The Dolomites look invented. They are not. A long weekend is enough if you pick one valley and stay there. Drive less. Walk more. Eat dumplings. Watch the last light hit the rock and go to bed.
Base in Val Gardena or around Cortina, depending on the season and which language you want to hear at dinner. Give yourself one full day on a well-marked high path and a shorter day in case the weather turns. Book beds early in summer: the huts fill, then the valley hotels fill. Trails are excellent, weather changes quickly, and the reward is the color of the stone at dusk. Pack a shell. Leave the summit list at home.
