At seven o’clock in the morning, the Alpe di Siusi is still holding its breath. Mist hangs low over Europe's largest high-altitude alpine meadow, thinning as the sun reaches the limestone peaks beyond. "The world feels still," says Alex Schenk, Head Guide at COMO Alpina Dolomites. "The loudest sound is often your own breathing.” The scene might sound like something out of a fairytale, but for guests at COMO Alpina Dolomites, whose summer season runs from June through October, it is simply the start of another day in the mountains.
Schenk has spent his life among these peaks, in what he calls “an incredible natural playground.” As with many people who grow up somewhere extraordinary, it took leaving for him to appreciate what had always been there. “As a teenager, I probably took the landscape for granted because it was simply part of everyday life," he says. "It was only through travelling and seeing other places that I realised how unique and beautiful it is here." Now he watches his own children make the same journey. "When my son was five, he used to ask, why do we have to hike all the way to the summit if we're just going back down? Now, at nine years old, he genuinely enjoys being in the mountains. Watching that connection grow is very special."
Schenk sees the same transformation in many of the families he guides at COMO Alpina Dolomites. "The mountains give children something modern life often cannot: self-confidence, perspective and resilience," he says. "They realise they are part of something much bigger than themselves, and that achieving a goal takes effort — that with determination, they can accomplish things they didn't think possible."
The Dolomites don't ask every generation to experience them the same way; the joy lies in the opposite. On a half-day hike, Schenk explains how a six-year-old might walk with their eyes fixed firmly on the ground, pockets filling with interesting stones and pinecones, stopping every few minutes to inspect a butterfly or turn dandelion stems into whistles. Teenagers begin to look further ahead, measuring the next climb, scanning the horizon for the mountain hut that promises lunch or the viewpoint waiting around the next bend. “For busy parents, it can just be about presence and appreciation," Schenk says, "and the simple joy of being able to share the experience across generations."
That understanding shapes how days unfold at COMO Alpina Dolomites. Rather than handing families a fixed itinerary, the outdoor team starts with a conversation. How old are the children? Who enjoys a challenge? Does anyone want to go ziplining? Or take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage? The first walk is deliberately gentle; by the second or third day, confidence has grown, activities unfolding around personal interests and fitness levels. One family might spend the morning following one of the resort’s four themed map walks, turning the trail into a treasure hunt of clues, checkpoints and stamps for children. Another may venture further on an e-bike, allowing grandparents, teenagers and younger siblings to cover longer distances together rather than at the pace of the fittest walker. The routes differ, but the principle is always the same: move together, pause often, leave room for discovery.
Even amongst teenagers, technology has a habit of disappearing on its own. "Once there's little or no phone signal, and the walk gets more challenging, people become fully engaged with what's around them," Schenk says.
Even for Schenk, who has spent a lifetime walking and biking these mountains, the landscape never repeats itself.
By lunchtime, most walks have reached one of the mountain huts scattered across the plateau. Among Schenk’s favourites is the family-run Edelweiss Hut, reached after an easy hike across open meadow. Children make straight for the small playground while parents settle onto the terrace. Glasses of chilled Apfelschorle appear, followed by bowls of knödel and plates of Kaiserschmarren, a caramelised shredded pancake that “usually disappears first" Schenk laughs, "especially when children are at the table."
Even for Schenk, who has spent a lifetime walking and biking these mountains, the landscape never repeats itself. In June, meadows erupt with wildflowers; by high summer, warm afternoons invite families to cool off in crystal-clear lakes. Come September, the mountainside turns gold and crimson, crisp air overtaking summer’s haze. "Every single day is different,” Schenk says. “The light changes, the weather shifts. Being in nature constantly requires you to adapt, to stay present, and to read what the day is offering. There are still moments when the combination of light, silence or landscape makes me stop and take it all in again." A walk that took place beneath bright blue skies one day can feel like an entirely different journey the next.
COMO Alpina Dolomites is open for the 2026 summer season from 4th June to 25th October. For more information, or to book your stay, contact our concierge team.
