Spring and Summer in Italy is the time for festivals and Tour Italy Now has been busy reading about the many festivals in the Dolomites.
The dramatic, rocky, Dolomite mountains in the north of Italy were once known as the pale mountains and are a UESCO World Heritage Site. They are spread equally between three regions, Trentino, Veneto and Alto Adagio. There are 18 peaks that climb to over 3,000 meters high.
The Dolomites are not just about snow and skiing. They are busy in the summer months too! When the snow melts and the flowers bloom the cities, towns and even the skies fill with music and film and balloon festivals.
Alta Pusteria (International Choir Festival)
Do you love the Sound of Music? This is the place to unleash your inner Von Trapp. From 19-23 June 2013, in the towns along the long and narrow valley of Val Pusteria in the Alto Adige, Southern Tyrol is the Alta Pusteria, an international choir festival. For five days this mountain town is filled with music.The Alta Pusteria International Choir Festival is a non competitive event.There are over 60 performances to choose from in open air areas and a number of indoor venues. There are childrens and adult choirs who perform a range of genres from scared music to jazz and folk performances.
The final schedule of events and participants will be finalized in late May/Early June.
The festival will take place over twelve days in the cinemas, theaters, parks and piazzas in the city of Trento from 25 April – 5 May 2013. The Trento Film Festival is the oldest international mountain film festival in the world.
A new logo has been chosen for the 2013 Trento Film festival. The image of a gentian to symbolize the mountain region, much like the palm is the symbol of the famous Cannes festival.
For the Destination theme of this years festival, the country of Turkey will be featured. 12 films from Turkish filmmakers, many for the very first time, will be screened.
Attached to the film festival, in the nearby town of Bolzano is an event called Quo Climbis? This event scheduled for 1-5 May, will involve mountain climbers from around the world, as explained by the Festival Director, Luana Bisesti: “There will be discussion of the future of professional climbers, great athletes who then have to create a new life for themselves after a lifetime spent in the mountains”.
This summer festival held from 29 June to 30 August is an exciting opportunity to trek and hike in the dolomite mountains and experience world class musical performances. You can walk along with the musicians to extraordinary locations where you will enjoy an incredible performances in natural settings.
Classic cars on mountain roads.
The 2013 Coppa d’Oro delle Dolomiti will take place from Thursday, August the 29th, to Sunday, September the 1st. The vintage cars will travel 500 kilometers of curving mountain roads passing through the alpine towns between Cortina d’Ampezzo and Merano.
The organizers of this years festival explain that “The 2013 Coppa will be entirely dedicated to Giannino Marzotto, who died recently, and his entire family of extraordinary drivers. Brothers Umberto, Giannino, Paolo and Vittorio – the “four musketeers” – were unforgettable figures in some of the most important motor races, both on the roads and in the rankings, and a fundamental part of the history of the Coppa itself.”
For the first week of July, the town of Villbassa is filled with bicycles. The 19th edition of Südtirol Dolomiti Superbike will take place from July 4 – 7 2013. The main race will be on Saturday, July 6. Billed as the hardest mountain bike race in the Dolomites this event attracts over 4,000 athletes from around the world. There are two primary races; one of a distance of 60 km and one of a distance of 113 km.
From July 18-21 is the mountain running competition known as the Dolomite Sky Race. The 22 kilometer course includes some of the dolomites highest peaks, including the impressive Piz Boè which is 3.152 meters high. The race begins in the ski and holiday resort of Canazei and is attended by about 600 runners. There are also mini-runs scheduled.
Planning on being in the Dolomites in January? You will not want to miss the Dolomiti Balloon Festival held in Dobbiaco, located in the Alta Pusteria, South Tyrol.
If you are visiting in the summer months you can take a ballon ride over the stunning landscape.
The Dolomites are a year round destination of exceptional natural beauty.
