Den and Wen in Italy - The Dolomites Day 5

Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 - Breakfast at the Hotel Diamont - note our view of yesterday's gondolas:

After 2 nights, we left Hotel Diamont. After breakfast we boarded The Bus and headed east toward Cortina d'Ampezzo - one of the sites of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. To get there we had to cross the Passo di Falzarego (Falzarego Pass):

Once over The Pass, 10 miles from Hotel Diamont, we stopped to take The Chairlift up for today's hike:

To quote The Tour's pdf: "This morning starts with a scenic chair lift ride to the iconic Cinque Torri, a dramatic cluster of five rock towers that once served as a strategic stronghold during World War I. Today, the area is an extraordinary open-air museum, where restored trenches, bunkers, and artillery emplacements wind beneath the iconic towers—silent witnesses to the fierce battles fought here between Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops. As you walk these serene and scenic trails, your guide brings history to life, sharing stories of the soldiers who endured high-altitude warfare and pointing out the panoramic views that made this site such a crucial observation post."

After all that scrambling, we were on a "regular trail" down to the bottom:

From there we drove 9.2 miles to a fun restaurant-with-a-view, up a dirt road (Malga Giau):

View from the porch - note the dirt road:

Then the drive to Hotel de Len in Cortina d'Ampezzo:

The view from our hotel room:

Dinner-with-the-group, and off to bed. WOW - Thank you God for another wonderful Dolomite-Adventure Day!

Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about Hiking the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York:
hyperlink: dixonheadingnorth
http://dixonheadingnorth.blogspot.com/