{"id":4888,"date":"2016-06-13T06:12:22","date_gmt":"2016-06-12T20:12:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/?p=4888"},"modified":"2025-12-13T06:30:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-13T06:30:49","slug":"last-day-in-italy-or-were-we-already-in-austria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/2016\/06\/13\/last-day-in-italy-or-were-we-already-in-austria\/","title":{"rendered":"Last Day In Italy, Or Were We Already In Austria?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two small snails \u2018hurried\u2019 across our patio\u2026\u2026.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"The
The footpath from the campsite to Cortina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We were expecting rain on Saturday morning, but the clouds just hung gloomily in the sky, so mid-morning we set of into Cortina D\u2019Ampezza.\u00a0 It was a lovely walk across flower-filled meadows to the picturesque town surrounded by the spectacularly dramatic Dolomites.\u00a0 We stayed for lunch and noted that the menus were now much more Germanic, there was, of course, still pizzas and pastas aplenty, but there was also a lot of w\u00fcrst and steaks and potatoes.<\/p>\n

\"Arriving
Arriving in Cortina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we were finishing our meal the rain came tumbling down and we had to walk the thirty-minute journey back to the campsite in raincoats.\u00a0 By the time we got back to Eileen we were both soaked through and everything had to be hung up to dry.\u00a0 There was no way we were going to go out again that day.<\/p>\n

We were expecting more rain on Sunday morning, but the sun was shining through the sky light.\u00a0 Even the locals were surprised as the weather forecast was still saying \u2018Rain\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"A
A view across to Mont Cristallo as we were leaving Cortina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We pulled in to a gas station but found we couldn\u2019t get to a pump because we were surrounded by fifteen men on motorbikes and more of them kept arriving; it felt like we were in the pits at some MotoGP.\u00a0 When we did manage to fill Eileen up, we wanted to check her tyre pressure and had to wait again for some bikers to get themselves sorted and move on, so that we could get to that machine.\u00a0 It took ages, but we finally left Cortina and headed up the Passo Tre Croce (1,809m)<\/p>\n

\"
Mont Tofane behind Cortina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the road down the other side, we stopped beside the beautiful Lago di Misurina, donned the boots, packed the raincoats and walked right around the lake.\u00a0 It was a lovely walk and I do like a flat walk, especially with spectacular views of mountains that I don\u2019t have to stagger up. It started raining just as we got to the last two-hundred metres, so we ducked in to a caf\u00e9 at the far end of the car park and waited with cups of hot chocolate, for the rain to stop.<\/p>\n

\"Lago
Lago di Misurina in the sunshine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"And
And looking back from where we came from, just as the weather changed again<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The road up to the Tre Cimi di Lavaredo has a toll for campervans of \u20ac34 (about $52Aus, or \u00a327), which is extortionate; that\u2019s two nights in a campsite with swimming pool and bathrooms!!!\u00a0 Even bicycles had to pay \u20ac10.\u00a0 We had already seen so much beautiful scenery on Friday that we really didn\u2019t think we could see anything even more spectacular, even if we paid.\u00a0 But Rodney was raring to go on an uphill hike and an Italian walker stopped to tell him that there was a footpath up to the Passo Tre Cimi, near where we had pulled over; so off he went.\u00a0 I stayed in Eileen and watched the sunshine and the dark clouds taking it in turns to pass over the stunning mountains, while listening to the heavy bells clanging on the necks of a herd of cows beside Eileen.\u00a0 They masticated nonchalantly and looked like they might be thinking \u201cwhat on earth are you doing there in that box with wheels? Come out here and eat some of this lovely green grass\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Onwards
Onwards and upwards to the top of the Passo Tri Cimi, with a selfie….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Snow
Snow on the trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Rodney The Mountain Man got to the top and back down in exactly two hours, beating a chap who looked half his age and twice as fit and was parked a couple of cars along from us. I was proud for him, but glad I hadn\u2019t gone along; it would have taken twice as long and he came back rather wet again from the rain\u2026. More clothes to dry out\u2026\u2026!<\/p>\n

\"Two
Two of the Tre Cimi peaks with the Refugio Auronzo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"
Magnificent valley view from the Passo Tre Cimi di Lavaredo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"
Jagged Peaks viewed from Passo Tre Cimi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We made a brief stop to look closely at the incredibly green glacial D\u00fcrrensee and then headed north to the main road at Dobbiaco.\u00a0 We pulled up at Camping Corones in Rasun di Sotto, still in Italy, and were greeted warmly in\u2026. German.\u00a0 Eeks, I wasn\u2019t ready for that yet, I\u2019m still trying to extract bits of Italian out of my brain cells.\u00a0 Ah well, tomorrow we\u2019ll be in Austria, so better get the schoolgirl German warmed up and try to stop saying \u201cbuongiorno\u201d and \u201cgracie\u201d to everyone.<\/p>\n

\"Trying
Trying to catch a fish for dinner in the D\u00fcrrensee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

For our last bit of Italian tourism, we stopped to wander around Brunico for an hour.\u00a0 The brochures quoted that ‘Brunico has won awards for being the happiest small town in Italy’ in 2014 and 2015.\u00a0 It is also boasts having ‘one of the loveliest shopping streets in all of the South Tyrol’.\u00a0 We found a nice town, no-one seemed grumpy and the main shopping street was tiny with some nice boutiques and caf\u00e9s.\u00a0 We also found a \u2018Speck Museum\u2019, which in Italian would be a \u2018Prosciutto Museum\u2019; had to pop in there.\u00a0 It smelt like a meat museum and there was plenty of prosciutto to buy; sliced, in lumps, or a whole piece.\u00a0 We watched a short video showing how they prepare and store the meat and then, yes, we bought a small lump.<\/p>\n

\"Inside
Inside the Speck museum in Brunico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

It did feel weird still being in Italy, but with all the street and shop signs in German; Stadtgasse, Stegener Strasse, etc., even the name of the town seems to call itself Bruneck rather than Brunico. \u00a0I bought a pretzel and a slice of apple strudel and everyone said \u201cGuten tag\u201d and \u201cDanke sch\u00f6ne, so it was obviously time to switch.\u00a0 We\u2019ve since found out that this part of Italy was actually part of Austria pre 1918, but the locals perhaps haven\u2019t noticed that they\u2019re supposed to be Italian now\u2026..<\/p>\n

\"Stadtgasse
Stadtgasse Strasse in Brunico<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We drove up the Vallo di Tures a.k.a. Tauferer Tal, depending on whether you think you\u2019re still in Italy, or now in Austria.\u00a0 It was a lovely valley with a few castles, green meadows, pine trees, brown cows and pretty villages and it nearly reached the Austrian border, but not quite, so we drove back down the valley and followed directions to the Brenner Pass.\u00a0 We had a few issues with trying to work out where to buy a vignette that allowed us to drive on the Austrian motorways, but we finally managed to get one in a caf\u00e9 just before we entered Austria.<\/p>\n

\"
Taufers Castle in Campo Tures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

So here we are in Camping Natterersee (what a great name, I keep picturing a lake that keeps talking\u2026.) just up the road from Natters and Mutters (people who keep talking) and we\u2019re not far from Innsbruck, so now we know we\u2019re definitely in Austria.\u00a0 Tomorrow we\u2019ll hop on the free bus and spend a day checking out the city and the local scenery.\u00a0 Arrividerci Italia.<\/p>\n

\"A
A castle on the road up to the Brenner Pass<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two small snails \u2018hurried\u2019 across our patio\u2026\u2026.   We were expecting rain on Saturday morning, but the clouds just hung gloomily in the sky, so mid-morning we set of into Cortina D\u2019Ampezza.\u00a0 It was a lovely walk across flower-filled meadows to the picturesque town surrounded by the spectacularly dramatic Dolomites.\u00a0 We stayed for lunch and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4900,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4888"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8220,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4888\/revisions\/8220"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}