by Ondine Cohane & Ed Smith

For a quieter and less crowded alpine experience, head to this ski oasis on the Italy-Austria border.

Skiing the Dolomites may prompt the following question, "Am I in the Alps?" Geographically, of course, the answer would be yes.

Shooting up some 10,000 feet from the chain's southeast foothills, this jagged ridge of 18 limestone peaks stitches together a region vastly independent from the rest of the Alps, like the bohemian branch of a grand old aristocratic family.

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Source: http://www.cntraveler.com/