190. Italy, not Italy

If you told me I took a wrong turn on my way to the Dolomites, and ended up in Austria, I wouldn’t argue. Because it feel like that’s pretty much what I did.

Much of the region that encompasses the Dolomite mountain chain, tucked in the upper right-hand corner of the boot, was originally part of Austria, but was ceded to Italy at the end of World War I. And it appears to me they’re still holding a grudge.

One hundred percent of my knowledge of Austria comes from The Sound of Music. But it seems to me that the landscape, the architecture, the language, the food, and even the climate of the Dolomites would make it a far more fitting home for Maria von Trapp than for Sophia Loren, particularly in Val Gardena, the section that included the town of Ortisei, where we stayed for three nights, and took advantage of the spectacular hikes in the mountains that surround it.

The waitstaff commonly wear Maria von Trapp-style uniforms

There were no Italian flags to be seen, even at the post office, and only about one-quarter of the inhabitants there are of Italian descent. One heard a reasonable amount of Italian on the street, but German is the first language of two-thirds of the inhabitants, with Ladino, an ancient Romance language spoken by 4%, and still taught in some schools and heard on special Ladino television networks. Having German, Ladino and Italian on all the signs pushes off English, forcing me to rely on my very spotty Italian to get around.

And the food. I am well aware that every town and region in Italy has its own specialties, but this is about as far from a Mediterranean diet as you can get. Very heavy on the meat, butter and cheese; very light on the pasta, veggies and olive oil.

So, okay, it’s not the real Italy. They certainly seem to feel that way. But here’s what it is: the most spectacular scenery imaginable. I don’t know if they were edelweiss, but field after field of wild flowers.