Alpe di Siusi
Therefore am I still A lover of the meadows and the woods And mountains;
and of all that we behold From this green earth
William Wordsworth
We met our bus driver, Celeste, in Salzburg and enjoyed her cheerful disposition and her excellent driving skills, especially on the curvy roads! The road was lined with castles and green pastures and some vineyards. Such a relaxing way to travel! Tonight we stayed in Bolzano (in Italian) or Bozen (in German). Both are the official language of this area and you will see signs with both. We were in the center of town with lovely shops and restaurants. The weather was around 90F and 100% humidity! So, grateful for the air conditioning in our hotel, the Stadt Hotel Citta on Waltherplatz!
Bolzano Cathedral
Quaint shops
Group dinner!
View from our room
In the morning we headed out to Alpe di Suisi, back into the Dolomites! We took the gondolas at Seiser Alm Bahn Cabinovia Alpe di Siusi up to the meadow and the The Trail of the Witches. The Trail of the Witches (or the Puflatsch Loop Trail) is located in the Alpe di Siusi, the largest high Alpine meadow in Italy's Dolomite Mountains.
Seiser Alm Bahn Views of the Santnerspitze
Clearly, these cows know they are living the dream. Look at this view! Look at the expanse of grass! What a lovely peaceful existence.
A nice break at Rifugio Arnika where we enjoyed apple juice, fries and pasta!
Alpe di Suisi View
After the hike, we settled down to enjoy some refreshments at the Nordic Bar & Restaurant which had this amazing view. The clouds passing above cast dramatic shadows on the dolomites as we dined before taking the gondola back down.
Back to Bolzano
Kirche St. Konstantin
Bruschetta at Walther's
Bolzano Cathedral with moon