Dolomites painting holiday in Italy

Planet

A painting holiday generally lends itself very well to a treading lightly, 'leave no trace' philosophy and this is what I practise (and preach) on all my trips.

On this holiday we use the excellent local bus service to reach our outside painting destination each day, which is never too far away from our base. We make use of the existing ski lifts which are still running during the summer months and, of course, our own two feet.

It's perfectly feasible to reach the start/end points of this trip by rail from other parts of mainland Europe, so it could easily be flight-free if you are not coming from too far away. From Verona, we travel by train to Bolzano.

The water in the Dolomites is perfectly safe to drink and I strongly discourage the buying of plastic bottles, which I regard as wantonly unnecessary. We make use of the plentiful 'refugios' for our coffee breaks and drink our coffee the civilised way - from real cups.

While walking and painting outside we never leave any sign we have been there, save for the odd footprint in the mud. We have the utmost respect for this beautiful and fragile environment and avoid any new initiative with the potential to despoil it.

Much of the food available in the region is locally-sourced and farmed, thus reducing its carbon footprint. There are also many vegetarian options available, mostly using locally-produced cheeses.

People

The local Ladin culture is unique and contained within a very small area. There are efforts to keep the language and customs alive, and I encourage curiosity about this with visits to museums and exhibitions where possible. We can also learn a few words and choose to refer to the villages by their local name - on signposts, there are always three different versions given: Italian, German and Ladin. The word for 'cheers' is easy to memorise and can lead to friendly exchanges in the local bars!

Much of the local food is Ladin in origin and we have the opportunity to experience the traditional cuisine everywhere we go. The hotels, 'refugios' and restaurants are mostly locally-run and much of the population is involved in tourism in one way or another.

In winter, skiing in a major source of revenue for the area. Some of the ski lifts stay open in summer for hikers - and us - creating employment and making use of otherwise redundant infrastructure.

In Bolzano we visit the excellent museum which houses 'Otzi' the iceman, which is a source of pride, revenue and employment for the local people.