Tre Cime di Lavaredo

We felt Italy long before we crossed the Austrian/Italian border. The air grew warmer, the sun seemed brighter, and we even spotted a few palm trees. We were headed south and the sun was our guide.

I often think of Florian and I as two sunflowers – always turning to face the sun, always seeking it out, always needing it to survive. In fact, the first flower that Florian ever gave me was a sunflower, and I was so pleased that it was more original and thoughtful than a conventional rose!

 

Anyway, back to Italy. Having recently been on a grand hiking expedition in St Ulrich (Tirol), we were well-prepared for the relatively relaxed hike around the Drei Zinnen/Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the “3 peaks” which ambiguously find themselves in Austrian territory, but technically situated in Northern Italy), which took around three and a half hours of walking time – though we did take a few breaks for snacks, water and the obligatory shameless posing for the camera in front of the 3 peaks.

 

It was a magnificent walk, with beauty in every single direction. The 3 peaks – the central attraction – are, of course, breathtaking, but I was equally enamoured by the beauty of the surrounding mountains and valleys, the richness of the colours and the way in which the sun made everything glow.

It was a swelteringly hot day, though, and this made the walk seem like much more of an effort. Every step I took made me acutely aware of the weight of my hiking shoes, of my rucksack, of myself even.

But I would recommend this trip to anyone. My words cannot do it justice (though I hope the pictures can) – particularly the way in which the 3 peaks appeared to change with every new angle. Walking around them felt like seeing something new every 10 minutes, and each new perspective was as breathtaking as the last.

We parked our campervan right in front of the 3 peaks, and in the evening enjoyed the most scenic views – which went perfectly with our evening wine (something that seems to be becoming a habit!). And waking up to the 3 peaks was an extraordinary and humbling feeling. It reminded me how much there is to see in the world, and how little I still know about it all, having sealed myself into the bubble of London city life.

Still, whilst the girl (me) may have been taken out of the city, it is hard to take the city out of the girl. For example, all of this natural beauty didn’t stop me from screaming like a little girl when a frog landed on my hiking boot during our hike in Austria. And camping life – particularly as a camping virgin up until now – has not stopped me from taking time out to paint my nails and engage in other such “glamping” (glamour camping, apparently) activities.

And anyway, we are now in the romantic capital Venice – surrounded by gelato and canals – and I feel very much at home even though the city is not mine. But I will leave details of Venice for my next post.

Until then, ciao!