For the third time in history, northern Italy is set to become the scenic stage for the highly anticipated Olympic Winter Games. Taking place across a broad scope of venues from its two main host sites, Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, to Bormio and Livigno ski resorts in Valtellina, Predazzo and Tesero in Val di Fiemme, Anterselva/Antholz in Süd-Tyrol and the city of Verona, this major sporting event is the ultimate showcase of this region, and will be the most geographically widespread Winter Olympics to have ever taken place.
While Milan will host the opening ceremony and figure skating, Verona the closing ceremony, and Livigno and Bormio their share of skiing and snowboarding, the majority of the action will take place at sites in and around the Dolomites. For both panoramas and sporting prowess, this region certainly sets itself apart. Not only is the Dolomite landscape designated a World Heritage Site for its unique geographical features and exceptional beauty, but this dramatic region is also home to one of the world’s largest interconnected ski areas, Dolomiti Superski, enabling travellers to ski from village to village with this UNESCO-listed landscape as their backdrop.
Ancient peaks overlook deep wooded valleys, and powdery snow dusts the slopes. Small villages and mountain towns, including the upscale resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, known as the ‘Queen of the Dolomites’, smatter this breathtaking landscape, while several more remote properties lie further from the action. Scenic roads wind through the mountains to each village and retreat.
Drawing high fliers to the small village of San Cassiano, the celebrated luxury lodge Rosa Alpina reopens this year following its transformation into an Aman sanctuary. The legendary designer Jean Michel Gathy led the reimagination of this mountain hideaway, now fusing the Alpine spirit with modern, minimalist Eastern aesthetics, to provide a contemporary take on the traditional Alpine stay.
As well as providing direct access to Dolomiti Superski from its privileged location, the newly imagined hotel hosts a series of high-adrenaline experiences. Snowshoe across the mountain expanse and take to the skies for helicopter sightseeing over the peaks, valleys and glistening lakes. There’s also the chance to go off the beaten path as you ascend and carve down untouched slopes on ski touring adventures or accompany a mountain guide to ice-climbing spots such as Serrai di Sottoguda.
Over on South Tyrol’s Alpe di Siusi – one of Europe’s largest high-altitude plateaus – the modern architectural masterpiece, COMO Alpina Dolomites, then affords access to the mountain sports of Val Gardena. This year, the luxury hotel is also launching a new series of exclusive retreats combining the area’s world-class snow sports with luxury hospitality and wellness.
As a part of these retreats, in December a stay affords guests VIP access to the 2025 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup in the company of US World Cup champion Travis Ganong; in January the hotel will host a ski carving camp led by the FIS Alpine World Cup champion Matthias Hargin and elite ski racers Kili Weibel and Nathan Taugwalder; and in March guests will have the opportunity to ski with Olympic racing legends Travis and Marie-Michèle Ganong as a part of a five-to-seven-night escape.
Adventure and wellness also come together at Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti, on the edge of the village of Pinzolo and part of Madonna di Campiglio, which with 150km of slopes is the biggest ski area in Trentino. The architecturally striking hotel, wrapped in mountain vistas, stands out for both its winter pursuits and 5,000sqm spa – among the largest wellness areas in the Alps.
Spend a day skiing renowned black slopes (Amazzonia, Canalone Miramonti, Spinale Direttissima, Pancugolo and Tulot Audi Quattro) from here or get to know the trails of Val Rendena on a ski mountaineering excursion, before unwinding in this wellness sanctuary complete with indoor and outdoor pools that blend in with the landscape. Take the views in from up high during your stay by winter paragliding from Doss del Sabion.
You can reach each of these Alpine hideaways by following the spectacularly scenic roads that wind through the Dolomites from the cities and airports of Bolzano, Verona and Milan, to name a few starting points. Legendary routes through the mountains afford further exploration by road. The Great Dolomites Road, between Bolzano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, traverses this dramatic landscape, taking in many of the region’s most prominent peaks.
Closer to the host city, Milan, down on the shores of Lake Como, a different kind of winter retreat beckons. Perhaps considered first for a summer sojourn, the legendary lakeside sanctuary Villa d’Este is now elevating the winter experience it provides with heli-skiing at Monte Cervino, better known as Matterhorn. This lakeside Renaissance residence, wrapped in baroque gardens, provides the palatial setting for a cosy winter escape that could see you being whisked up to the mountainside by helicopter and taking in a bird’s eye view of the famously scenic roads you navigated on your Winter Olympics-inspired exploration of northern Italy.
From its scenic drives to high-altitude pursuits, this side of “Il Bel Paese” truly shines in the winter months.
