VIA AMELIA – Time travel in the DolomitesVIA AMELIA is a tour of the Dolomites inspired, and guided, by Amelia Edwards, one of the first foreigners to explore these majestic mountains and write about them.In her book Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys, first published in 1873, Amelia tells us the story of her astonishing adventures. It is not only the improbable journey in a bygone age that amazes us, but also the incredible illustrations drawn by the author herself.  Even today, it is one of the most popular guidebooks ever published about the Dolomites. In VIA AMELIA we bring it back to life, with Amelia as our courier. Along this guided tour, Amelia enthrals us, in her own words, with a vivid account of her travels by horse-drawn carriage and cart, riding side-saddle on mules over rougher trails and on foot up and down steep rocky paths accompanied by a female friend Lucy Renshaw.VIA AMELIA enables us to follow Amelia's and Lucy’s precise route, from Venice to Bolzano, by road and footpath, through the same valleys, across the same mountain passes and over, or around, the same magnificent peaks. Along the way we pass through places that Amelia and Lucy visited to discover what has happened to the inns and hotels where they slept, and to meet descendants of people Amelia and Lucy met. We also pause where Amelia stopped to sketch, so we can compare the view today with the beautiful engravings from Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys, or Amelia’s original paintings.As our guide, Amelia fascinates us with detailed descriptions of the places she visited and witty accounts of her conversations with the wide range of ordinary people they encountered. Her delightful sketches and exquisite pen-portraits enable our imaginations to travel through time, and picture what life was like at the dawn of tourism in this World Heritage Site. The precision of Amelia’s writing provides a rich historical insight that allows us to linger awhile and consider: What has changed? What remains the same? And, more importantly, what must we do to cherish and preserve our precious natural and cultural heritage?VIA AMELIA is divided into 10 separate itineraries. Each itinerary covers part of Amelia's and Lucy’s journey and provides an interesting and worthwhile experience on its own. Some itineraries take several days, if all the points are visited. Others may be followed in a single day. By completing all 10 itineraries we enjoy an all-embracing tour of the Dolomites, visiting the most iconic and famous places. We also explore some of the most pristine and unspoilt parts, where we feel closer to Amelia's and Lucy’s experiences.Transport today is completely different from Amelia's and Lucy’s journey. In each itinerary we provide details of public transport, but we can also follow on bicycle or private transport.Itinerary 1: From Venice to Cortina d’AmpezzoWe begin at Hotel Danieli, near St Mark’s square in Venice, and end at Hotel Aquila in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Along the way we follow Amelia shopping in Venice, admire one of Titian’s paintings at Serravalle, find where Amelia sketched her first Dolomites, and feel the excitement rising as we draw nearer to these amazing mountains.Narrator: Susan BoyleVoice of Amelia Edwards: Judith BaggottFollow this link for information about a high-quality facsimile of Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented ValleysIf you enjoy VIA AMELIA you might also like to read Spirits of the Dolomites in which the authors retrace Amelia's and Lucy's journey and describe their own encounters with descendants of people Amelia and Lucy met. Click here to peek inside.