My summer between peaks and Art. 

It was difficult to return to Rome after the incredible journey spent in Corsica with its crystal waters and its wonderful nature reserves. The mere thought of setting foot on the hot coals of the Roman asphalt already “destabilized” me. So, after just four days of tolerance to the heat, I decided to escape from it, setting the navigator of my new Captur Full Hybrid on a fresher and more liveable destination: the Dolomites.

Traveling for me is a kind of liberation. It allows you to free yourself from the daily burdens. Leave anxiety and stress behind. Disrupt your habits. Change the pace of your days. Meet new people. Admire different landscapes and colors. Give a name to unknown places. Satisfy your thirst for knowledge.

Discovering the “Monti Pallidi”.

Perhaps not everyone knows that the Dolomites are called “Monti Pallidi” (Pale Mountains) for the extraordinary lunar color of these majestic and magical rocks, shrouded in enchantment and mysterious legends.

One of these tells the story of a kingdom rich in woods and flowery meadows, where all the inhabitants were happy and in harmony with nature. All except the son of the king and the princess of the Moon, united in marriage and by a sad fate that condemned them to live separated forever: the young prince could not in fact live with the intense light of the Moon risking to lose his sight, while his beautiful bride could not stand the sight of the gloomy mountains and shady woods that caused her melancholy and sadness. In his desperate wandering, one day the young prince came across the King of the Salvani, a small and friendly gnome in search of a land for his people. After listening to his painful love story, the gnome decided to help the prince by proposing to make the peaks of the kingdom shine, in exchange for permission to live in its woods. It was thanks to this agreement that the princess was able to return to live in the Dolomites, reuniting with her beloved.

A true spell of nature, whose magic repeats itself from sunrise to sunset, embracing every sense with its wonderful colors, scents, enchanting lakes and beautiful valleys. A journey to the edge of the imagination.

The importance of the Base Camp.

As everyone knows, the distances in the mountains are much longer due to the many curves and steep slopes that force experienced travelers to a well-calculated timetable, especially since the weather changes often.

This is why it is essential to choose a strategic place that allows you to quickly reach the most beautiful places that you want to discover and explore.

In my case the chosen base camp was Luson, a quiet mountain village located in the Isarco Valley, very quiet and rich in traditions, just 15 minutes from Passo delle Erbe, my main travel destination.

I woke up at 6:30 every morning with no need to set up my smartphone. The friendly bleating of two sheeps under the balcony of my hotel room accompanied my daily awakening, making me feel part of a small world in perfect harmony with the rhythms of nature.

A day as a “Cliffhanger”. 

Getting together with a group of friends at the parking lot near the Ütia de Börz to share an adventure together was fantastic. Our excursion began by walking through the beautiful meadows of Sasso Putia within the Puez-Odle Natural Park.

Initially a very pleasant and easy circular route, but when we began to climb the gully along the stream until we reached the Putia fork at 2,357 meters, things became more serious, especially for me who in the enthusiasm of the departure I had forgotten to put in my suitcase the most important thing for a hiker: hiking shoes!

After a short break, I decided to overcome my limits and with the bravest of the group, Gregory and Paolo, to reach the summit at 2,875 meters.

The equipped rocky path is suitable for those with a minimum of mountain experience, for people with sure-footed steps and for those who do not suffer from vertigo, but the effort, I assure you, is rewarded by a splendid view of the surrounding high peaks of the Dolomites and the Alps of the Zillertal.

On the way back, we walked around the whole of Sasso Putia returning to Passo delle Erbe. A 20 km long hike of ups and downs, during which I was pleased to discover that I still have a certain physical prowess, despite the little training and the sneakers. For one day I felt like a real Cliffhanger!

On top of RespirArt: the highest Art park in the world. 

Nature is already a work of art but visiting an art exhibition immersed in nature at a high altitude is truly a dream for someone like me who has a green and creative heart.

RespirArt is the highest art park in the world. It is located in the Val di Fiemme in Trentino and develops between 2000 and 2200 meters. To get there, you have to leave the car in Pampeago and take the chairlift to the top.

Once you reach the refuge, you enter an immense open-air museum, with art installations that dialogue and interact with nature in continuous transformation, with its various atmospheric changes.

Very interesting is the work “Symbiosis” by the Swedish artist Hannah Streefkerk who placed lichen embroidery on four pine trees: a slow work, carried out in complete symbiosis with the extended times of nature, where the work changes shape over time.

Another work that particularly struck me is “Living Nature” by Mauro Lampo Olivotto, an interactive painting that frames the sacredness of Nature.

From the lunar peaks to the Mart, a journey to the edge of imagination.

Passing through Rovereto, I had to stop at one of the most important museums of modern and contemporary art in Italy, the Mart.

From the glass and steel dome of the archistar Mario Botta to the creative genius of Giuliano Vangi who Sgarbi defines as the greatest living Italian sculptor, the Francis Bacon of sculpture, passing through the bright colors of Alex Katz with his “sweet painting”.

An exhibition itinerary that left me breathless, created in a truly exceptional context that was conceived as a real contemporary landscape, dotted with 20,000 works by the major national and international exponents of the main artistic movements of the twentieth century.

Visiting the Mart was a bit like landing on another planet, full of emotional and sensory stimuli. This is where I discovered Giuliano Vangi and his incredible sculptural intensity. His creative energy crosses matter, metals, marbles, resins, transferring the emotions and anxieties of the present times.

What about Alex Katz? His works are a tribute to the simple and beautiful things in life. A breath of color, vitality and a joyful suspended atmosphere that reminds us that we can be happy despite everything.

His thirty large and extra large canvases made me feel the protagonist of this “Sweet Life”, far from the sources of daily stress, forgetting for a moment that I was about to return to Rome.

This week end let’s bring our emotions high. 

There is nothing more beautiful than living the summer immersed in the colors and sounds of nature, breathing in the air of peace and well-being and contemplating uncontaminated landscapes. This weekend I have prepared for you my emotional tour to travel together and share what I saw this summer.

If you want to discover the magical nuances of this incredible itinerary among peaks, valleys and art, you can visit my Instagram and Facebook channels.

Enjoy the ride. FRAday is back.