Because there are no railways within the Dolomites, I rented a car from Bolzano station to explore the area. I decided to stay at Passo Costalunga, near Vigo di Fassa. From there I made excursions to various areas within the huge Dolomite area.

One day I went to Marmolada (area 2) via Canazei and hiked around Lake Fedaia. Then I drove to Malga Ciapela and took a cable car to the summit of Marmolada. Later I returned to Canazai via Livinallongo, Arabba and Passo Pordoi all of which provided splendid views of the mountains.

Another day I drove via Aldino and the Rio del Foglie gorge (area 8) to Lake Molveno and the Brenta Mountains (area 9). On the way back I stopped at Spormaggiore village to visit the bears and wolves in the forest nearby.

I drove through the Sciliar-Catinaccio (area 7) to reach Castelrotto, then continued through the Val Gardena, over the Passo di Sella and returned via Canazei.

The last excursion was to the verdant area of San Martino di Castrozza, overlooked by the towering Pale di San Martino. Stopped to hike from the Passo di Valles to view the massive Vezzana peak.

Driving in the Dolomites was more relaxed and pleasant than any I had seen in other parts of Italy.