Italy's Dolomites

Ours was Franca Alberti, who runs a bed-and-breakfast with her husband in their chalet-style home on a forested hillside just outside Tione. The region is crisscrossed with hiking trails, some of them known only to the locals. Franca showed us one of them.

After switchbacking for several miles up a road bordered by tall larch trees, Franca's little SUV emerged from the woods and came to a stop in front of an old barn, high up on the side of the mountain the SUV had been climbing.

A brisk climb through alpine fields resulted in stunning views, with the Dolomites' summits rising in every direction. A few miles up the track is a wooden hut, provisioned for hikers with a roughhewn table, a hot plate, teacups and even a jar of Nutella.

Farther up the rocky trail are two little alpine lakes. Feeding trout are breaking the surface. Far below are tiny Italian communities dotting the valleys, so far away they seemed like miniature villages in a toy train set.

"Our region was once a very poor region," Franca said.

"With tourism, our lives are changing," and it's for the better, she said.

I wondered whether Oetzi, the Iceman, or his kinfolk ever stood on the same spot, as captivated by the imposing peaks with clouds clinging to them as we were.

Staying at a B&B in remote Tione for a few days underscored a well-worn travelers' tip. When you're dining out, find out where the locals eat, and not necessarily what's recommended in the tourist books. A favorite hangout in Tione is a little pizzeria where the prices are low, the food is terrific and the owner treats you like a neighbor.

Another tip for traveling in the Dolomites. Be brave, rent a car. Tour buses will take you places where tourists tend to go. You'll have far more freedom if you are independently mobile. There is some jaw-dropping driving here.

The best-known drive through these mountains is from Bolzano northeast to Cortina d'Ampezzo along the Great Dolomites Road, a 68-mile wonder that winds through mountain villages and around some of the tallest mountains in the Dolomites.

Another worthy route heads north from Bolzano through a valley called the Eisacktal. Among the treasures on this road is Bressanone, or Brixen, home to a palace dating from the 14th century that was once the residence of bishop-princes who ruled the South Tyrol. Also in Bressanone is a cathedral originating in the 13th century.

To the south of Bolzano is Trentino's capital, Trento, an Italian-speaking city bursting with cultural and historical significance.

This city was the meeting place of the 16th-century Council of Trent, meetings of cardinals and bishops organized by the Vatican to try to keep members of the faith from defecting to the popular Protestant reform movement that had swept across German states to the north.

You can visit the Castello del Buonconsiglio, a former bishop's palace where many of the council's meetings were held, as well as the Duomo, Trent's cathedral.

Back in Tione, Franca Alberti is contemplating what keeps her in the Dolomites. She's a Trentino native - born and raised there.

"I like to hike. I also ride my mountain bike. And in the winter I go cross-country skiing," she says. "The standard of life is good in Trentino. I like living here."

If you go:

Dolomites tourism information: www.italiantourism.com/trentino.html.

Adamella Brento Park: National park tourism information at www.dolomiti.it/eng/zone/comano/parco.htm.

Castello Del Buonconsiglio: Castle located at Via Bernardo Clesio, 5 in Trento; www.buonconsiglio.it/StartHTML_En.asp. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the summer; 9 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. from October to March and until 5:30 p.m. in April, May and September. Admission, $6.

Cortina D'ampezzo: Ski resort town. Hotel and tourism information at www.cortina.dolomiti.com.

Lodging: Localita Cappeler, a B&B run by Franca Alberti just outside Tione. Phone: (011) (39-0465) 324-562. Nightly rate: about $27.

South Tyrol Archaelogical Museum: Via Museo 43, Bolzano; www.iceman.it. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Adults, $10; seniors, students, children, $7.

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