The Italian Dolomites

Day 1 – First Stop Verona

Afternoon flight from London to Verona and short transfer to Tenuta le Cave, a vineyard set amongst lovely rural scenery in the Valpolicella region, for a 2-night stay.

Day 2 – Verona & Mantua

Visit the historic cities of Verona (famously the home of Romeo and Juliet) and Mantua before returning to Tenuta le Cave for a wine tasting and evening meal.

Day 3 – Narrow Gauge Train to Mezzana

Drive north to Trento for a short, guided walk in the old city before taking the scenic narrow gauge train through the Val di Sole to its terminus at Mezzana. This is skiing country in winter but October is apple harvest time. 2-night stay here.

Day 4 – Val di Sole

We enjoy the tasty flavours of the Val di Sole starting with a cheese tasting at a local factory making the local Casolet cheese. This is followed by a farm lunch and an afternoon amongst the apple harvest.

Day 5 – Renon

Driving north once more we call at a winery to sample the local Teroldego red wine before reaching the city of Bolzano on the main road and rail route from Verona over the Brenner Pass to Innsbruck. On a plateau, high above the city, sits the village of Renon (Ritten in German) and this is where we head for a 3-night stay.

Day 6 – Renon Tram & Val di Fassa

The villages on the plateau are served by a short narrow gauge electric tramway and linked to Bolzano by cable car and we ride both. Our bus will meet us in the valley and we now head east through wonderful Alpine scenery to Malga Pie to enjoy a farm lunch, where everything on the menu is from the farm itself or very close by. Later we drive to the resort of Canazei and Carezza Lake before returning to Renon.

Day 7 – Glorenza & Malles

Drive to the fortified village of Glorenza and Resia Lake, very close to the Swiss and Austrian borders. Nearby is Malles, at the end of the branch rail line from Bolzano and Merano and where we catch the train back to Bolzano. Here the station is in the city centre and there is a little free time to look around before the transfer back to Renon.

Day 8 – Lake Garda & Home

On our return to Verona, we deviate via Lake Garda for an olive oil tasting before continuing to the airport for an evening flight to London.