September 11-26, 2024
We were happy we returned to the "City of Love". It is a beautiful city with plenty to offer, history buffs and architecture enthusiasts need visit no other city. The historic center was very comfortable to walk and there's always a cafe nearby to rest and enjoy a glass of Valpolicella or Amarone!
Our apartment was perfect in location and comfort for our three night stay. Weather improved with no rain and temps would hover around 70f degrees during the day and 50's at night. Packing was a breeze and now it was time to catch a taxi to the airport car rental. I was told we could catch a taxi near Castelvecchio, but this would require some help. We called a number on the taxi sign but could not navigate the automated system which was in Italian, a nice man assisted us with this. After a short drive to the airport we were quickly behind the wheel of the same blue LYNK we rented last trip.
Our destination was north to Ortisei in the Dolomites, but we decided to first take a side trip to the Santuario Madonna della Corona. After triple checking that we had all of our bags in the car ;-) The one hour drive was easy via Spiazzi on Mount Baldo. We arrived around 1100 and found that many people had the same plans for this sunny Sunday morning. There are actually two ways to reach the sanctuary, one from the valley requiring a 2 hour hike up and we opted for the 20 minute hike down! They do offer a convenient shuttle for those preferring that.
It was a beautiful relaxing walk under blue skies. If you stay on the shuttle road you will find bronze statues depicting the 14 stages of the cross, visitors were seen meditating and reflecting. There are also steep steps (the original pilgrimage trail) where you can walk through the trees, cutting down distance but adding cardio!
There is evidence that this was a pilgrimage site dating back to 1000, and the original Monastery was built in the 13th century. Through the centuries the complex was well preserved, additional structures added and as recent as the late 19th century many renovations have taken place to preserve this incredible sanctuary.
There were several "pilgrims" around this place of silence and solitude, but it was a calm and quiet place to be. We were able to find room in the church to attend the last half of mass, it was in Italian but I understood the flow.
There are nice facilities here, including a full service cafe! We enjoyed coffee, tea and a pastry on the outside terrace with a lovely panoramic view of the Adige valley 2500 feet below us. It looked like they actually served nice lunches, including beer and wine! We hiked back to the car taking mainly the old trail steps, we broke a serious sweat! Extra training for the Dolomites! Religious or not, we highly recommend a visit to this amazing sanctuary on a cliff!
The 2.5 hour drive to Ortisei was enjoyable and the LYNK suv was very comfortable! The quick ascending drive provided wonderful alpine scenery with the glorious mountains making our jaws drop. After meandering up some narrow mountain roads we safely pulled into our chalets parking space.
We booked our 4 night stay just a couple weeks in advance. We had choices in the city center but we opted for the small chalet style hotel, Residence Cesa Sassela. The Residence has only eleven 2-4 room flats and the bonus is that it offers a modern wellness center with dry/wet saunas, indoor swimming pool and outdoor hot tub! Our two room timber built flat was very comfortable, spacious, clean and had a kitchen and balcony. It's a beautiful property just a 10 minute walk to town, 5 minute walk to Resciesa Funicular and a couple steps further to the Gondola to Funes, this gondola is the first stage to reach Seceda.
At first glimpse we felt like we were no longer in Italy, are we in Bavaria? Austria??. The majority of the locals speak Ladin and German and Italian would also be heard. Ortisei is also known by its German name, St. Ulrich and Urtijëi in Ladin.
From our lodging we descended the convenient stairs that lead towards town, the funicular was also at the bottom of these stairs. The picturesque city center is beautifully quaint, but offers a lot of amenities for visitors. Great shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes line the pedestrian only streets. Christmas market must be outstanding here, has anyone been? It's difficult to lose your bearings here with the towering baroque style spire of the Parish Church, St Ulrich always within sight.
The weather was wonderful, 50f daytime and dropped into high 20's at night. After a sunset snack at a corner cafe on the outskirts of town it was time to walk up the hill. We were in bed relatively early to be rested for a big day around Val Gardena - Dolomites. Cheers!
We were happy we returned to the "City of Love". It is a beautiful city with plenty to offer, history buffs and architecture enthusiasts need visit no other city. The historic center was very comfortable to walk and there's always a cafe nearby to rest and enjoy a glass of Valpolicella or Amarone!
Our apartment was perfect in location and comfort for our three night stay. Weather improved with no rain and temps would hover around 70f degrees during the day and 50's at night. Packing was a breeze and now it was time to catch a taxi to the airport car rental. I was told we could catch a taxi near Castelvecchio, but this would require some help. We called a number on the taxi sign but could not navigate the automated system which was in Italian, a nice man assisted us with this. After a short drive to the airport we were quickly behind the wheel of the same blue LYNK we rented last trip.
Our destination was north to Ortisei in the Dolomites, but we decided to first take a side trip to the Santuario Madonna della Corona. After triple checking that we had all of our bags in the car ;-) The one hour drive was easy via Spiazzi on Mount Baldo. We arrived around 1100 and found that many people had the same plans for this sunny Sunday morning. There are actually two ways to reach the sanctuary, one from the valley requiring a 2 hour hike up and we opted for the 20 minute hike down! They do offer a convenient shuttle for those preferring that.
It was a beautiful relaxing walk under blue skies. If you stay on the shuttle road you will find bronze statues depicting the 14 stages of the cross, visitors were seen meditating and reflecting. There are also steep steps (the original pilgrimage trail) where you can walk through the trees, cutting down distance but adding cardio!
There is evidence that this was a pilgrimage site dating back to 1000, and the original Monastery was built in the 13th century. Through the centuries the complex was well preserved, additional structures added and as recent as the late 19th century many renovations have taken place to preserve this incredible sanctuary.
There were several "pilgrims" around this place of silence and solitude, but it was a calm and quiet place to be. We were able to find room in the church to attend the last half of mass, it was in Italian but I understood the flow.
There are nice facilities here, including a full service cafe! We enjoyed coffee, tea and a pastry on the outside terrace with a lovely panoramic view of the Adige valley 2500 feet below us. It looked like they actually served nice lunches, including beer and wine! We hiked back to the car taking mainly the old trail steps, we broke a serious sweat! Extra training for the Dolomites! Religious or not, we highly recommend a visit to this amazing sanctuary on a cliff!
The 2.5 hour drive to Ortisei was enjoyable and the LYNK suv was very comfortable! The quick ascending drive provided wonderful alpine scenery with the glorious mountains making our jaws drop. After meandering up some narrow mountain roads we safely pulled into our chalets parking space.
We booked our 4 night stay just a couple weeks in advance. We had choices in the city center but we opted for the small chalet style hotel, Residence Cesa Sassela. The Residence has only eleven 2-4 room flats and the bonus is that it offers a modern wellness center with dry/wet saunas, indoor swimming pool and outdoor hot tub! Our two room timber built flat was very comfortable, spacious, clean and had a kitchen and balcony. It's a beautiful property just a 10 minute walk to town, 5 minute walk to Resciesa Funicular and a couple steps further to the Gondola to Funes, this gondola is the first stage to reach Seceda.
At first glimpse we felt like we were no longer in Italy, are we in Bavaria? Austria??. The majority of the locals speak Ladin and German and Italian would also be heard. Ortisei is also known by its German name, St. Ulrich and Urtijëi in Ladin.
From our lodging we descended the convenient stairs that lead towards town, the funicular was also at the bottom of these stairs. The picturesque city center is beautifully quaint, but offers a lot of amenities for visitors. Great shops, hotels, restaurants and cafes line the pedestrian only streets. Christmas market must be outstanding here, has anyone been? It's difficult to lose your bearings here with the towering baroque style spire of the Parish Church, St Ulrich always within sight.
The weather was wonderful, 50f daytime and dropped into high 20's at night. After a sunset snack at a corner cafe on the outskirts of town it was time to walk up the hill. We were in bed relatively early to be rested for a big day around Val Gardena - Dolomites. Cheers!