My husband and I are looking for a place in the Italian Alps to ski next winter. We have already been to the Dolomites, staying in Castelrotto last summer. We kind of wanted to try somewhere new but want the quaintness of a small town to be in but with restaurants to walk to after a day of skiing. Were looking into Bolzano but wonder if its quaint enough. Any suggestions? Also wondered about Cortina Di Azpmezzo but read nothing about it in Rick's books.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16231 posts
Ortisei, Passo Tonale, Breuil-Cervinia, Sestriere, Corvara, Madonna Di Campiglio, Courmayeur, Livigno, Selva Di Val Gardena, Bormio. These are the top 10 according to Italians skiers. Take your pick. Certainly not Bolzano. No ski areas in Bolzano.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8371 posts
We were in the Dolomites once, and found you could ski from town to town. The ski area we were in had twice the number of ski runs as the whole State of Colorado.
That may one reason the U.S. has a hard time competing in Alpine events in the Olympics.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
I visited these two locations in the summer, so I can't vouch for the quality of the skiing, but I can for the scenery. Check out some of the towns in the Val di Sole, NW of Trento. The town of Peio might fit your quaintness requirement, although it's kind of small (but there is skiing in town). Not as quaint, but in a spectacular location would be Tonale. Probably a better selection of restaurants here.
Posted by
Milano
60 posts
Cortina is beautiful but very,very expensive
Posted by
Tilburg, Netherlands
2829 posts
Cortina d'Ampezzo is nice, but it is extremely expensive to ski there. Bolzano doesn't have decent runs nearby. And it isn't a small quaint town either. You could try Bormio. Bormio is great, many runs on the area, the stunning Stelvio glacier and what else. It has a nice selection of restaurants. Bear in mind this: Italians are the overwhelming majority of skiers on those places. Once "small and quaint" places with good runs adapted and, since there are already quaint villages nearby, most good/busy ski resorts have a touch of modernity.
Posted by
Green Bay
21344 posts
I love skiing the Dolomites! Cortina is not the best, it has a ton of hotel rooms because it is more of a summer resort, but the ski areas are disconnected and require bussing. The four valley's surrounding the Sella Massif are the best places to stay IMHO because of the amazing connections of all the lifts. Corvara is fantastic with a low mountain above town completely carpeted with groomed easier runs. Take a taxi from Armentarola to the top of Passo Falzarego (there is a standing queue, just get in line) and ride the cable car to the top, then ski down the isolated "Hidden Valley". At the bottom where it flattens out, 2 Euro gets you a ride on a horsedrawn rope tow with about a 100 other skiers back to Armenterola. I could go on forever, but Selva is also outstanding as is Canazei. Arabba is higher, quieter. The trail connecting all these is called the "Sella Ronda" as it circles the Sella Massif. It can be done comfortably in about 5 hours and either clockwise or counterclockwise directions. All in all, don't pass up an opportunity ski here. You'll never forget it!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17595 posts
Corvara or the neighboring village of Colfosco would be my choice. Haven't skied there, but we have hiked there and used the ski lifts. You can access the Sella Ronda, which is a must for skiers in that area.