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The Best Itinerary for a Weekend Hiking in the Heart of the Dolomites
For July 4th, we celebrated our freedom and American independence by traveling to our favorite place in Italy – the Dolomites. On our very last weekend living in Italy, we couldn’t have chosen a better spot. It’s all thanks to connections made through a Facebook group that I’m an admin/moderator of – Hike the Dolomites – that I learned about Rocca Bruna Dolomiti Bed & Breakfast. If only we had found this location earlier, we would have enjoyed many more weekends here! After a fantastic weekend, I couldn’t wait to share all the details from our days at Rocca Bruna and in the Italian Dolomites. Below you will find the…
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Hiking and Climbing in the Dolomites: Via Ferrata in Val di Fassa
This October we completed our fifth via ferrata of the year and the summit viewpoint was incredible. It was by far the longest of any hike/climb we had completed yet. 11 miles, 9 hours, and 3400 feet of hiking and climbing in Val di Fassa. It was exhausting – mentally and physically – but the feeling afterward of accomplishing that feat is something I’ll never tire of. I wanted to see the leaves changing and we hadn’t climbed in many months, so we headed to our favorite mountain range in all of Italy – the Dolomites. I did a little research and found a valley and area that we hadn’t…
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6 Breathtaking Hiking Trails in the Dolomites
Living within viewing distance of the Dolomites has undoubtedly left a permanent mark on my heart. I wake up every morning and drive my husband to work hoping that the sky is clear enough to get even a glimpse of them as the sun is rising and hitting the peaks, giving them a pink hue. Every mountain range we visit compares in no way shape or form to the Dolomites. They are unique, breathtaking, and will always provide unlimited adventures. Hiking in the Dolomites has become my peaceful outlet, where I seek mental clearness, and where I feel comfortable. I have been left speechless by its beauty and at the…
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A Roundup of the Best Day Trips from Grafenwoehr, Germany
Travel to other countries took a halt when our first child was born and a pandemic broke out across Europe. We weren’t able to travel very far from our home, so we stuck to doing things outdoors and within a few hours’ drive. Learning about the beauty that surrounded us in Bavaria was one of the perks that came out of the lockdown during a global pandemic. In this post, you’ll find a roundup of my favorite day trips from Grafenwoehr, Germany. There will be a variety of places in this blog post – from hiking and castle ruins to zoos and lakes. My hope is that there is something…
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Baby’s First Trip: Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
When the Army finally lifted the 50-kilometer travel limit for us, we couldn’t wait to take Lillie Belle on her first trip! We’re stuck in Germany until she receives a passport, so we decided to book a stay at Edelweiss Lodge & Resort in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The last time we traveled anywhere more than 30 minutes from our home in Grafenwoehr, Germany was in February when we visited Vicenza, Italy. Four months of staying at home during this crazy pandemic left us itching to travel again. We wanted to find somewhere convenient, yet beautiful since this would be our first travels with a baby; somewhere we could spend our time in…
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Cortina d’Ampezzo | ItalybyUS
I’ve shared my favorite things to do in Cortina d’Ampezzo, located in the Italian Dolomites, with Italy by US Vicenza. You can read the full article here:Cortina d’Ampezzo – A Town for All Seasons
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Work With Me
I’m Summer, a travel blogger and adventure enthusiast from North Carolina. With a love for writing and photographing, I offer brands and destinations the opportunity to reach an engaged audience of fellow travelers. Outside This Small Town is an adventure travel blog written and managed by myself, Summer Bowers (and friends). It focuses on tips, tricks, and travel hacks for exploring areas in and around Europe. It is intended to be a go-to source (and an inspiration) for readers who wish to create their own memorable adventures by informing them about the best places to visit, stay, eat, and more. Many of our posts cover the lesser-known (but truly cool)…
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Business Guide to Vicenza, Italy
Moving to a new place with unfamiliar faces, and especially to a new country, is overwhelming. Not knowing where to find certain goods and services can cause a lot of anxiety and frustration at first. The language barrier, transportation, opening hours – a lot of things are probably different from your previous location, at least they were for me. Luckily, as an army wife, there are a million and one Facebook groups where people can ask these questions – but for the rest of the American community living in our area, the method to find these products and/or services is basically a translated google search or trial and errors. My…
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10 Books to Add to Your Reading List This Summer
Reading provides a great escape and is the perfect way to pass the time when you’re traveling, sitting by the lake or beach, or at home during those mid-summer afternoon thunderstorms. This year I set a goal for myself to read 15 books and by the end of May, I had already surpassed that goal by reading 22 books! It was easy to fall back into reading when I had the right books and were reading ones that captured my attention, transporting me into a different world sometimes. That’s what this list of books has done for me over the last few months. Therefore, I’m here to recommend 10 books…
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Backpacking the Appalachian Trail: Tesnatee Gap to Neels Gap
What motivates you to try something for the first time? For me, it’s the thought of the unknown that scares yet excites me enough to want to experience it – despite the constant fear of failure. It’s knowing that completing the adventure in front of me may only come around once because something could happen tomorrow and I could be physically unable to do it again. It’s my partner/spouse/best friend in my ear encouraging me to do something, telling me I’m capable, despite my doubts. It’s my father-in-law insisting I try something that he knows I’ll love, like backpacking, knowing me better than I often know myself. And the result:…
