La Dolce Vita Wine Tours

The Italian Alps
A walking & wine tour in Alto Adige

It's The Sound of Music meets Sideways! This hiking tour takes place in the lower slopes of the Italian Alps, one of Italy's premiere wine regions. Vineyards lining the Adige River valley grow aromatic grapes like gewurztraminer and sauvignon blanc, and luscious reds like pinot noir and lagrein. This part of Italy, called Alto Adige, is infused with an Austrian feel -- in its alpine architecture, cuisine, and language. Explore its spectacular scenery with morning hikes (3-4 hours/day) on breathtaking mountain ridges, through vineyards, apple orchards, and quaint towns, and cap each day with a wine tasting.

Highlights:
• Wine estates: Tieffenbruner, Cantina Terlano, J. Hofstatter & Ferrari
• Walking: 3-4 hours (7-10 miles) on mountain trails and country lanes
(LEVEL: Intermediate)
• Visit the towns of Bolzano, Caldaro, Merano & Tramin
• Hike the mountains pass of Mendola and ride the funiculars

2011 dates: This tour will run again in 2012. This year, it's being replaced by a new tour, The Dolomites.

Cost: $3,195 [7 days/6 nights]; single room supplement $350.
Meet: Trento
Depart: Bolzano

Day 1 - Lake Caldaro
After a pick-up at the Trento train station (where you might arrive from Verona, only an hour away), we head immediately to our first wine tasting at Ferrari, an estate in Trento that makes elegant, classy sparkling wines. From there, we drive north to Lake Caldaro in Alto Adige, where we'll have our complementary welcome lunch at a farmhouse restaurant affiliated with the Manicor winery, dining on a mix of Italian and Austrian fare, such as speck (smoked ham), crisp pickles, and dense brown bread. Afterward, we hike to our hotel in Caldaro, walking through a crazy quilt of vineyards and apple groves. At dinner, we will get better acquainted with Tyrolian cuisine. L, D

Day 2 - The Mendola Pass
Today's loop hike begins with a funicular (cable-car) ride up to the Mendola Pass (4,500'). One hundred years ago, the Passo della Mendola was one of the most popular vacation spots for the Austro-Hungarian nobility, and Emperor Franz Joseph inaugurated this funicular to provide a more elegant means of ascending to the alpine pass. Our hike begins at the top of the funicular and follows the mountain ridge to an alpine cafe for lunch. (Forst beer, anyone?) Then the path dips down the far side of the mountain to the village of Rufre, and we return by funicular. Our afternoon tasting is at J. Hofstatter, a family-run winery that's a consistent prize-winner with a delicious line-up of wines, including some of Italy's best pinot noir. Dinner is at an enoteca near Bolzano. B, D

Day 3 - Tramin, Birthplace of Gewurtraminer
Charming alpine villages and a view of the Adige valley are featured on today's point-to-point hike. Passing through woods and along marked wine roads (weinstrasse), we'll end up in Tramin (Termeno in Italian), a picturesque village where the grape gewurztraminer was possibly born. Here we'll visit the esteemed Tieffenbrunner, a family-run winery that consistently garners Tre Bicchieri awards, and we'll marvel at Alto Adige's aromatic alpine whites, from pinot grigio to Mueller-thurgau. Dinner is at a restaurant with a lovely terrace overlooking Lake Caldaro. B, D

Day 4 - Bolzano and "Frozen Fritz"
Today we leave Caldaro and move further north in the Alps to Merano. En route, we will visit the city of Bolzano, dubbed "the Gateway to the Dolomites." Here one can visit Frozen Fritz, or Utzi, the mummified "cave man" recently discovered in a melting glacier in the Alps. Bolzano also offers outdoor markets, beautiful winding streets, historic churches, and a lively sidewalk cafe culture. Afterwards, there will be time to visit Castello di Sarentino. Dubbed "the painted castle" because of its ubiquitous frescoes, it's one of the most magnificent castles of the region. In Merano, we'll end the afternoon with an optional passeggiata or stroll along the Passirio River, then have an informal tasting of regional wine stars at our hotel. Dinner on your own in Merano. B

Day 5 - Apple Orchards & Ancient Canals
Today's point-to-point hike follows an old irrigation canal built in the 1700s by the local monks. Beginning in the town of Lana, the gently rolling path goes through vineyards and apple orchards, passing aqueducts, water wheels, and educational signage until our final destination at Toll and the Adige River dam. Lunch is at Forst Brewery, where dark beer and bratwurst are served by waiters in lederhosen. Back in Merano, there will be free time in the late afternoon to explore the town, with its scenic river walk and shop-lined porticos. Dinner is in an alpine lodge in the mountains outside of town. B, D

Day 6 - Dolomite Vistas
Our hike today again starts with a funicular ride. Our cable-car will take us 6,000 feet up Mt. Saint Vigilio to our trailhead. Today's loop hike is through thick pine forests, past grazing cows, over spectacular mountain tops, and through Sound of Music alpine meadows. After lunch at a rustic mountain resort, we descend by funicular. In the afternoon, we indulge in another exception wine tasting at Cantina Terlano. Founded in 1893, this is one of Alto Adige's oldest cooperatives and one of its best. It offers three lines of wines, with stellar bottlings of gewurtraminer, pinot bianco, lagrein, merlot, and pinot nero. Our farewell dinner is at an elegant restaurant in Merano. B, D

Day 7 - Buon viaggio!
A shuttle to the Bolzano train station and assistance with your travel plans. B

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