Val Gardena

Val Gardena is the gateway to the Sellaronda circuit — a 16-mile (26km) ski touring loop around the Sella massif in the heart of the Dolomiti Superski, accessing 1,200km of linked terrain across four Italian valleys. The local ski areas of Ortisei, Santa Cristina, and Selva Gardena each have a distinct character, and the Sellaronda's clockwise and counterclockwise routes take in entirely different terrain. No other resort on this list provides this combination of accessible circuit skiing, UNESCO-protected scenery, and Dolomite rock architecture at every turn.

The Dolomiti Superski lift network is one of the most extensive in the world, and Val Gardena's local infrastructure is among the best-maintained in the system. The Ciampinoi gondola and the new Col Raiser cable car provide fast access from the valley, and the interconnections through to the Sellaronda circuit are well-engineered and clearly signposted. The overall lift quality reflects decades of Italian investment in modernizing the system, and high-capacity gondolas and six-person chairlifts are the norm on the main circuit.

Val Gardena and the Sellaronda circuit represent one of Europe's great intermediate skiing destinations. The 16-mile (26km) circuit is perfectly calibrated for confident intermediates — varied, well-groomed, and providing constant visual reward from the UNESCO-listed Dolomite rock formations surrounding every descent. The Campolongo and Pordoi passes provide the highest terrain on the circuit with the most commanding views, and completing the full loop in a single day is a milestone that most intermediate skiers will remember permanently.

The culinary culture of Val Gardena reflects its unique position at the crossroads of Italian and Austrian Alpine traditions — South Tyrolean cooking combines Italian pasta and risotto culture with Austrian meat dishes and Knödel dumplings in a fusion that is genuinely delicious. On-mountain, the Rifugio Fermeda and the Rifugio Piz Sella on the Sellaronda circuit offer memorable lunches in extraordinary settings; eating a bowl of pasta with a view of the Sella massif is a quintessential Dolomites experience. The valley's restaurants are excellent value relative to equivalent quality in Switzerland or France.

The Dolomites around Val Gardena are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, and the views from the Sellaronda circuit of the Sella massif, the Sassolungo, and the Odle towers represent some of the most extraordinary mountain scenery accessible to recreational skiers in the world. Unlike the ice-and-glacier panoramas of the Swiss resorts, the Dolomites' drama comes from vertical rock — walls of pale limestone rising thousands of feet above the ski runs in forms that are architectural rather than merely geological. The morning and evening light on the rock faces produces color shifts of genuine beauty throughout the day.

Val Gardena is an excellent family destination — the three linked villages provide a variety of accommodation and skiing environments to suit different family compositions, and the Dolomites' relatively moderate terrain gradient means mixed-ability groups can ski together without the extremes of the Arlberg or Chamonix dominating the experience. The Ladino cultural character of the valley gives it an authenticity and warmth that purpose-built resorts lack, and the family-oriented Italian hospitality culture makes children genuinely welcome in restaurants and hotels.