The Dolomites are a majestic mountain range in the northeast of Italy, even named a UNESCO World Heritage site for their stunning beauty and rich diversity. We’ve been to there before, but only in the summer. Seven years ago, when Sylvie was just a baby, we went on a climbing trip with our intrepid friend Rob . Besides getting caught in a lightning storm (not Sylvie, just her irresponsible parents), it was one of the most incredible trips we ever took. I can’t explain why or how a specific mountain range can actually tug at your heart, but that is the best way I can describe it. I feel the same way about Joshua Tree National Park and the high sierras in California. But back to the Dolomites, we went for a second time last summer and spent seven sun-drenched days in what has become our favorite mountain range in the world. So, we knew we wanted to go back and see those crazy, ancient peaks covered in snow.
The kids had a week off from school aptly named white week. So, we booked our full week in the Dolomites. It is a bit of a haul across Italy to get there, so the trip isn’t great for a quick weekend. A recommendation from our discerning friends Gili and Arosha made it easy to pick the hotel and ski area. There are so many little hamlets dotted throughout the Dolomites, it can be hard to choose a home base. The ski areas are all connected by a dizzying array of commuter gondolas. We went with Hotel Maribel in Madonna di Campiglio. It’s a hotel with less than 30 rooms, and has dinner included every night. That meant that when we came back from a day of skiing, we had a four course meal every evening. We needed the fortification, because we skied six days in a row.
Our week went by too fast. We took a private shuttle and trains to avoid the crazy winter driving. That was a good decision. On the stormy, wet way home, all I could think about how we could fit in another visit to the Dolomites before we go home. That is the thing about visiting some of these places, you really never want to leave.