Day 1) Sat 4th July – Meet at Venice Marco Polo Airport at 11.30 am to pick up our coach. We then travel to a Prosecco Vineyard in the Treviso Province. This includes a visit to the factory where the Prosecco is made, and it also produces high end salami and prosecutto hams. This is an area where artisan foods are highly prized and you will see this as we tour with Cesare and Martino. We also will visit the vineyard (Cesare told us he paid close to two million euro per hectare for this!) where you will find the ultimate in vending machines – a Prosecco Vending machine!!
You can enjoy sampling the proscecco and the salamis and cheeses of the region and this will get our holiday off to a lively start!
Afterwards we continue to Cortina – a busy little town in a valley, surrounded by fabulous sharp peaks in all directions. This is a skiing resort in the winter, for wealthy people and is also a centre for those doing the famous “Via Ferrata”. You can buy your Gucci handbags and Versace belts and generally upgrade your wardrobe while you are here!
Our accommodation is based in the family owned Panda Hotel. The sister owners are friendly and enthusiastic and have been very helpful to us in planning this trip. There are some single rooms available but supply is very limited.
The centre of town is just five minutes walk away. In the small town there is a wide range of shops and bars, so there is plenty to do.
Day 2) Sunday 5th July: On our first day of walking we will head to the Five Towers Loop. This is accessed by a ski lift. Its one of those with seats and a bar in the front, so you have to be prepared for this. As you don’t want to climb UP this slope as we are starting our walk at over 2250 M!
This area is stunning – it feels like you are on the roof of Europe, with sharp peaks in all directions. As we come off the lifts, there is a nice Refugio for a coffee before we split into two groups. The routes chosen by the recce team are moderate and we will start off very slowly to reflect the altitude we are at.
Both walks will showcase the stunning scenery and include some historical sights. These mountains were occupied by the Italian army during the first World War. This is a part of Italy that has been owned by other countries at various times.
The A Group will walk back DOWN to the bus while the B group will enjoy a return journey on the ski lift to ground level – expect to feel tired but very happy after this one!
Dinner on this evening will in one of the many restaurants in Cortina in smaller groups – and at your own expense. There are plenty of reasonably priced places with a good range of choice.
Day 3) Monday 6th July: Today we will walk together as one group, from the town of Cortina, and the slopes go downhill. An enclosed ski lift will bring us to Refugio Faloria (2123 M). From here we will make our way down through forests trails, passing little farms, and fields of cattle on an Eco Farm. We will bring a packed lunch (from your breakfast in the hotel) for one stop, and will also be passing a Refugio en route. This walk will bring us back into Cortina and is categorised as “moderate”.
We will dine in Vienna, next door to Hotel Panda on this evening, our last in Cortina.
Day 4) Tuesday 7th July: Our flight today is from Venice at 12:25 so we need an early start to get to the Airport for 10:30am.
