We picked up our rental car in Verona without any issues. The taxi driver drove straght there, didn’t try to rip me off, and seemed very happy with a 2 euro trip. I was very surprised!
We pulled off the freeway (Autostrada) in Bolzano, with the intention to visit the South Tyrol Archaeology Museum, where the Iceman, Otzi, is the main exhibit. We couldn’t get there. The city is doing major street work, and every left turn we were told by Google to make was either closed or blocked by police. The traffic was like LA heading to the mountains on a Friday at 5:00 PM…you know…shitty! The reason we left LA nearly 30 years ago!
Guess we’ll hit it next time. I think the Iceman will still be there. We were just 40 minutes from our destination, the Dorfhotel Beludei in St. Cristina, in the Val Gardena valley.
Our view from the room is incredible! This is directly in front of our balcony.
This is the view to the far left of our balcony. These mountains are incredible!
This is a zoomed in view of the mountains from our balcony. You have to stay here!
We walked down to the church that’s been chiming every 15 minutes. The church and surrounding cemetary are beautiful, but the best views are with the backdrop mountains, that change continually with the clouds.
We discovered a train tunnel that has been restored recently, and allows you to walk through the mountain basically right under our hotel. Very cool!
The tunnel is well lit, and the constant sound of dripping water reminds you of how much rain this area gets.
At the end of the tunnel were panels that explained the history.
This tunnel was part of the Val Gardena Railway, built in just 5 months by 6000 Russian prisoners of war. Here’s a historical photo of the rail workers.
It commenced operation in 1917 and was used to transport war goods during WWI. It went along the entire Val Gardena valley, passing farms and small villages. After WWII it was used mostly for tourism, until 1960, when it was abandoned. The railbed was transported into a street and walking promenade with viewpoints and children’s playgrounds. The tunnel was restored in 2017 and opened to the public for the 100 year anniversary. The massive iron doors to the tunnel open via motion sensors.
I’m happy we ran across this, and it’s just about 200 meters from our hotel.
The Dorfhotel Beludei rate includes your breakfast and dinner, and dinner last night was excellent, so I’m very happy we chose this place to stay. They even have an extensive wine cellar, and decent stemware. Thumbs up!
By the way, you would not know your were in Italy. Nobody speaks Italian here…pretty much German only, including the staff at the hotel. After being in Italy for 3+ weeks I keep wanting to say Grazie…I think the locals prefer Danke!
We area headed on a hike up to Seceda tomorrow, one of the more famous parts of the Dolomites.