Italy 

                                  Spotlight On Val di Fassa

                                                                (Originally written for OnTheSnow.com)
                                                                                      by Ted Heck

In Italy, as in other alpine countries, skiing natives often think of valleys, instead of mountains. The country abounds in ski resorts that grew up around villages in picturesque valleys and the province of Trentino has several that can be heartily recommended.

One popular area is Val di Fassa, which has a dozen hamlets strung along a valley that is roughly 25 miles east of the major city of Bolzano and the main north-south autostrade. Canazei is the largest village and considered by some to be the prettiest, with a blend of traditional buildings, attractive hotels, and narrow streets from another time. Other communities include Penia, Alba, Campitello, Fontanazzo, Campestrin, Mazzin, Pozza, Pera, Vigo, Soraga, and Moena. Together they have 9,000 inhabitants and five times that many guest beds.

Hotels range up to four stars and offer all amenities for a happy ski vacation. And they are affordable, with half-board deals for under $100 a day.

In the entire valley there are nearly 130 miles of groomed slopes, mostly gentle and intermediate and offering runs up to four miles long and vertical descents of more than 4,000 feet. Aggressive skiers and snowboarders have plenty of off-piste possibilities.

Eighty-three lifts haul skiers uphill, but few are as popular as those at Canazei and Campitello that whisk people up to join the Sella Ronda circuit. This grand tour around unforgettable rock formations of the Dolomites is a day-long cruise that nearly everybody who comes here wants to do.

See our spotlight on Val Gardena, which has other starting points for the Sella Ronda adventure. Canazei is roughly at six o-clock on the circuit; Selva Gardena, less than a dozen miles away as the crow flies, is actually in the neighboring province of South Tyrol, at twelve o'clock.

Another adventure within the grasp of Val di Fassa skiers and riders is a day on Marmolada, highest peak in the region at just short of 11,000 feet. Its glacier, skiable even in summer, offers winter visitors a shot at a seven-mile run, with a drop of 5,900 feet.

Cross country skiers have 30 miles of track, with varying degrees of difficulty. Casual walkers have their pick of 12 miles of wander ways. Non-skiers can find nearly every kind of indoor or outdoor activity.

To see another valley where they rally, see our page on Val di Fiemme.