Beyond the famous trails

Two wonderful summer weeks in the Dolomites, this time exploring two mountain groups I hadn't spent much time in before: the Brenta Dolomites and Pale di San Martino.

We traveled with the campervan and stayed around two lovely mountain villages, Madonna di Campiglio and San Martino di Castrozza. And since it was July, I was especially happy that we'd chosen to explore some of the less touristy parts of the Dolomites, away from the crowds of the most famous destinations.

Our first stop was Madonna di Campiglio, surrounded by incredible mountain scenery. We spent some amazing days exploring the Brenta Dolomites, including two spectacular via ferrata routes, Bocchette Alte and Bocchette Centrali. We also explored the mountains on the opposite side, around Val Nambrone and the Adamello–Presanella group, enjoying beautiful alpine lakes and landscapes that were just as impressive in a completely different way.

Then we continued to San Martino di Castrozza, at the foot of the magnificent Pale di San Martino. I was absolutely blown away by these mountains! Their dramatic rocky peaks and enormous walls were incredible, and we had a wonderful time hiking, climbing Cima della Vezzana and enjoying another via ferrata adventure - Via Ferrata Bolver–Lugli. We also explored the beautiful Val Venegia, one of those places where you just want to stop every few minutes to admire the scenery.

Of course, I couldn't resist photographing the mountains, especially in the evening when the sunset light made those incredible peaks even more beautiful. Some of the photographs in this album were taken with my camera during those lovely evenings, while others are simply phone pictures from our hikes and via ferrata adventures, when carrying a camera wasn't really practical.

As always, the Dolomites were absolutely spectacular. But what made this trip particularly special was discovering places that felt a little quieter and less crowded, without being any less beautiful than the famous ones. Two weeks of mountains, hiking, via ferrata, beautiful sunsets, and the freedom of traveling with our little home on wheels. I couldn't have asked for much more!