Summer in the Dolomites

Mountain relaxation, food, wine and sun-drenched terraces.

Where to stay, eat and drink in one of the best mountain destinations in Italy.

9 June 2025 / Tess Slot

Sunset lighting on rugged mountain peaks of the Dolomites with steep slopes and rocky formations in a remote mountain range.

Driving through the Dolomites is always breathtaking. No matter how many times I’ve done it — or which direction I’m coming from — the effect is the same. Winding through narrow mountain passes, flanked by towering limestone peaks and valleys that seem to go on forever, the scale of it all is hard to put into words.

Located in the extreme northeast of Italy, which covers three states: Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli Venezia Giulia, among small villages, almost on the border with Austria. This is one of the most beautiful mountain regions in Europe, the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among dozens of villages, two names are among the most exclusive and coveted: Alta Badia and Val Gardena (and my personal favourites).

The Facts

Languages: 3, Ladin, German & Italian

Heritage: Quintessentially Italian but Austrian Heritage

Site: UNESCO World Heritage

Climate: 300 glorious sun-flooded days a year, more than anywhere else in the Alps

Wine: Lagrein, the local grape

A scenic view of green rolling hills with scattered houses, trees, and distant mountains under a bright sky of the Dolomites in AUtumn
Sunset over mountain range with rocky peaks and forested slopes in the foreground.
A landscape view of a grassy field with two evergreen trees, mountains in the background, and a partly cloudy sky.

Must Do:

This isn’t your average alpine summer. Think sun-drenched hikes across wildflower-strewn meadows, mirrored reflections in glassy mountain lakes, and gentle passes that link one impossibly charming village to the next. The Dolomites in summer are for those who crave stillness in their steps — where every trail leads to a new perspective and the views change with the mood of the sky.

But here’s the secret: it’s not just what you do, it’s how you feel while doing it. Slower. Lighter. Unhurried. Whether you’re tracing the edge of a glacial cirque, pausing for a picnic beneath jagged peaks, or following your whims through flower-draped valleys, this is memory-making terrain. And the best part? It’s all stitched together with a kind of quiet luxury you’ll only find up here.

Two cyclists riding on a mountain road in a scenic landscape with trees, a wooden cabin, and mountains in the background.
Two mountain bikers riding on a dirt trail in a mountainous area with a valley in the background, and a cable car suspended above them.

Mountain Huts

There’s a special kind of magic in staying somewhere you can only reach on foot. Or ski. Or snowcat. The mountain huts of the Dolomites aren’t rustic shacks — they’re cosy, considered, and often family-run, with spa-worthy saunas and fireplaces that seem to know exactly when you need them.

Whether it’s a glass of Lagrein by the fire, or an open-air hot tub under the Enrosadira sky (yes, the rocks really do turn pink at sunset), these stays are a chance to slow down and settle in. This is luxury, redefined — thoughtful, personal, and deeply connected to place.

A small church with a steeple is situated in a grassy field, surrounded by dense green forests, with rugged mountain peaks and dark clouds in the background.

Gourmet Destination

A small wooden cabin on a grassy hill with mountains and a cloudy sky in the background.
Landscape with a mountain in the background and a grassy hillside with small houses and pathways in the foreground.
A wooden cabin with a deck, set in a grassy field with two hikers standing on the deck, surrounded by tall evergreen trees, mountains in the background, and a partly cloudy sky.

This is where Alpine heartiness meets Italian finesse. Where crisp mountain whites meet mushroom risotto worth writing home about. From hidden trattorias only the locals know to high-altitude Michelin stars with floor-to-ceiling views, the Dolomites are an under-the-radar heaven for those who love to savour.

In Alta Badia alone, you’ll find more gourmet mountain huts per capita than just about anywhere. But my favourites? They’re a little less obvious. The kind of places where the sommelier knows the winemaker personally and the menu changes with the morning’s foraging. Where you’ll taste mountain terroir in every bite, and the only thing more intoxicating than the wine is the view.

A wine cellar with wooden shelves filled with bottles of wine, some with tags. A wooden table in the center holds bottles and crates of wine. Two hanging lights illuminate the room.
Person in traditional German attire sitting on a bench, holding a glass of white wine in one hand and a partially eaten pretzel in the other.
An outdoor dining table with plates of food, wine glasses, and a flower vase with daisies, set against a mountainous landscape with green fields.

Stay

Alta Badia. Val Gardena. Colfosco. Ortisei. Places that hum with quiet elegance, where luxury is measured in intimacy, not Instagram likes. Here, the hotel concierge isn’t a desk — it’s the owner greeting you by name. It’s warmed croissants in the morning, and a hand-written hiking route over breakfast.

I’ve stayed in the iconic and the undiscovered — the family-run gems with five-star soul and the discreet design hotels that feel like they were made just for you. The best stays are the ones that leave you a little changed, a little softer, and a lot more in love with the mountains.

Person sitting on a rock formation at sunset with mountains in the background.

Want to know where I’d eat, stay and explore if it were me?

Sign up for my little black book
Leave your name below and I’ll send it your way.