With their explosive shapes and unique colours, the Italian Dolomites are undoubtedly among the most beautiful and spectacular mountains in the world. Without question, they are the crown jewels of the alpine range. At every turn you are stopped in your tracks by the awesome beauty and sheer magnificence of this classic mountain environment. Should you decide on a holiday amid such splendour, you will remember it forever.

We are convinced you will share our excitement and appreciation of an area that is one of Europe's best kept secrets. It is simultaneously charming and majestic. Whilst the unspoilt Tyrolean villages will bewitch you on a human scale with their wooden chalets in a landscape of wildflower-strewn pastures, the colossal natural monuments, which are the Dolomites, tower above you; castles of rock, which soar to the sky as if frozen in mid-explosion.

The Dolomites are the south eastern Alps. They lie partly in Venetia (Venice - 75 miles) and partly in the Trentino / South Tyrol (Munich - 150 miles, Innsbruck via the Brenner Pass), Italy's northernmost region, which borders Switzerland and Austria.

Millions of years ago, however, these dramatic rocks were under the sea. Geologists believe they were heaved up by great movements in the earth's crust fifty million years ago when Europe and Africa collided. Since then the actions of ice and water have carved them into the overwhelming sculptural forms we see today.

More recently history has shaped the area. Prior to 1918 this was Austrian territory, but after the Great War, when some European borders were redefined, the Dolomites became Italian. Although Mussolini set about italianising the region, he was not entirely successful and the area now thrives on the harmonious co-existence of the Austrian and Italian cultures in a region where Latin meets Germanic.

Add to these cultures, the influence of a modern mountain-dwelling community with an enlightened, yet conservative approach to tourism and the result is a unique atmosphere of character and charm in an environment where there is lots to see and do.

villages in the central Dolomites. Set against uniquely dramatic backdrops, they are the perfect springboards from which to explore this fascinating area. And with our intimate knowledge based on many years in the area, we will ensure you get just what you want from your time here.