Cycling in the Dolomites Photography Workshop

June 22, 2026: Arrival, Hotel Check-in, Welcome Dinner Introduction

Arrive and stay at hotel near to the airport. We’ll meet for dinner and discuss the adventure ahead. 

June 23, 2026: Travel to Italian Dolomites, Coffee Break, E-bike Fitting and Sunset Photos

We’ll load the van early and head for the Italian Dolomites and Alpe di Siusi. We will stop for coffee and pastries along our route and possibly some photographic opportunities before arriving to our first mountain refugio. This first afternoon, we will settle into our rooms and get fitted on our bikes, ensuring they are correct for everyone’s characteristics by taking a short mountain ride in the area. Our cycling guide is a professional mountain cyclist who will give us an introductory lesson on how to manage and control your new e-bike and how to handle them. This ride is an excellent opportunity to get a feel for your new e-bike and note any adjustments needed before we begin our adventure. We can always make adjustments along the way. We will have a group lunch and dinner this day all together and photograph the sunset outside our mountain rifugio.

June 24, 2026: Cycling Alpe di Siusi, Lunch in Ortisei, Celebratory Gelato

Alpe di Siusi – Ortisei loop: 37km, 1,000mt+ elevation gain.

We will photograph sunrise before returning to our rifugio for a healthy breakfast and departing on our first official ride. We will be cycling the Alpe di Siusi getting to its perfect places filled with meadows of wildflowers and incredible peaks. The views along this route are grand and intimate, so we’ll surely have our wide-angle lenses and medium telephoto with us. Along our route, we will have a delicious lunch in a mountain refugio, eating the way Italians do, with delicious pasta for energy and an espresso for that kick. As the day’s ride wraps up, we will begin our descent into the town of Ortisei and arrive at the luxurious hotel, where we will stay for two nights. We will celebrate the day’s accomplishment with a double scoop of gelato at one of the area’s most delicious Gelaterias before we check into our hotel, grab a shower, and head to dinner.

June 25, 2026: Photo Opportunities on Rasciesa Loop, Sunset Gelato, and Dinner in Ortisei

Rasciesa Loop; 25km, 1000mt+ gain.

After breakfast we will aim to have one of our signature image reviews before departing from our hotel on our fully charged e-bikes ascending up to Rasciesa Mountain riding an in/out route this day allowing us hours of photographic opportunities; we can get lost in the moment. We will pass wild horses in the area, cattle, and rifugios where we will have coffees, cakes and lunch on the mountain. This ride provides unique views to Seceda Ridge from a lower valley giving these peaks incredibly dramatic perspectives others rarely ever see. Having the e-bikes will allow us to work the area in changing light riding to each end of the valley as we need to capture the perfect moment. After sunset we will descend back down into Ortisei for another gelato then dinner where you might want a second dessert!

June 26, 2026: Challenging Ride from Val di Funes to Val Badia, Scenic Descent, Hotel Arrival

Val di Funes to Val Badia; 41km, 1600mt+ gain.

We will have breakfast this morning before leaving our hotel and loading the van to shuttle to our departure location. We will depart from San Pietro in Val di Funes, a nearby village where we can grab a final cappuccino and pastry before our ride. The highlights of this ride will be the famous Chiesa di San Giovani before climbing Passo Poma (Poma Pass), which is filled with incredible mountain views all the way to the top. This climb is challenging, but once we are at the top, we will be rewarded with an incredible lunch set in one of the most picturesque mountaintop rifugios around. After refueling and caffeinating, we will begin what will be one of the most exciting, seemingly endless downhill rides of our trip as we dip through valleys filled with mountain huts, wildflowers, mist, mountains on all sides, and possibly even a rainbow across the distance. We will end our ride at our new hotel.

June 27, 2026: Exploration of Val Badia, Lunch with Views, Local Dinner Experience

Val Badia area, Badia Loop; 17km, 800mt+ gain.

We will be based in Val Badia on this day, allowing us to take incredible photographs from early to late. This day is set as a loop but can also be done in/out; we will check the weather and conditions for the best options. Depending on the weather, we may try for an image review this morning before setting out on our ride. As we ascend up the ridge, we will photograph Badia’s meadows filled with wildflowers and peaks all around, making our way up to a delicious lunch at a mountaintop rifugio, sharing views over the Badia Valley below. After we eat, we will continue photographing through the afternoon to the early evening before descending back down the mountain to our hotel to get ready for an incredible dinner set at local agriturismo and family-run restaurant only known to locals aka: our guide, Alberto. This meal is a highlight of the trip!

June 28, 2026: Scenic Ride to Passo Pordoi, Local Cheese Tasting, Summit Stay

Val Badia – Passo Pordoi; 26km, 1270mt+ gain.

We’ll start our day with an early breakfast then load the van for a transfer to a nearby town where we will begin our ride in another amazing region ascending to a ridge line with 360 degree mountain views. Today’s ride will be filled with picturesque mountain huts perched atop hillsides, flowers, and glaciers. After we summit this pass, we will descend into a quaint and local town, Arrabba, where we will taste the local cheeses from the area made just down the road, cured meats from the area, and breads baked locally enjoying this delicious late afternoon lunch. But not to worry, the day is not over! After we refuel on milk in the finest form (cheese!), we’ll remount our electric steeds and climb the Passo Pordoi on tarmac arriving at the summit where we will stay for a couple of nights giving ourselves the opportunity to work this area on foot hiking the many incredible paths or ride to a more distant vantage point; the idea is to have complete flexibility and mobility allowing us to perfectly capture this idilic and impressive location.

June 29, 2026: Sunrise and Sunset Photography, Gondola Ride to Rifugio Forcella Pordoi

Over the next two days, we will photograph sunrise and sunset around Passo Pordoi and Canazei. Some of the highlights of this area are the Passo Sella, Marmolada – the tallest mountain of the Dolomites. From our Refugio, we will have incredible access to the stunning area surrounding us. Each day will start with sunrise, followed by a hearty breakfast at our rifugio and some downtime to rest. We may take the gondola up to Rifugio Forcella Pordoi to take in the stunning views from nearly 3000m as well.

June 30, 2026: Epic Descent from Passo Pordoi to Tires, Dinner at Cyprianerhof Dolomite Resort

Passo Pordoi – Tires; 60km, 1100mt+ gain.

After another sunrise shoot and breakfast at our rifugio, we will saddle up our bikes and descend down the winding tarmac of Passo Pordoi before meeting gravel that winds us through mountain meadows and lakes, passing iconic locations such as Lago Carezza. We’ll end our long and final stage at the luxurious Cyprianerhof Dolomite Resort, where we will check into our rooms and head out to an amazing dinner at a local family-run restaurant.

July 1, 2026: Departure to Venice, Final Pizza Lunch

After breakfast, we will begin our drive back to Venice, but not before we stop in a small village along the way for one final pizza for lunch. Flights home can be made anytime after 4:00 PM, or we recommend staying one additional night at the Venice Courtyard Airport Hotel.