Dolomites, Italy

The Dolomites are one of the prettiest places I have ever been too. It is not just the mountain scenes either it is the whole feeling. The way the houses look, the hiking trails, how roads just come to dead ends, the people walking everywhere, the friendliness, how the locals speak Italian, German, and English. How the food has German and Italian influences. And we just visited two spots rather quickly so I am sure there is so much more to offer. I really do want to go back and take Clark with me. My friend and I went on this trip which our main destination was Venice but of course we had to make the most of it and go to the Dolomites and Verona as well!

After flying into the Venice airport and picking up our rental car we made our way to Santa Maddalena. It is a pretty iconic town when it comes to Dolomite viewing. We first drove to Chiesetta di San Giovanni in Ranui where we got to view the beautiful church in a field all by itself with the Dolomites in the background. Even better was there was a wedding happening. They were just finishing up and then the bride and photographer stayed back to take photos by the church but it was really fun to see all the people celebrated a special day. We hung back as to not disturb the wedding but it is pubic land and open for viewing so no one said anything about us being there. After that we had some amazing lunch at Ranuimüllerhof Hotel it had just a little restaurant with a small menu but no joke some of the best ravioli I have ever had.

We then drove some back roads and found another church. We didn't stop there though. We wanted to find the best view we could so we drove even further up and found a great view of the Dolomites with the town below. There were a few people walking and a couple bikers. We drove which you could do but I don't think it is very popular for tourist to have cars. Most tourist were hiking or biking. We then stopped by the visitors center which showed animals, birds, plants, etc that are native to the Dolomites. We also picked up from great pamphlets that had a bunch of info about all the areas of the Dolomites which I will definitely have to use next time I visit.

We had one more stop before we headed to our hotel for the night and that was Lake Carezza.  When we were looking up things to do in the Dolomites it popped up and was only 30 minutes off the highway and you guys the water is the most amazing color. And it had different tints depending on where you viewed it from and the way the sun was hitting it. There were also wildflowers blooming and the whole scene was great. We had a wonderful time driving the Dolomites. We actually looked up driving in the Dolomites and people were giving these big scary warnings like "don't do it, roads are too narrow and steep, super dangerous" but it wasn't bad at all. We do live in Naples so we are used to a little crazy driving but I would say anyone could handle it, when in doubt just so slow and have confidence. It is also worth mentioning that there is a couple cafes, a bathroom, and a gift shop right by the parking to Lake Carezza. Must visit for sure. 
love, Carlee

Leggings & Shoes: Nike

Tank: Old Navy

Cardigan: Thrifted