Places/Italy

South Tyrol

The Dolomites

A limestone range where the bakery sign may be in German and the path is the point.

The Dolomites are Italian on the map and partly Austrian in the kitchen, the language and the tidiness of the paths. Come to walk. A car helps between valleys. It is not a substitute for being on the hill.

July and August are busy in the famous valleys. September is often the best month, until the first serious snow, which does not ask your permission.

See

• One hut walk

  A marked path to a rifugio for lunch, and down again. This is the local unit of a good day. Do not invent a ridge traverse from a postcard.

• A cable car with a plan

  Use it to save a dull forest climb, then walk. Riding up and down for the view is allowed once. It is not the holiday.

• A valley afternoon

  The towns are pleasant and the churches are the quiet version of the trip. Sit down. The peaks will still be there after coffee.

• The Seceda or Tre Cime only if you accept company

  They are famous because they are extraordinary, and so is the car park. Go early or go elsewhere and still have a better day.