A Change of Scenery

Saturday, we left the medival hill towns of Tuscany and drove north to the alpine mountains of Italy known as the Dolomites. 

We broke out in song... many times... "The Hills are alive"  

I cannot even begin to capture the beauty around us...

The Dolomites are an interesting area where Italy meets Austria.  Imagine a place where you are geographically in Italy, but everything around looks and feels like you are in Germany.   Even the language is a hodgepodge of Italian, German, and Ladin (ancient dialects that have remained in the area for centuries).

 Just after a fresh dusting of snow...

We have been staying in a valley known as the Val di Fassa (the Fassa Valley), in a small town called Pozza di  Fassa.

The view from our farm...

The bed and breakfast we are staying in is actually a small farm where they produce fresh milk and cheese on site.  Every morning we have enjoyed a sampling of fresh homemade butter, yogurts, cheeses, breads, jams and much more!  Simply wonderful...

 Our Bed and Breakfast in Pozza di Fassa

 Fresh European breakfast waiting for us every morning...

The table we sat at every night... having wonderful dinners and playing a new 

German card game called "Two Heads" for hours at night...

Typical hams and cheeses of the area... a wonderful light meal after a long day.

Every day we have spent driving the area, visiting neighboring towns and valleys connected by winding roads and high mountain passes...returning home late in the afternoon to enjoy a nap, the warm pool and Spa, and wonderful dinner at our little Agruturismo...

We noticed unique wood stacking throughout the different areas...

Hiking in an alpine meadow above the village of Vols am Schlern/Fie allo Sciliar

Lunch with a view of the Schlern

The village of  Ortisei  in Val Gardena

Local woodwork...

 Pordoi Pass

 A willage in the wally... :)

 

  In the valley of Pozza di Fassa

Tomorrow we will bid "arrivaderci" to Dolomiti and head for our next stop, Venice...