

The gateway to the Dolomite region is the picturesque old town of Trento, which boasts this wonderful 13th-15th century castle

Looking over the castle gardens at Trento and the mountains

Frescoes in the castle's courtyard depict the prince-bishops who ruled Trento

Trento's medieval streets (rainy, like everywhere else this May and June)

Trento was known for its Venetian-style houses with painted facades, traces of which remain

Donkey rides for the kids in one of Trento's parks

Trento's main square, where Italian and Germanic influences meet

An eagle, the symbol of Trento, atop a fountain

Trento's best-preserved painted houses, on the main square

A Tuscan-style knotted pillar on the Trento cathedral

The 13th century tower and swallow-tail battlements of the archbishop's palace

In northeastern Italy, near Austria, the Dolomite mountains (ancient coral reefs) tower over spruce-covered hillsides and German-speaking Alpine villages. This peak is Sassolungo, which we could see out our window in the village of Santa Cristina.

The village of Santa Cristina in Val Gardena, in the shadow of the Dolomites

The spiky Sassolungo and sloping Sasso Piatto peaks tower over Alpe di Siusi

Columbines in bloom

These snails were everywhere in our valley

Above Santa Cristina lies a huge (50 sq. km.) meadow, the Alpe di Siusi

A llama on a mountain farm insisted on posing for us

Chris going through a genuine turn-stile on the trail


The quaint, but touristy, Dolomite village of Castelrotto

A covered bridge in the town of Fiera di Primiero

The essence of the Dolomites: tall spruce trees and gray craggy peaks