Adolf Munkel Trail: “For me, this is the most beautiful hike in the Dolomites. This loop is almost six miles long and isn’t that steep. While hiking, you can see the Geislerspitzen (Gruppo delle Odle), these 250-million-year-old rock formations that poke out from the mountains.”
Gschnagenhardt Hut: “This is my favorite rifugio. It’s on the Adolf Munkel Trail and sits below the Geisler (Odle) peaks in Val di Funes. I always have a plate of fried eggs, bacon, and roasted potatoes. For me, that’s the ultimate mountaineer’s meal. It fills you with energy after a long ascent.”
Reinhold Messner Haus: “We turned a former cable car station into this center that covers sustainability and the environment. It opened in September, on my birthday. We hosted a concert and a discussion with politicians and scientists about the local wolf population.”
Learning Ladin: German and Italian are the two hottest official languages, however chances are you’ll hear a 3rd: Ladin. Today this historic native tongue is spoken in areas round the Sella massif, Belluno province, and northwestern Trentino. People in the Dolomites do not anticipate you to comprehend it, however saying bun dé as a substitute of hey and de gra as a substitute of danke or grazie is an indication of respect that goes a great distance.
Hitting the Road
The Bolzano Airport connects the western Dolomites to European capitals like London and Berlin by way of the regional airline SkyAlps, however it’s greatest to get a automotive. Rent one in Brescia or Innsbruck for straightforward entry into the ski resorts of Val Gardena; begin from Venice to attain Cortina in two hours. For public transportation, trains from Venice, Verona, Munich, and Innsbruck can get you into the facilities of Bressanone, Bolzano, Brunico, and Merano. The area’s gondolas, chairlifts, and funiculars carry you atop the mountains for summer time hikes or winter snow shredding. New ones embrace the Sonnen gondola, reaching altitudes of over 6,500 ft in simply six minutes, in the Klausberg ski space; a 10-seater at the Ladurns ski resort, shut to the Italy-Austria border; and a cable automotive (pictured) that hyperlinks Castelrotto with the Marinzen Alp climbing space.
This article appeared in the December 2025 concern of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the journal here.