We return to a full moon over the mountain, the steeple of the bell tower glowing in the moonlight. Next day, we take advantage of the car and go to Lago di Braies. The skies are blue, the fields are coloured with dandelions, the lake itself is lower by one third. There’s a beach now where there were boats and water. They’re worried that the glazier that feeds it is drying up.
We walk and check out the wildflowers and along the banks, just in view there are so many frogs mating.
We wander back and talk to a guy who’s sitting, painting the little church.
Then we lunch overlooking the mountains. I have polenta with a ragu of mushrooms, it’s
so good but we wonder how long this lake will continue to exist if not fed by the melting snows.
We stop at Lago di Misurina and the lake is almost all unfrozen and yet the woman in the souvenir shop says the glazier here also is disappearing. Change is everywhere.
Next day we head to Pieve, home town of Titian, the painter. We go to a small musesum there with Veneti (ancient Roman) artefacts that were found in Auronzo and after we have coffee at an interesting old taverna where you press a button in the wall for service and where the local men are standing, chatting and drinking an early glass of vino.
On the way back home we stop at a hostaria from the 1500's for a jerusalem artichoke gnocchi with smoked ricotta and a burnt butter sauce - interesting flavour.
We’re only here a couple of days and then we’re off to England, dropping off the hire car, catching the bus, staying overnight in Mestre, eating Chinese for lunch and dinner as there is a dearth of Asian food up in the Dolomites and then we’re off.
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