Grand tour of the Dolomites

Following the SS48 and then the SR48, the loop runs roughly 160 km around the Tofane, Sella, and Tre Cime groups, crossing Falzarego Pass (2,105 m), Pordoi (2,239 m), and Giau (2,236 m). Hairpins first carved by Austro‑Hungarian troops in 1915–1917 give way to high meadows dotted with working malghe. From each vantage point the skyline shifts: the Marmolada’s shrinking glacier, Cinque Torri’s spires, the bedded walls of Sassolungo. In Belluno province, having a private driver in Cortina d’Ampezzo makes the altitude changes effortless while you take in the fossil‑rich limestone faces.

Your day starts with hotel pick‑up in Cortina, and the Mercedes remains at your disposal for flexible photo stops and short detours. If clouds clamp down, the Great War Museum at Valparola is a smart weather pivot; if skies are clear, Giau comes first for low‑angle light. While your driver handles the bends, you taste canederli and spätzle at a 2,000‑meter rifugio, ride the historic Pordoi cable car, then wrap up with an espresso by Lake Misurina, a still mirror for the Tre Cime at 1,754 m.