// this article was created in cooperation with Trentino //
Hey adventurers! Today I’m going to write about my to the mountains in Trentino area, where I went with a bunch of girls to hit the opening of the ski season in the Italian Dolomites. And it was one of the best skiing I’ve ever experienced! We stayed in Trentino together for 4 days, but to tell you the truth, you could spend a whole week here with skis.
I’m sure you know the Dolomites pretty well. I write about the all the time. The Trentino region is located in the northeast of Italy, between Lake Garda and the Dolomite massifs. It’s divided into 15 areas and each of them has its own charm. This time we were enjoying the slopes in two valleys – Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme. Both valleys have a huge number of slopes and skitouring options, and last but not least, excellent gastronomy and architecture, so in addition to the slopes you will find tips for good food in the article.
Val di Fiemme (Trentino)
Accommodation: Hotel Alpuris (2 nights)
Activities: Skiing, Krampus and a lot of food!
Day 1
The opening of the ski lifts this year took place on the 3rd of December, so the day before we found ourselves standing in front of the beautiful four-star Alpuris Hotel in the town of Cavalese. We checked into our rooms and went straight to dinner at the famous El Molin Wine Bar. I don’t have to tell you how much I was looking forward to Italian cuisine and wine.
It was the first skiing for all of us, so we couldn’t wait to get our ski boots on in the morning and hit the slopes. Literally a few steps below the hotel is the Alpe Cermis ski resort, so you can go straight from breakfast in your ski boots. The weather didn’t fully cooperate that day and didn’t show us the panoramic views, but at least we could concentrate on the technique.
Did you know that in Alpe Cermis you will find one of the longest slopes in the Dolomites? The Olimpia slope is 7.5 km long and goes all the way to the town of Cavalese.
We had lunch at Lo Chalet, which I would call an architectural gem, located right on the slopes. And that’s one of the things that excites me about Italy – that even on the slopes you can find first-class cuisine and enjoy the beautiful interior design.
By coincidence, the famous Krampus devil parade was in town that evening, so we went to check it out, of course. Krampus is held annually, but in different towns. The costumes are so real, it gives you the goosebumps when they walk past you.
And now attention – here comes an extremely important piece of information! I had the best pizza of my life at Pizza Excelsior. Really, I swear. If you’re only driving through Cavalese, stop by, you won’t regret it. The pizzeria is owned by a Michelin-star chef and serves a Neapolitan type of pizza that totally blew my mind. I never thought I’d taste the best pizza right under the Dolomites in the Trentino region, but I’ll remember it for a long time.
Day 2
The next day we went to hit the slopes again. This time we tried the Alpe Lusia ski resort. It was snowing heavily, so the slopes were covered with thin powder. In addition to 30 km of slopes (including a black one with a slope of 50%!), there is also a snow park. Even though it was a weekend, the heavy snow didn’t attract many people to the slope, so we had it all to ourselves, which was an amazing feeling!
We had lunch at a (again famous) restaurant Chalet 44, located on the top cable car station. When I walked in, my jaw dropped (again). In the afternoon we took the ski slope a few more times and finally got in the car and set off for the second valley.
Val di Fassa (Trentino)
Accommodation: Hotel Valacia
Activites: Skiing, wellness and a lot of food!
We stayed in the equally fabulous Hotel Valacia in the town of Pozza di Fassa. In the evening we managed to relax in wellness QC Terme Dolomiti. I honestly have never seen such a large wellness area! Three floors of saunas, swimming pools, hot tubs, relaxation rooms and spa rituals kept us busy for another 3 hours:)
We then had dinner at the nearby Ristorante-pizzeria Le Giare, with which again you can’t go wrong. Everything we had was a great option!
Day 3
Finally, a piece of blue sky! Looking at the slopes, we headed to the Skitour Panorama immediately after breakfast. It’s an endless ski ride that takes you around the whole massif with different difficulty levels, so with good visibility you don’t know whether to concentrate on skiing or enjoy the beautiful scenery around. If you manage to do both, you win.
For lunch we headed to Baita Rodella. It’s a restaurant with spectacular panoramic views of the Marmolada Glacier, the Sella Massif and the Sassolungo Group. You will find it in the middle of the slope that leads from Col Rodella to Val di Fassa.
The weather did not allow us to leave the ski area before the last cable car set off, so this day was really enjoyed to the end. After skiing, we went to the hotel wellness to get a bit warmed up. That tired us so much that we had dinner right in the hotel and after that went straight to sleep.
Day 4
On the fourth day we planned skitouring and a bit of freeride downhill around the slopes, which Trentino really has plenty of. We didn’t have a mountain guide with us (only avalanche equipment), so for safety reasons we didn’t want to go too far from the slopes.
I repeat it in every article, but I’ll write it here as well to be sure. If you don’t have the necessary knowledge about avalanches, NEVER go skiing alone and without avalanche equipment. The day we were on the touring skis, there was an avalanche on the other side of Marmolada. We even saw a rescue helicopter flying above us. So please think about it and if you’re not sure, take a mountain guide with you, please.:)
So that’s it from me! Let me know in the comments if you Trentino is on your bucket list or if you have already been to Val di Fassa/Fiemme!:) Be sure to check out the official website of Trentino, there’s a lot of cool information on different activities. You can find it here.
If you enjoy the Dolomites as much as I do, be sure to check out my other articles from the most beautiful mountain range in Europe – for example, about the 7 places to see in the Dolomites.
Cheers!
E.