Driving through Verona and the Dolomites

We made the courageous decision to try to drive through the mountains on this northern part of the trip.  This was courageous because the signs are different, our Italian is limited, and the cars are small.  We are used to riding in a family-sized van, so fitting five adult-sized people along with their backpacks was a stretch.  In hindsight, we're SO glad we made this decision because we were able to get to places we'd never see through a train window.

We stopped in a place called Verona, an old city that is rich with history.  It is such a gem that we never would have considered apart from reading Rick Steve's travel guides.  Beautifully colored buildings, terrific food, and ancient sites all made this a great day.  There is an ancient castle here, along with a parthenon that is still used for concerts to this day.

This is also a spot that people visit from around the world to see the famous window, supposedly, that the story of Romeo and Juliet was based on. "What light through yonder window breaks?"  There is also a statue here where lovers come to rub the breast to ensure an enduring love.

We were staying in Bolzano, Italy, because it is within a short drive of the Dolamites, where the Swiss Alps plunge into Italy.  Our intent was to come to Bolzano to a see the "Iceman," a body

who was found in the mountains above in 1971.  He was at first thought to be a lost hiker, then it was discovered that he was an ancient man who had been perfectly preserved in the ice.  They believe (I do not) that he was between 30 and 5000 years old.  There is a window inside where you can see the preserved body, still frozen.  If you ever make this trip, I'd recommend skipping this place. There's not enough here to warrant the cost and time.

After this, we had planned to drive up to the Dolamites (pronounced "Dol-a-MEET-ez"), take a chairlift up, hike about twelve miles to a Refugio, and stay on the mountain for the night.  After all of the walking we've done, we were sort of dreading the hike, because we knew that the kids would likely revolt.  Getting up in the morning, we had a steady rain, so we cancelled on the mountain and stayed another night in Bolzano.  Because we had the car, we decided to drive to the spot where we would wind up after our hike.  This was a GREAT decision, because the drive up mountain was unforgettable and we had a nice meal at the top.  This a popular ski resort in the winter, but it was spectacular to see uncovered by snow.

Like any journey, you have to remain flexible, and sometimes what you find in the unplanned times are those things that will be most memorable.