Bolzano or Verona?
 

DW and I are going to N. Italy for two weeks in late May, starting in Venice and returning from Milan. We are renting a car and will stay in Bergamo, Bellagio and Stresa. We have three extra days and need to decide where to spend them.

I understand that Verona is lovely but I'm intrigued by the possibility of also visiting Bolzano to visit the Iceman museum and do a daytrip in the Dolomites. Our tentative plan is to stop in Verona for one night after leaving Venice, then go to Bolzano for the next two.

For those of you familiar with these areas, any comments or suggestions?

For the daytrip from Bolzano into the Dolomites, DW hates mountain roads with sheer dropoffs and no guardrails. Any suggestions for a pretty but non-scary route?

As a great fan of the Dolomites I am bound to direct you to Bolzano and the marvellous mountain area due east and north-east of there.

A nice day trip from Bolzano is to drive SE past Welschnofen and the Karer lake until you reach Vigo di Fassa, where you turn NE.

Just past Canazei you then turn north and NW on a road that brings you to the autostrada taking you SW back to Bolzano.

The driving time for this tour would be about two hours, which gives you plenty of opportunity to stop from time to time and gaze in awe at the Dolomites and to find a 'room with a view' where you can sit and enjoy a leisurely lunch.

The roads I have given you are well-engineered and unlikely to freak your hubby out.

Harzer

Hi DC - My suggestion from Bolzano would be the 'Sella Ronda' 4 passes tour.

This is a classic for seeing the best of the Dolomites. Spectacular scenery and excellent roads - with some of the best cable-car rides in the Dolomites en route.

The route from Bolzano is:

Bolzano - Ponte Gardena - Val Gardena/ Ortisei - Selva - SELLA PASS - PORDOI PASS - CAMPOLONGO PASS - Corvara - Colfosco - GARDENA PASS - returning to Bolzano via Ortisei.

If it's open, don't miss the SASS PORDOI cable-car ride on the Pordoi Pass - one of the best!

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Harzer and Steve,thanks for your comments. Steve, any estimate of how much time should we allow for doing your recommendation at a leisurely pace?

You could easily spend a full day doing it at a leisurely pace - with stops for walks, lift rides, photo ops, coffee & sacher ... etc ;)

This is definitely NOT a trip you'll want to rush, trust me.

The villages en route are also well worth a stop - Ortisei, Selva, Corvara, Colfosco ...

If you're not in a hurry to get back you could return from Ortisei to Bolzano via Castelrotto for more lovely scenery.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Thanks for your suggestions. We should have a great day in the Dolomites.

Skip Verona, Skip Bolzano and the Iceman museum. Spend all your time driving thru the Dolomites. You won't be sorry!

Skip Verona, Skip Bolzano and the Iceman museum. Spend all your time driving thru the Dolomites and all the "passes". You've seen nothing like it!

A lovely stop between Verona and Bolzano is Trento - maybe for lunch in the gorgeous piazza with its Duomo and frescoed buildings.

I really love both cities and it is a tough choice... but I would say Bolzano if you have a car, because you can also take a day to explore the mountains around it. Oh, and Oetzi, the ice man: he is incredible.

bookmarking