and decided to stay put.
They graciously allowed me to continue hiking and I promised I would take pictures to share. I continued about 3 more kilometers and made it around the bend of the trail and was stunned to see the Tre Cime -the famous sandstone monoliths - in front of me.
To top it off, there was 360 degrees of jagged limestone peaks in all sorts of twisted shapes competing for my attention - some shining in the distance under sunny skies, some snow capped, some emerging from the fog. I was absolutely gobsmacked by the view. I couldn't decide which way to look! I passed lakes on the way back and got my clearest views of the day of other sides of Tri Cime on my return trip back to the refugio.
Meanwhile back at the Refugio, Asha was experimenting with time lapse photography and captured some amazing movement of the clouds approaching and swirling. This is some of my favorite photography of our entire trip thus far!
I raced back to the refugio and we caught the afternoon bus to make it back to Dobiacco and then Cortina. We finished the day with a last stroll through Cortina, where we found a fun park to visit, bakery for fresh bread, and made our last meal of pasta. Tomorrow we leave for Rome!
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