Home in the Dolomites

By Agustina Lagos Marmol, Founder of Dolomite Mountains

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When I arrived in the Dolomite Mountains 20+ years ago, I immediately knew I had found my new home. You could say that the Dolomites “transformed” me, but really they helped me realize a dream that had always run like a current through my veins. I wanted to travel and see the world.

Growing up in Argentina, I can’t remember a time when I was content to stay put. I was always seeking the next adventure. And although I love my home country, I always knew I had to leave. Despite its grand size, it was too small for me, too narrow minded. I wanted to see different things, meet different people.

I went to work for a travel company and fell in love with the mountains the culture of the Dolomites. It’s this amazing place where you can ski, bike, hike or climb really hard, and then dine at a Michelin-star-rated restaurant and stay in luxury hotels. This ultimately led me to start my own company, to bring people here and show them how special it is.

In a way I have always been involved in transformational travel – from when I first started guiding, to the way I run my company now. It is important for me to share the beauty and uniqueness of a place, beyond the surface, to offer a deeper, more intimate experience. I think that leaves guests changed a little bit. Whether they have gone outside of their comfort zone trying something they’ve never done before, like climbing a via ferrata, or discovering a new flavor, like grappa infused with local pine. It is amazing to watch someone’s eyes light up as they discover a new strength inside themselves, have a new story to tell, or experience the quiet satisfaction of where they are, in this time, this moment… transformed.

Whenever I get the chance to travel, I take it, to keep myself fresh, inspired, and curious. When I met my new husband, I re-discovered windsurfing. We have explored Sardinia, Brazil, and Cape Verde off the west coast of Africa. Every new experience I have gives me another opportunity to share something new with my guests – a new location, a new idea of how to travel, a new sport. And I feel like if I am enthusiastic and passionate about what I’m doing, my clients will be too. That is true no matter whether I am at home in the Dolomites or Argentina, or traveling somewhere new.

For me, it wasn’t just one thing, or just one moment where travel transformed me. It is the collective power travel has held over me through the course of my life. My goal at Dolomite Mountains is to share this, to ensure our guests have the opportunity to be transformed by our trips, to enhance their knowledge and perspective of place, or to have the freedom and space to find transformation within themselves when they travel with us. And to create memories that are etched in their hearts forever.