A cool and misty delight, is how I will remember this trail. Although in Italy, this trail had the weather, but more importantly, the care for its trails that reminded me of trails in Germany: neat, maintained, well-marked, and thoughtfully laid out to begin with, to include lots of rest areas, diverse views, and pubs and cafes along the way.
Well, the weather can’t be helped. The trail is in the Dolomites after all, and it was autumn. But this side of the Alps, popularly referred to as “the sunny side of the Alps”, can also be cloudlessly blue-skied and relatively warm throughout the year. I just wasn’t lucky on that particular two-day vacation there.
Nonetheless, this trail was suitable even for wet weather, being on tarmac for most of its length, so I booted up, and headed out of the center of Kaltern (Caldaro, in Italian). Kaltern is the name both of the town, and of the nearby lake, the Kalterer See (“See” means lake, or sea, in German). It is also the name (when all one word) of a well-known and popular red wine from this area, Kalterersee. Vineyards have long been important in this area. Nowadays, they surround this town, rolling away from the town center east, north, and south, downhill to the lake. Shortly after beginning the hike I entered them. Vineyard names, identified by stone blocks set into the tarmac at different intervals, introduced me to the more famous ones, to include Putzmauer, Barleit, and Seegueter. The last of these, as the name indicates, was not far from the lake.
The lake is a little gem, for both people and grapes. Dropped between mountains, the lake is often hidden from view, even when on the upper part of the trail. Up close, the lake seems almost intimate. Its quiet waters can barely hold the green reflection of the mountains towering above it. Its location provides visitors the experience of feeling on both a lakeside and a mountainside holiday. Not surprisingly, it is a popular vacation spot.
The trail took me past the lake shore, then headed into the vineyards fronting the lake. The closest gain advantage from the moderating effect water has on immediate temperatures. Vineyards are not the only agriculture concern here though, and further away from the lake, up the hillside back toward town, fruit trees, in neatly espaliered rows, began to appear.
While the wines are justifiably famous, the apples from this region are also prized. (Kanzi apples, a recent local specialty and a delicious new taste experience for me, were on offer at the hotel reception area.) The trail soon entered Kaltern. It made its way via twisting lanes and through quiet squares to the start point, passing impressive old buildings that appeared as they must have a couple centuries ago. Back at the start, I found that the wine museum had closed for the day. But, as a happy alternative, I headed toward one of several restaurants in the historic town center, to enjoy some more tastes of this wonderful area.
