Loving Life in Italy – the Dichotomy of Dolomites Culture

We knew the Dolomites had a mix of Italian and Austrian cultures. But we didn’t know many details about that dichotomy. On a five night, summer stay in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the surrounding Dolomites we experienced the resulting Dolomites culture. Here is what we learned, including:

• Exchange of Territory
• Languages
• Street Scene
• Rifugi (Mountains Refuges)
• Sports and Activities
• Annual Events
• Food and Beverages

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Exchange of Territory

Prior to WWI, the territory that makes up today’s Italian regions of Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino, and South Tyrol were part of Austria. Italy was part of a Triple Alliance with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. It was a defensive pact. When WWI broke out, Italy stayed neutral, claiming Germany and Austria-Hungary were not engaged in a defensive operation.

Secret negotiations with the Allies (mainly France and England) led to the Treaty of London, signed in April 1915. The treaty promised Italy control over the territory on its border with Austria-Hungary, from Trentino to Trieste, plus numerous islands along the Adriatic coast, parts of Dalmatia, Albania, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy opened a new front along its border with the Austria-Hungary Empire. The Dolomites were a key part of that front. After the war, the Allied countries awarded Italy with Fruili-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino, and South Tyrol and a permanent seat at the League of Nations, but not the other territories Italy was promised. Some suggest this betrayal led to the rise of fascism in Italy. 

This exchange of territory led to the dichotomy that exists today in the Dolomites; a blend of Austrian and Italian people, with two sets of customs, two primary languages, and two cuisines. What brings it all together are religion and the alpine influences in activities, sports, and architecture.  

Languages of the Dolomites

Throughout the Dolomites, both Italian and German are spoken, more German in the north, and more Italian in the south. 75% of the Dolomiti identify German as their first language.

Street signs in the Dolomites are in German, Italian, or both, with a little English mixed in. Shop signs are one of these three languages. 

Ladin, the world’s last spoken Latin dialect, is a third official language of the Dolomites. Ladin is a Romance language that is spoken mainly in the provinces of South Tyrol, Trentino, and Belluno. The Ladin community has managed to preserve their language and traditions. 

Dolomites Street Scene

Alpine architecture is evident throughout Cortina. Wood is the building material of choice, although concrete is making inroads. Buildings with wooden walls, heavy timber framing, gently sloping roofs, and wide eaves provide warmth and support for the heavy snows. The plethora of wood balconies with bright flowers hanging from them add to the beauty of Cortina streets. The balconies also function as platforms to enjoy the breathtaking views, year round.

Bright flowers in street planters and street art in the towns and villages add to the beauty.

Rifugi (Mountain Refuges)

The Dolomites, like many mountain ranges in the world, have rifugi (refuges) scattered throughout. Rifugi were originally accessible only by foot and provided basic food and shelter to climbers and hikers. Some have advanced to become mountain resorts, tourist destinations with full-service restaurants, inns, and access by road, ski lifts, and gondolas. 

The Dolomites have mountain pastures at high elevation. These pastures are called malghe, in Italian. Some malghe have buildings that are small farms or shepherd huts. These structures are, confusingly, also called malghe. While malghe were typically related to a farming operation, they may offer food for passing hikers. Like rifugi, some malghe have transitioned to provide more sophisticated services, like farm stays. 

Sports and Activities in the Dolomites

Popular, outdoor, summer activities in the Dolomites include: 

• Hiking
• Cycling
• Mountain climbing
• Rock climbing
• Paragliding
• Hang gliding
• Water sports, like kayaking, canoeing, and rafting

During the winter, the Dolomites is abuzz with skiers and snowboarders. Encompassing 18 majestic peaks, the Dolomites are home to one of the world’s largest ski areas, called Dolomiti Superski, with 12 ski resorts and 30,000 acres of ski runs.

Since the nineteenth century, assisted climbing routes have existed in the Dolomites to facilitate faster and safer movement among the mountains. These routes are called vie ferrate (iron paths). They connected rifugi (mountain refuges) and villages. In WWI, many more vie ferrate were built to help facilitate the movement of troops in the Dolomites. The vie ferrate consisted of ropes, iron pins, carved footholds and handholds, wooden ladders, and other structures. After the world wars, more vie ferrate were created for sport and recreation use, and the existing ones were upgraded with steel cables, metal ladders, metal staircases, metal bridges, and zip lines. Some high mountain vie ferrate provide challenging climbs to mountain summits. Special climbing equipment is required to traverse vie ferrate. Today, the routes are maintained by the Club Alpino Italiano (Italian Alpine Club) and the South Tyrol Alpine Club. I don’t expect our readers to challenge the vie ferrate, but it is nice to know about them.

Ten long-distance (multi-day) footpaths, called alte vie (high paths), traverse the Dolomites. Predictably they are named Alta Via 1, Alta Via 2,…, Alta Via 10. Rifugi provide services to the hikers on these routes.

Other activities in the Dolomites include golf, curling, ice skating, ice hockey, and snowshoeing. Cortina d’Ampezzo has an ice hockey team in the Italian Hockey League Serie A, the top-tier Italian professional hockey league.

Annual events in the Dolomites

In Italy and Austria, Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion. Several Catholic ceremonies take place outdoors throughout the year. We just missed experiencing the Bonfires for the Virgin Mary. On the night of Ferragosto (August 15th), Cortina d’Ampezzo and the surrounding villages celebrate the Virgin Mary by lighting large bonfires as darkness falls. Locals and visitors gather around the fires bonding in peace and tranquility. Additionally, a giant letter “M” is lit on Monte Tofane to honour Mary.

Ferragosto coincides with the religious holiday, the Assumption of Mary. Ferragosto is a public holiday.

Dining in the Dolomites

In Cortina d’Ampezzo, restaurants feature an exciting mix of local Tyrolean and Italian ingredients. You’ll find:

• Speck
• Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP
• Local polenta (cornmeal)
• Beetroot
• Guinea fowl
• Deer
• Rabbit
• Veal
• Pork
• Beef
• Sauerkraut
• Radicchio
• Pumpkin
• …and more

presented in dishes like:

• Casunziei all’Ampezzana
• Canederli
• Pumpkin Risotto with Local Cheese
• Ricotta Gnocchi with Speck, Local Mushrooms, and Smoked Ricotta Cheese
• Ricotta Gnocchi with Treviso Radicchio, Smoked Ham, and Red Wine Sauce
• Spinatspätzle (Spinach Spätzle)
• Pasta al Ragù Bianco di Manzo (Pasta with White Beef Sauce)
• Hirschgulasch mit Storo Polenta (Deer Goulash with Storo Polenta)
• Costolette di Cervo alla Griglia (Grilled Deer Chops)
• Glazed Guinea Fowl with Demiglace and Chestnut Purée
• Pork Shank with Polenta and Sauerkraut
• Wiener Schnitzle
• Salsicce, Funghi e Polenta alla Griglia (Sausages, Mushrooms, and Polenta on the Grill)
• Venison Ragù
• Insalata di Treviso Radicchio, Local Cheese, and Speck
• Crespelle Gratinata, Gelato alla Vaniglia e Frutti di Bosco (Gratin Crepes, Vanilla Ice Cream and Wild Berries)
• Lo Strudel di Mele (Apple Strudel)
• Kaiserschmarrnis

Casunziei is a stuffed half-moon pasta, typically filled with beetroot and potato and served with butter. The name is from the Ladin language. 

Canederli (knödel in German) are large, traditional bread dumplings with a Tyrolean influence. Apparently, they are called Chenedi in Cortina d’Ampezzo, but I didn’t see that. Whatever they are called, they may be filled with meat, cheese, and spices and served in a broth or with butter. As a dessert, they are made with a fruit filling. They are more popular as you get closer to the Austrian border.

Spätzle is a soft, irregular-shaped, egg noodle common in German-speaking regions of Europe. The irregular shape allows the accompanying sauce to cling to the noodles. Spätzle is commonly served with a creamy mushroom sauce, a speck, cream, and cheese sauce, a brown butter and sage sauce, or beside a goulash with its gravy.

Crespelle (Italian-style crepes) are offered as a light meal, filled with savoury ingredients like ricotta and spinach. Crespelle may also be served as a dessert with berries and gelato. Palatschinken (Austrian-style crepes) are typically filled with a jam, chocolate, and nuts.

Of course, pizza is ubiquitous in Italy and the Dolomites are no exception.

Menus in the Dolomites list the dishes in any combination of Italian, German, and English.

On the Dessert Menu

Kaiserschmarrnis is a sweet, eggy pancake in the Dolomites that is served as a light, sweet entree or as a dessert. The pancake is torn into bitesize pieces and served with a fruit compote or a jam. Popular after skiing, hiking, cycling, or climbing in the mountains, Kaiserschmarrnis is available in the rifugi (mountain refuges) scattered across the Dolomite mountains.

Carafòi is a sweet treat from Valle d’Ampezzo. I don’t remember seeing them in shops or on any restaurant menus, but I understand they are thin, deep-fried, very light strips of pastry that are dusted with icing sugar.  Carafòi seem like my grandmother’s Crostoli, which I very much enjoyed in my youth. It seems there are various names throughout Italy for these treats. Carafói are traditionally flavoured with honey and/or grappa. In other areas of Italy, the same treat is flavoured with Marsala or some other fortified wine. I don’t remember my grandmother’s tasting of any alcohol. 

Other local desserts you will find include various Strudels, Sacher Torte, and Gelato with Berries. 

On the Cheese Board

We didn’t have the time in the Dolomites to sample many cheeses. Frankly, I forget which ones we did try. But my curiosity of customs around the world led me to do some research that might whet your appetite if you travel to the Dolomites.

My research tells me popular cheeses in the Dolomites include Piave DOP, Casolét, Asiago DOP, Stelvio DOP, Ricotta Affiumicata (Smoked Ricotta), and Graukase (Grey Cheese).

A cheese with a grandiose name is Dolomitenkönig (King of the Dolomites). It is made from fresh cow milk sourced from the Pustertal Valley in the Dolomites. It is a soft cheese with a taste that is slightly sweet and nutty. The cheese takes its name from King Laurin, the dwarf king of the Rosengarten.

Mythology: King Laurin was the mythological king of a race of dwarves in the Rosengarten mountain group. The king lived in a subterranean palace with an impressive rose garden at the palace entrance. Laurin decided to take a wife, but his lady love and her family spurned him. He got so angry that he used his magical powers to turn the roses into the dramatic peaks that are the Dolomites, vowing that no one will see the beauty of the roses by day or night. However, the legend says he forgot about the twilight hours. The pink and red glow of the roses became Enrosadira, the phenomenon that makes the Dolomites glow shades of pink and red at sunrise and sunset. More on this below.

Malga cheese is made from raw, unpasteurized cow’s milk sourced from the high altitudes of the Dolomites. The cheese is named after the pastures and the farms that exist at these high altitudes, the malghe. It is a semi-hard to hard, high-fat cheese with a flavour profile that varies among acidic, pungent, spicy, and nutty, depending on the season and age. 

Piave DOP is a hard, milky-sweet, cow’s milk cheese that grows in intensity as it ages. The cheese has the faint aroma of Alpine herbs and flowers. Aged Piave cheese can be grated like Parmigiano Reggiano and is naturally lactose-free, as is most hard, aged cheeses.  

Miele delle Dolomiti Bellunesi DOP (a famous Belluno Dolomites honey) is a delicacy produced with nectar gathered by honey bees (Apis mellifere) from the flowers of the Belluno Dolomites. The honey is sweet and intense, with a slight aroma of Alpine herbs and flowers. The honey pairs well with the local cheese, like Piave DOP.

Wines in the Dolomites

Try some of the Dolomites’ local wines, if you go.

The valleys and hills of the Dolomites nurture an abundance of vineyards and wineries. But only three grapes are native to the Dolomites: Nosiola is a white wine grape, and Teroldego and Marzemino are used for red wine. 

For people drawn to red wines, local Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons, and Cabernet Francs are readily available. There is also the red wine Teroldego Rotoliano, which is made from the native Teroldego grape. 

On the white side, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay are produced locally. The province of Trentino is a major producer of Chardonnays. Trentino also produces a Vin Santo style dessert wine made from the native Nosiola grape.

Trentino created the prestigious Trento DOC appellation to cover their high-quality, sparkling, white and rosé wines produced in the Classic Method. These sparkling wines, called Trentodoc, are made to more rigorous production standards that are comparable to those of the Champagne PDO.  Only Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier and Pinot blanc are permitted. The grapes must be grown in a well-defined terroir within the Province of Trento. Trentodoc is known as “the Champagne of Italy”.

DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) is Italian for PDO (Protected Designation of Origin). PDO is a European designation intended to ensure the terroir and production methods of a product meet strict rules; DOC and PDO are essentially the same.

While not produced in the Dolomites, the proximity to the production areas of Valpolicella DOC, Amarone DOCG, and Prosecco DOCG make these wines popular in the Dolomites.  

The Tyrolean and Bavarian influences bring white Traminer, its spicier clone Gewürztraminer, Müller-Thurgau, and Kerner varietals to the tables of the Dolomites. Lagrein and Vernatsch are Tyrolean reds you will find.

Beer

There are plenty of Austrian and German beers served in the Dolomites. Styles: Weißbier, Helles, Pilsner, Bock, Doppel bock, Weiss, Märzen, and lagers; Brands: Erdinger, Paulander, Edelweiss, Stiegl.

And, of course, there are the popular, mass-produced, Italian beers: Styles: Lager, Pilsner; Brands: Birra Moretti, Peroni, Menabrea, Ichnusa. 

But I suggest trying some of the fine beers brewed in the Dolomites, many from artisan breweries.

Dolomiti is a beer brand brewed by the Pedavena Brewery in the commune Pedavena, in the province of Belluno. Dolomiti brand beers are distributed to only food service establishments through the HoReCa Channel; check it out if you are interested. Dolomiti Pils is brewed in accordance with traditional alpine brewing techniques with pure alpine spring water and 100% Italian barley. Pils is characterized by its clean, crisp, refreshing taste. Dolomiti 8° Gradi is a doppel bock from the same brewery. 8° Gradi is high in alcohol at, you guessed it, 8% IBV. Pedavena Brewery has several other beers too.

Birrificio Gjulia is a brewpub located in the village of Cividale del Friuli, in the province of Udine, Italy. I had their unfiltered and unpasteurized dark beer, Sud Nera, at the Bar Hotel Fiames, just north of Cortina. It is a strong beer, at 8% ABV. Gjulia is full-bodied, but with a pleasant taste and aroma of coffee. Sud Nera was very good.

Tucher Helles Hefe Weizen is a wheat beer out of Nuremberg, Germany. Wheat beers tend to be too floral and fruity tasting to me. But Tucher Brewery is another example of the Bavarian influence on the Dolomites.

Forst is a brewery that I like. It originated in Lagundo, in the province of Bolzano, which is on the western edge of the Dolomites. Forst has a range of Bavarian styles of beer. Premium, their most popular beer, is a light, fresh beer with a floral aroma. Forst Sixtus is a dark, doppel bock with a toasted malt aroma and the taste of caramel; it’s a beer to sit back and savour slowly. Forst Sixtus and the unfiltered Ichnusa beer from Sardinia were my beers of choice while living in Italy.

Grappa

Now who could forget Grappa, 80-90 proof, and everyone’s favourite after-dinner digestivo to turn down. I have seen many glasses of Grappa left behind; I’ve left a few myself. The people of the Dolomites are the primary producers of Grappa; The drink is the source of great pride among all the producers; they all swear theirs is the best. You can’t finish a meal there without being offered a glass of Grappa.

Grappa is made from the grape leavings of winemaking, including mostly skins, but also stems, seeds, and yeast residue. Grappa is aged at least six months in wooden barrels, and then stored another six months in air-tight glass carboys, before being bottled.

Another popular way to enjoy Grappa is in your espresso to make a Caffè Corretto. It is a nice little afternoon or after meal kick.

Please check out our other Italian adventures at Travel Italy.

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