Region · Italy
Alpine wines, mountain chalets and majestic panoramas in Italy
About the region
The Dolomites: eighteen peaks recognised as UNESCO World Heritage for their unique geology. Cliffs turning pink at sunset, the vertical walls of Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the lunar landscapes of Alpe di Siusi, Europe's largest high-altitude plateau.
The Dolomites are one of Italy’s most underrated wine regions. Lagrein, Alto Adige’s powerful native red. Gewürztraminer, an aromatic white named after the village of Tramin. Teroldego Rotaliano, the ‘prince of Trentino’. Pinot Nero compared to Burgundy. Tastings at family cantine with vineyards on steep slopes.
Speck dell’Alto Adige IGP, dry-cured ham aged in mountain air. Canederli, Alpine dumplings with spinach and cheese. Casunziei, Ladin beetroot and poppy-seed ravioli. Strangolapreti, ‘strangle the priest’, spinach gnocchi. Polenta, strudel and Trentino apples: mountain cooking where every recipe preserves generations of history.
Rifugi are more than mountain huts: they preserve Alpine culture. Cheese is made in copper cauldrons, speck ages in cool stone cellars and guests are welcomed as family. Lunch on a rifugio terrace overlooking the Dolomiti di Brenta changes your idea of what a food tour can be.
What to see
Places from the personally designed tour programme. Swipe through: the map shows where you are.
Bolzano
Your journey begins in Bolzano, where Italian dolce vita meets Tyrolean solidity. Meet at Verona or Innsbruck Airport and transfer through vineyards to a hotel in central Bolzano. A walk through Piazza Walther and the Gothic centre: the Duomo di Bolzano and the covered arcades of Via dei Portici. Piazza delle Erbe market with local producers: speck, cheeses, Trentino apples and Schüttelbrot bread. Lunch in a traditional osteria: canederli allo speck and a glass of Gewürztraminer. In the afternoon, a first tasting in a family cantina on the slopes above Bolzano: Lagrein, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Bianco. Dinner at a historic cantina with a sixteenth-century wine cellar: traditional Alpine cooking and a vertical tasting of Lagrein Riserva.
Val Gardena
A day in Val Gardena, one of the Dolomites' five Ladin valleys. A 45-minute morning transfer from Bolzano over a mountain pass. A walk through Ortisei (St. Ulrich), the woodcarving capital, with workshops making altars and sculptures. A visit to the 12th-century wooden San Giacomo Church at 1,500 metres, the valley's oldest, overlooking Sassolungo. Lunch in a mountain rifugio: casunziei, Ladin beetroot ravioli with poppy seeds and butter. In the afternoon, a walk on Resciesa through Alpine meadows, with views of Sassolungo and the Sella Group. A cantina tasting of Müller-Thurgau, Sylvaner and local indigenous varieties. Dinner in a historic Selva di Val Gardena osteria: Ladin food, gröstl and Tyrolean knödel.
Alpe di Siusi
A day on Alpe di Siusi, Europe’s largest high Alpine plateau, with 56 km² of meadows. Morning cable-car ascent from Ortisei. A plateau walk among wooden huts, grazing horses and cows, with views of Sassolungo and Sciliar. A cheesemaking workshop in a mountain rifugio: make your own cheese from fresh Alpine milk. Lunch on the rifugio terrace: polenta concia, plenty of cheese and a glass of Vernatsch (Schiava). After lunch, walk to Malga Gostner and taste at the Alpine dairy itself. Return via Compatsch: Alpine meadows in golden light. Dinner in Ortisei: tagliatelle al speck and budino di castagne for dessert.
Cortina
A day in Cortina, the Dolomites' most elegant town and capital of the 2026 Winter Olympics. A morning transfer over the Falzarego Pass, one and a half hours along one of the Alps' most scenic roads. Cortina: Corso Italia, the main street with boutiques, cafés and an Alpine atmosphere. An ascent towards Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the three legendary peaks that symbolise the Dolomites (2,999 metres). A walk on the trail around Tre Cime: Rifugio Auronzo (2,333 m) and Rifugio Lavaredo (2,344 m). Lunch in a rifugio with the three peaks as a backdrop: pasta e fagioli alla montanara and Prosecco DOCG (Belluno). In the afternoon, a Belluno wine tasting with Manzoni Bianco and local indigenous varieties. A walk through Cortina: Santi Filippo e Giacomo Church and views of Monte Cristallo. Dinner in an elegant Cortina restaurant: casunziei ampezzani and a glass of Cartizze.
Val di Fassa
A day in Val di Fassa, the Dolomites’ most Ladin valley, where people still speak a language older than Italian. Morning transfer from Cortina (1 hour). Visit the Museo Ladin de Fascia, exploring the history of a people living in the Alps for 2,000 years. A walk through Canazei and Campitello with Sella Group and Sassolungo views. A speck and salumi workshop in a family malga, from butchery to ageing: how Alpine air turns pork into a masterpiece. Lunch with tagliatelle al ragù di cervo and Teroldego Rotaliano. After lunch, a cable-car ascent to Col Rodella (2,485 m): a panorama of Marmolada, Sella, Sassolungo and Catinaccio. A Trentino DOC tasting in a cantina below Catinaccio. Dinner in a rifugio: polenta e funghi and Teroldego Riserva by the fire.
Trento
A day in Trento, Trentino’s elegant capital and city of the Council of Trent. Morning transfer from Val di Fassa,1.5 hours through the Adige Valley. Castello del Buonconsiglio, the prince-bishops’ residence: the 14th-century Torre dell’Aquila fresco cycle ‘The Months’, a masterpiece of Gothic painting. Piazza Duomo: Neptune’s Fountain and San Vigilio Cathedral, where the Council of Trent took place. Lunch in a historic osteria: tortel di patate and a glass of Nosiola. A Trentino apple strudel workshop, learning to stretch pastry until translucent. Wine tasting in a cantina on the hills above Trento: Trento DOC, made by the traditional method, Nosiola and Vino Santo, a sweet masterpiece from dried grapes. A visit to MUSE, the science and nature museum. Dinner in a Michelin-starred restaurant interpreting Alpine cuisine.
Lago di Braies
The final day beside the Dolomites' most photographed lake. A two-hour morning transfer from Trento to the Braies Valley. Lago di Braies is a turquoise lake at 1,496 metres, framed by the Croda del Becco cliffs. A one-hour walk around the lake: wooden boats, mountain reflections and peace. A final Alpine picnic on the shore: speck, cheeses from the malga, Schüttelbrot and Trentino apples. The final comparative tasting: Lagrein (Alto Adige) versus Teroldego (Trentino), Gewürztraminer versus Nosiola—two faces of Alpine winemaking in four glasses. Reflecting on what you have learned, tasted and discovered during the week. A farewell lunch in a rifugio above the lake, with a final glass of Trento DOC. A farewell transfer to Verona or Innsbruck Airport.
DOLOMITE GASTRONOMY
The king of Alpine gastronomy: dry-cured ham aged in mountain air with juniper, bay and garlic. Unlike prosciutto, speck is cold-smoked and aged for at least 22 weeks. Wafer-thin slices, a melting texture and rich flavour.
Experiences
Two great reds of the Italian Alps in four glasses. Alto Adige’s Lagrein: powerful and tannic, with dark-berry notes. Trentino’s Teroldego Rotaliano: elegant, with silky tannins. You will learn to tell them apart.
Create your own cheese from the freshest Alpine milk with a farmer-cheesemaker at 2,000 metres. The full process, from milk to shaping the wheel. Take your cheese home as the ultimate gastronomic souvenir.
Two great reds of the Italian Alps in four glasses. Alto Adige’s Lagrein: powerful and tannic, with dark-berry notes. Trentino’s Teroldego Rotaliano: elegant, with silky tannins. You will learn to tell them apart.
Stretch dough until it is translucent, an art practised for 300 years. Apples from Val di Non, cinnamon and pine nuts. Your strudel is baked and served at the final dinner.
The art of Alpine meat curing: how mountain air and herbs turn pork into speck dell’Alto Adige IGP. From butchery to tastings at different stages of maturation.
The Dolomites’ two great visual masterpieces: the legendary three peaks at 2,999 metres and Europe’s largest high Alpine plateau (56 km²).
A walk around the Dolomites' most photographed lake: wooden boats, reflections of Croda del Becco and Alpine peace. A final picnic on the shore overlooking turquoise water.
Art Wine Guide
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