by Robert Draper

The most sensible approach to the Alpine geological wonderland known as the Dolomites is also the most evocative one. Here's how it's done: After the three-hour drive from Venice Marco Polo Airport toward Austria, pull off the autostrada into the inviting city of Bolzano.

In the pedestrian zone on Piazza della Mostra you will encounter the town's best restaurant, Zur Kaiserkron. The lunchtime flavors — smoke-cured ham known as speck, orange-infused ravioli, honey-glazed duck with beet sauce, an array of local mountain cheeses — inform you that you've arrived in a distinctive place with a robust Mitteleuropean sensibility that also has the capacity to surprise.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/