vfccasa

We are planning our third trip to Italy Sept. 13-Oct. 28 and going to some places we've not been before (Dolomites, Friuli Giulia, Maremma) planning to spend a week or so in each. We'll start in the Dolomites, and end in Rome. We will have a car. I would appreciate advice on the following:
DOLOMITES
*Best place(s) to base for 2-3 days each of easy to moderate hiking, good food, beauty.
*I understand many cable cars close on Sept. 15 so would like suggestions for nice hikes with nice scenery without using cable cars, and for hikes where you know cable cars will still be running mid to end of Sept.
*Anything else you want to tell us about the area.
FRIULI GIULIA
*Better to base in Udine or Trieste for exploring the area?
*Restaurant and apartment rental/hotel suggestions
*Is it worth taking a day trip into Slovenia?
*Anything else you want to tell us about the area.
MAREMMA
*Some of the things I've read lead me to believe this area is like Kansas with snakes. My husband is keen to explore the coastal area, however. Suggestions for bases on the coast, please.
*Suggestions for inland exploration/day trips
*Restaurant and site suggestions
Thank you all in advance.

carolll

My husband and I have enjoyed visits to Siusi where we hiked at Puflatsch, a plateau in the Dolomites. Try www.seiser-alm.com or www.alpe-di-siusi.com for cable car information. We drove to Compatsch where we parked a car and took a cable car up to the plateau.
We have stayed at Schloss Mirabell, a clean and well run modestly priced hotel on the outskirts of Siusi, a pretty, small town. Check www.initaly.com for hotel information.
Finally, we have also stayed at Schloss Fragsburg, a really pretty hotel outside Merano. The owner gave us hiking suggestions which were terrific.
Happy travels!
Carol L

Steve_James

Vfc - My favourite bases for the Dolomites are ORTISEI (Val Gardena), CORVARA (Alta Badia) and CASTELROTTO.

The Val Gardena lifts tend to have a longer season than other areas - you'll find several on this list are still open in mid-late September, so this area is ideal for hiking:

http://www.valgardena.it/eng/page65.html

Here's a photo album of the area:

http://www.valgardena.it/eng/page120.html

The same website gives you plenty of ideas for hikes - and lots of other useful info.

http://www.valgardena.it/eng/page28.html

A useful website for the Corvara/ Alta Badia area is:

http://www.altabadia.org

Will you have a car? I've posted several scenic tours in this area and can re-post them if you're interested ...

.....

For the Maremma, I'd suggest CASTIGLIONE DELLA PESCAIA or PORTO S. STEFANO (Argentario peninsular) as possibly the best bases.

Hope this helps ...

Steve

candert

VFC - My wife and I loved Castlerotto. We used it as stopping point between Lake Como and Venice, and were only there for a day and a half. We both agreed that was way too short. We were there in early October. The weather was still warm enough, and there is plenty of hiking. Paths start about a block or two of the main street.

Check out the following:
http://www.castelrotto.com/Default.asp?L=3

Hotel Cavallino D'Oro
http://www.cavallino.it/index_3.html

kezco

We stayed in Castelrotto October 17-20 this year and loved it. I'd definitely recommend spending some time there and in the Alpe de Suisi. The town is so charming and not very crowded at that time of year.

There is a great bus system that we used to get to the other small villages in the area. Most of the lifts were still open when we were and we did several great hikes! There are a few that start right in Castelrotto or just outside or you can take the bus to the other villages like Compatsch or Suisi where there are more great hikes. From Suisi we hiked up some Castle ruins. There is also a restored castle in the area that you can visit (I forget the name).

All of the meals that we had in Castelrotto were incredible. There are many good restaurants to choose from and the food was definitely very Austrian/German. We stayed at the Hotel Zum Turm and really enjoyed it. The room was very comfortable and huge compared to the other rooms we have had in Italy.

Have fun! I'd love to go back there some day. The dolomites were really one of the highlights of our recent trip.

vfccasa

Thanks for your info. For those of you who stayed in Castelrotto, do the church bells really ring on the hour 24/7? We also want to spend some time in the more Italian Trentino area; where would be a good base?

Steve_James

Vfc - Here's a thread on the Castelrotto bells Q :

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34639756

For a base in Trentino - it really depends what you're looking for. A mountain resort? A tranport hub? How about Trento itself?

Steve

Steve