We drive from Modena along the Autostrada to the northern-eastern town of Cortina d’Ampezzo within the Dolomite mountain range. It is a three hour journey through farming countryside to the area that hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics where the view of the mountain range is amazing.

The towns that dot the SS51 highway are nestled down into the range so every direction you look presents a backdrop of tiered mountains. The light here is constantly changing across the mountains and when coupled with cloud formations blowing up, around and over the peaks, means each photo you take is essentially different from the ones that precede it.

Our accommodation is a five room B&B that forms part of a farm stay and is the typical ski chalet build favoured in the region as they stand up well to the cold winters. We have lunch on the balcony and marvel at the sight of the towering mountains. After lunch a walk into town helps us understand that the area is hilly and short distances take some time to cover as there are very few flat pathways.

What surprises us is the amount of bike riders in the area. It’s rugged and hilly but this is a special breed of rider who enjoys the pain of continually pedalling uphill. It’s also noted that many of the bikes have a battery assistance which would help to a degree but also make the bike heavier when the battery starts to fade.

The accommodation is a B&B but also has a restaurant attached so we don’t need to go too far for diner. After diner we retire for the evening tired from the walk into town.

At breakfast the next day we decide to have a look at some of the smaller towns around the area then see if we can locate one or two of the lakes that are famous in the area. We use the car’s navigation system to get us to one lake but it seems that the road up to the lake is now blocked off so we park the car and walk on to see if we can find it.

The track runs along side one of the main waterways of the area and after about 3 kilometres we come to a clearing and realise we are about 250 metres away from our B&B. Hmmm some better planning is required. We head back to the car and use the map we obtained in town to locate the lake.

After winding up roads that are suitable for off road vehicles, which ours is not, we come across the lake in question and are totally disappointed. It’s man made, has a shabby B&B / Lake house on it and, quite frankly, isn’t the prettiest lake we have seen.

We leave tomorrow after what can only be described as too short of a stay. Can I just say, this area of the world is simply gorgeous! You will need to be a nature loving mountain goat to get to the best vantage points but it is well worth the effort. Enjoy the photos. Now to work on our fitness for when we next visit….