The Dolomites! Those grand pale peaks are the definition of a geographic border. History and politics have determined which nation claims them, but the region remains set apart, with a vocabulary — and a language — of its own. Here’s a starter kit for understanding the mountains and their culture.
Rifugio: Literally translated, it’s “refuge” but a rifugio is more than a simple shelter. It’s a mountain hut, or inn, or the service center at the top of the gondola line. In some, you can get a bunk in a shared room, some have private rooms. Lots of rifugio have restaurants, and we’re not talking lousy ski resort meals, we’re talking home cooking, the best of alpine grub, full of calories to fuel your human powered adventures. You might find a shop where you can replace the sunglasses you dropped 6 kilometers earlier, or fire in belly inducing grappa. You’ll nearly always find a spectacular location, mountain hospitality, and a breathtaking view.
Via Ferrata: Iron road. The Dolomites are criss-crossed with trails and the iron road support systems — a series of ladders, cables, rungs anchored into the rock — make it possible for those who are not mountaineers to get to otherwise unreachable places. You’ll still need to be sure of foot and somewhat fearless, but thanks to the via ferrata, maintained by the Italian Alpine Club, non-climbers can experience the feeling of traversing vertical rock.
Cinque Torri: Five towers. There are more than five geologic towers in this group, but the name remains. Cinque Torri is a popular sport climbing destination, but it’s also home an outdoor museum. During World War I, artillery forces occupied shelters high in the faces of these natural fortresses. Visit the machine gun posts and bunkers and learn about the battles fought at high altitude. Many of the via ferrata were originally routes used by soldiers to move between bunkers.
Malga: A farmhouse. Some take guests, some don’t, some offer food, some don’t. Malga are typically open in the summer months only, they’re used by farming families who bring their cows up to graze in the high alpine meadows. They’re private homes, treat them as such and don’t set up your picnic on their bench unless you’ve purchased something from the residents. At some farmhouses, you’ll be able to buy milk, as fresh as you’ve ever had it, cheese made right there, or brown chewy bread with butter — also made right there — as a snack.
Polenta: A ground corn meal pudding and the carbohydrate staple of the region. You’ll often find it with served with cheese and butter. In summer, it might be served with fresh, locally foraged mushrooms, at other times of the year you’ll have it with sausage or goulash or a pepper and tomato sauce.
Ladin: A regional language spoken in the Dolomites and surrounding areas. For extra confusion, the other two languages commonly spoken are German and Italian. Because of the thriving tourism industry, visitors are often able to get by on English alone.
Alta Via: The high route or the high way. Alta Via routes 1 and 2 are the most popular, taking between 10 and 15 days to complete. Rifugios dot the routes, which are mostly free from snow from July to September. During August, high season, it’s best to book your bunk in advance.