The Dolomites: Moving on to Castelrotto

After our adventures hiking and biking, we had a day of rest. Fortunately, the forecast was for rain, and it did indeed rain the entire day, for which we were grateful. One because we could use the rest to recharge after our prior excursions, two so we could enjoy the amenities at Sensoria including all the quiet nooks and crannies to sit with a view, and three because if it hadn’t rained, I would have felt the need to go and seek out more beautiful views (while I’m not normally a FOMO girl, in this case the FOMO was strong).

The next day, we reluctantly checked out of Sensoria. One great thing about the all-inclusive concept is the decrease in the decision-making process, e.g. no need to make restaurant selections and reservations. We headed up the road to Castelrotto to meet up with Debbie and Zoe who were coming from Venice. We took the bus and were happy to learn that our hotel room was ready, giving us the chance to get settled and go explore. Castelrotto, or Kastelruth in German, is designated “one of the most beautiful villages of Italy,” and it’s not hard to figure out why. As we saw on our bike ride from afar, it is charming and adorable, and even more so up close.

We took the Marinzen cable car up to Marinzen Alm, the alpine pasture above the village. The views did not disappoint:

We decided to hike back down to Castelrotto, passing by Baita Schafstallhutte to see the witch’s seat (hexenstuhle), a natural rock formation.

There is no shortage of fun and funny things to see in the Dolomites, often unexpected. At the top of the cable car, we had a preview of how they lean into the history of witchcraft in alpine folklore. Of course, I was happy to lean in as well.

There were some farm animals and a large children’s area at the top. This amusing cow was using a tree to scratch a very bothersome itch.

The witch’s seat was a bit of a disappointment. If not for the signs, we might have wandered right by.

We also hiked up to Calvary Hill, above the city, where the views were marvelous – at this point we figured out that there are no bad views in the Dolomites.

We happened to be in Castelrotto while their local heroes, the Kastelruther Spatzen, were performing their annual summer concerts. This folk music group, formed in 1976, has a strong following. Many fans were hanging out and singing their music for hours on end at a small local beer garden near our hotel, which was interesting to watch. It was easy to figure out that we were not going to become Spatzen fans.

We spotted some other musicians in traditional costumes and followed them to a school amphitheater, where they were setting up to perform. They played quite a mix, including a Blues Brothers medley.

Never a dull moment in the Dolomites!

Ciao,

Shana & Jeff