Thursday 17 August Venice

We left Bonvechiatti by 7.30am to get the waterbus N82 from the Rialto Bridge to Tronchetto for 9am again. Miriam the tour guide did arrive after we’d sat drinking coffee awhile. We were introduced to a family of four who would do the tour with us. We piled into Miriam’s people carrier and drove out of Venice, and across to the mainland. We headed north to Cortina d’Ampezzo, the most exclusive skiing resort in Italy, where in 1956 the Winter Olympics were held. We parked up by Corso Italia the main street. Cortina is a very picturesque village, looking more like something out of the Swiss Heidi books than Italy. There is a pretty white church and murals painted on some walls, yummy looking cake shops, too good to miss, so we go and sample one with a coffee. A copper globe sits in the middle of the square, beside the extortionately expensive designer shops. We met up with the others after an hours wander and continued to the mountains. Our next stop was at Lake Misurina where there is a lovely view of Monte Sorapiss and the Cadini group of mountains. We had lunch provided by Miriam of cheese and bread with tomatoes. Andrew and I had a walk around part of the lake, watched the cable cars going up the mountain, would have gone up in one if we’d had time. Onwards, Miriam drove as far up the mountains as the road goes, we pull into a car park outside a lodge called Rifugio Auronzo. We all went in and ordered a drink, Andrew and I had a hotdog to supplement our rather small lunch. The other family were Jewish, and had brought their own Kocher food. We drove back down the mountain road to Torronzo dei Tadori where we saw the cute little red train that goes up the mountain track. The water is bright green, at the Lago di Sorapiss apparently the colour comes from suspended powdered debris from shrinking glaciers on the north wall of Punta Sorapiss. There are supposed to be herds of chamois in the trees above the lake, unfortunately we didn’t see any. There is the bridge with the winged lions and a ravine and aqueduct. The ancient church is all that is left of the original town. We drove back to Venice where Miriam dropped us off at the bus station, we ate at ristorante Le Notti D’o Venezia in a little square near the Rialto Bridge, then made our way back to the hotel.