WELCOME TO UNPAVED HAVEN

Once we arrived at Venice Marco Polo airport, we walked out of the terminal to the out-of-town bus stop to catch the Cortina Express (link to schedule, link to cost/purchasing. The bus stop was easy to find, we just had to look up as we exited the building to find the sign pictured below.

The 2-hour bus ride from Marco Polo to Cortina goes through valleys, tunnels, and small towns. There’s even a McDonald’s somewhere along the way. I was blown away by the greenery.

Once we got off the bus, we headed towards our home for the next two days. We explored town to get our bearings, had our first taste of alpenglow, and had dinner at the highly recommended Ristorante 5 Torri. We learned that it is recommended to make a reservation at restaurants, otherwise service feels… less warm.

Our suite at Hotel Regina was roomy. It was a tad dusty around the headboard, but otherwise it was clean and comfortable. The continental breakfast included tender bacon, which was a nice surprise! There was quick service at the lobby and our bed was 2 beds pushed together, each with 2 blankets so there was no fighting over warmth. The only downside is that you can hear the train and cars passing by on the road at night.

On the second day, we purchased things we couldn’t bring in our carry-on bags. Because we had arrived on a Sunday, and many of the stores were closed on Sundays, we couldn’t shop the first day.

Our purchases:

Notable stores:

Salewa Store Cortina – purchased hiking poles and a first aid kit from here because we completely missed the first aid kit section at La Cooperativa di Cortina. We were also distracted by the planet incentive (any purchases over €154.95 was entitled to a tax refund of 14%).

In hindsight, we should have checked in our poles, first aid kit, swiss army knife and made purchases only if they were lost in transit. Also, obtaining customs info for the tax refund at the airport was a pain (line ups, multiple booths to get the information).

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 BETA

Conad City – washing detergent, hydration tablets, snack bars, shampoo (shampoo was ultimately unnecessary, I think).

La Cooperativa di Cortina: This was a highly recommended store to visit. We purchased another set of poles, a swiss army knife, lighter, Salewa pack rain cover, shower flipflops, and Dorelax. Dorelax was a real MVP of this trip and so was the pack rain cover. Shower flipflops doubled as ‘indoor shoes’ as all rifugios required boots to remain near the entrance or in a boot room to prevent us making too much of a mess.

Pharmacy: Sunscreen and some first aid kit materials. Apparently the European formulation of La Roche Posay Anthelios 50+ Invisible Fluid has ingredients that are “better” for the skin, so we purchased some back to try. Ibuprofen was also purchased but not Paracetemol. In hindsight, I should have packed more Advil and Tylenol.

Quota 1224 Sport Di Ghedina Gasparotto Monica & C.Sas also carried hiking poles and climbing equipment. We went with poles from other stores because they sold lighter poles.

Of course there’s the Patagonia store – I enjoy going into stores at different locations to feel the similarity or difference. The vibes are the same and the only reminder that I was in Italy and not Ventura was the Italian version of ‘Some Stories’ on display.

The fun stuff

After all the purchases were made, we took the Tofana gondola for some views. We experienced blue skies, fog, hail, and blue skies again within the span of 3 hours – oh the fickle Dolomiti weather. There were restaurants along the different ‘stops’, as there were multiple gondolas to go up to get to Cima Tofana. At the top, there was also a small exhibit about the mountaineers that opened up climbing in the area.

Once we were back down, we finished off the day at Ristorante Ra Stua. Portions were small, food was quite tasty. It was where we had the first tiramisu on the trip.

Something I regret was not spending enough time at Pasticceria Alvera – highly recommend their pastries and chocolate. It is right next to Hotel Regina.

For ease of planning, we had asked Hotel Regina to help us pull together a picnic lunch for the next day (when we would start the trek at Pragser Wildsee).

**Trigger warning – photo of sad picnic lunch below (€10 each, so €20 total). Bic lighter in there to show size.

To supplement the sad and expensive picnic lunch, we purchased 1/2 a Caprese sandwich, 2 fist-sized pastries, 2 tarts, and 6 pieces of chocolate for €18,50 from Alvera. All that food was less than what we had paid for the picnic lunch. From this, we learned to be more strategic with our lunch purchases, because on most days, we had the opportunity to take a break at rifugios that were on the way, order food and rest. Alas we live and learn.

Onto the first day of the hike! Day 1: Cortina to Fodara Velda Hut.