Trip Report: Dolomites in Summer - June 2024

Italy’s Dolomites are a wonderland of wildflowers, iconic peaks, and misty mountain landscapes in the early summer. Photographers who brave the early sunrises and late sunsets in these long summer days are richly rewarded with stunning scenes and dramatic photo opportunities. 
 
Our summer trip to the Dolomites began in Venice, Italy, which the ideal launching point since it is only 2 hours away from the charming mountain town of Cortina. The scenic drive to Cortina slowly climbs from the plains and vineyards up to the high mountain valleys.  
 
Cortina is ideally situated about a half hour’s drive from some of the most iconic photo locations in the Dolomites. Our first evening we were treated to some lovely sunset light on the peaks around the Tres Cime area creating lovely reflections in a mountain lake fringed by wildflowers.

The extensive road network through the Dolomites creates easy access to many of the high passes in the Dolomites, so it is possible to gain elevation quickly and with a short hike be in high alpine areas in time for the best light. Rays of sunlight can add a momentary illumination to a scene, so it is important to act quickly in these situations to capture the best light. 

The many lakes in the region create wonderful opportunities for mirrored reflections when the skies have dramatic clouds.  
 
The Dolomites are more developed with hotels and restaurants than our mountain ranges in the USA, so even when hiking you are never too far from a “refugio” to get a meal or warm drink.

Many of the mountains are accessed by Gondolas, which offer a quick way to get to the most scenic areas. These gondolas operate in both summer and winter so we took advantage of this access to visit the dramatic area of Seceda on a beautiful blue-sky day. Many visitors will take the gondola up to the mountain and then spend a day hiking back down to the valley below, stopping at a refugio for a lovely Italian lunch. 

One of the highlights of this trip is definitely the amazing food! Each area of the Dolomites has its own cuisine specialty, from the more Austrian influenced beef goulash and apple struedel to the more Italian  "Casunziei" (ravioli stuffed with pumpkin or spinach), potato gnocchi with smoked cottage cheese or pumpkin, andcanederli (balls of bread with speck), and barley soup.  Our group enjoyed many a festive meal together! 

Some of the most iconic locations in the Dolomites prominently feature churches. Santa Maddalena church has to be the most dramatically situated church in the world, sitting at the base of the dramatic spires of the Dolomites that glow pink at sunset.  

One of my favorite locations in the Dolomites is the Alpe di Siusi– a Dolomite plateau and the largest high-elevation Alpine meadow in Europe. We were fortunate to visit this spectacular location during the peak of the wildflower bloom. The wildflowers made beautiful foregrounds against the charming mountain huts and dramatic peaks of the region. 

The incredible variety of photo opportunities, the amazing food, and the opportunity to experience the wonderful Italian and Austrian cultures make the Dolomites one of the ultimate photo destinations. Our next departure is in the Autumn when we will experience the beautiful autumn foliage of the region.