Juniper, awesome TR and stunning photographs!! I, too, just returned from 18 days in Italy--half of it spent in the Dolomites--and was totally blown away by the whole experience!
Sept. 18-22 Chris and I did the Alta Via 1 which runs from Lago de Brais, near Dobbiaco, southward to Belluno, roughly parallel and east of the AV2. The AV1 is a bit shorter and easier than the AV2, with only one easy via ferrata section on Novolau Ridge (our 3rd day) and one harder, very long (reportedly 3-hour!) ferrata section over the Schiara in the very last stretch which can also by bypassed. We did the first and bypassed the second having (intentionally) not brought the proper gear. Our route was somewhere in the 80-90 mile range, and we did it in a leisurely 5 days--SO much to take in! (BTW, the FKT is sub 20 hours!)
With an early season storm producing a dusting to upwards of a foot of snow on Sept. 14, we were skeptical of our ability to pull this off this late in the season; however, the weather gods were in our favor, melting all the snow and providing perfect hiking conditions each day. Not knowing what Mother Nature had in store for us, we brought along quite a bit of extra clothing--not a problem, though, since that was about all we had to carry! Our packs were probably somewhere in the 15 lb. range, but one could go a lot lighter.
I am not a "hut person" at all, but when in Rome... I must also admit that hot showers, good food, booze (wine, beer, grappa, you name it!), espresso, and a real bed each night, all the while amongst spectacular surroundings... views of the famous Dolomite peaks--Tofane, Pelmo, Civetta, Schiara, Marmolada--all around!... well, it's really hard to beat. Just remember to bring lots of Euros; this was not exactly an inexpensive trip.
We did not see any other Americans on our trek; in fact, the Italians and Germans seemed surprised by our presence, one group asking "How did you decide to do THIS trail?!" (the answer being I merely happened upon a AV1&2 guidebook while browsing a cool map/bookstore in downtown Seattle last spring).
We spent the rest of our trip visiting my childhood (2nd and 3rd grade--Air Force brat) home in Aviano, and in Florence. The Dolomites were definitely the best part, and I wish we'd spent the second half of the trip doing the AV2!
I highly recommend these trails to all who have expressed interest. PM me if you have questions. If I get around to it, I'll put up a more detailed report/photos on my blog
www.runsuerun.blogspot.com but am a big jetlagged right now.