Until now there's been no organized experience like this in the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site embracing the northern Italian Alps where Italian, German and Ladin cultures and traditions overlap, making this region unique.
"Normally one thinks of Tuscany and Chianti for these kinds of culinary explorations," reflects Agustina Lagos-Marmol, Dolomite Mountains founder. "What makes this trip especially fun is that one minute you may be hearing Italian spoken and the next minute German. And if you can't make out one or the other, you may be hearing Ladin (closely related to the Swiss Romansh) that's spoken here." And as often as not menus mix and mingle as well on this gastronomic trip.
Departures in 2014 are May 18-24 and Sept. 28-Oct. 4 for guided trips that begin in Brunico and conclude in Bolzano. The per person rate is €2290. Departures for private parties can be arranged from €2890 per person (minimum four).
On arrival day guests overnight in the Italian province of South Tyrol in the town of Brunico (Bruneck) where they may tour Bruneck Castle housing the new Messner Mountain Museum RIPA dedicated by South Tyrolean native, acclaimed climber, writer, photographer, and former member of the European Parliament, Reinhold Messner. Strolling through old town here reveals a "Sissi style" architecture heavily influenced by the Austrian court.
A professional bike guide provides a trip briefing, orientation and maps before participants mount up to cycle east through the fields, meadows and forests of the Alta Val Pusteria toward San Candido at 3,855 feet in the Sesto Dolomites Natural Park. Majestic peaks surround this resort town offering antiquities in, among others, a Romanesque church and thermal baths dating to the Middle Ages.
On Day 3 guests travel the bike lanes of the lower part of Val Pusteria toward Bressanone (Brixen), the artistic and cultural capital of the valley, enroute encountering the small chapel of Stöcklvater at 2,657 feet, the highest spot of the day. Lunch is followed by a guided visit to the vineyard, wine cellar, historic abbey and library of Novacella Abbey in the northern-most winegrowing region on the southern side of the Alps. Mineral-rich soils, elevation and a cool climate help explain the intense aromas and flavors as well as fruity, mouth-watering acidity found in the wines produced from the typical white Valle Isarco valley grape varieties. After a gourmet diner and bon nuit, on Day 4 is a bike to the small town of S. Andrea for a cable car lift to the peak of Mount Plose (8,399 feet) and views of the Odle Mountains. Guests bike down to Val di Funes to return to Bressanone for an afternoon at Acquarena, a complex of swimming pools and spa facilities.
The Eisack River stretches along the Val d'Isarco bike lane leading to Bolzano (Bozen), Day 5's destination. The first town is medieval Chiusa (Klausen). En route guests will appreciate the verdure of vineyards and apple orchards, among the main sources of income for the valley, and the charms of the towns of Villandro and Barbiano. From Colma the cycle path is along an old railway that crosses bridges and tunnels that add sizzle to the ride. Bolzano, home for the next two nights, is the largest city in the South Tyrol, an autonomous province in Northern Italy authorized by a special statute which preserves the rights of the German-speaking minority in Italy.
On Day 6 guests bike through the South Tyrolean wine route around Appiano (Eppan), rife with country estates and manor houses, before circling around Lake Caldaro (Kaltern) to trace the Adige River back to Bolzano. Enroute guests may visit the Kellerei Kaltern winery, one of the most important quality wine producers in Italy. The vineyards are almost entirely worked by hand, with strict guidelines for quality assurance, supervised by the cellar master.
