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With head bowed, over clasped hands, Italian director Maura Delpero‘s quietly breathtaking “Vermiglio” unfolds from tiny tactile details of furnishings and fabrics and the hide of a dairy cow, into a momentous vision of everyday rural existence in the high Italian Alps. ar away, the Second World War is ending — an earthshaking event felt here only...

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Known as the Queen of the Dolomites – the mountain range was declared a United Nations World Heritage Site in 2009 – Cortina d’Ampezzo has a thousand-year history and began welcoming intrepid mountaineers and affluent tourists in the second half of the 19th century. Already well-known among winter tourists in the first half of the 20th century, the...

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Val di Funes is located in the center of the Dolomites in South Tyrol and gives visitors unique views and an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Here in the valley, some of the best known spots undoubtedly include the Odle Mountains, which feature peaks that can dominate the entire valley. The characteristic villages of the valley are nestled in t...

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If you ever wondered what it’s like visiting a ski destination in summer, let me tell you that the rumours are true: it really is like stepping into a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale. At least, this was my first impression when I visited the Italian Dolomites. I blame Disney but I kept expecting Julie Andrews to come bursting out with “The Hills...

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Val di Non is a valley located in the Trentino-Alto Adige region. It is surrounded by the Dolomites and the Rhaetian Alps, and its notoriety is due to its unnatural landscapes and colors. The valley features several lakes, such as Lake Tovel and Emerald, known without a shadow of a doubt for their intense hues and ideal for hiking, picnics, and rel...

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The Swiss get all the credit for the Alps, which is a shame, because the Italian Alps are ridiculously pretty. They’re particularly spectacular in the Dolomites, a range of 18 peaks in the northeast of Italy that UNESCO says “are widely regarded as being among the most attractive mountain landscapes in the world.” That seemed like reason enough to...

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There’s a buzz happening in the Italian mountains, with a slew of new openings and hotel updates putting The Dolomites firmly in the spotlight. Firstly, making it easier than ever to reach the UNESCO-protected peaks found in north-eastern Italy, is SkyAlps’ new direct flight route from London Gatwick to Bolzano. The Italian airline first launched i...

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Italy is certainly addressing its problem with tourist numbers, with authorities implementing everything from a tourist tax in Venice to an ice cream ban in Milan. But it’s not all about restrictions – the government is working on spotlighting lesser-known destinations to encourage more sustainable tourism, too.  One of the vintage tourist train ro...

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A new hiking trail winding through the wild, nature-rich landscape of Italy’s Dolomites mountain range has just opened. The Cammino Retico is named after the ancient Raeti people who once lived there in pre-Roman times. It connects various remote villages between the Veneto and Trentino regions. The circular route is 170 kilometres long and can be...

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Backlit by the setting sun, which is casting tremulous spotlights through the gathering steam, Teresa Altamura moves around the sauna with the grace of a swan. In one hand, she holds a large white fan, waving it like a wing through the humid air; with each movement, the scent of Alpine larch wafts over me. “Breathe deeply,” she whispers. I’m perche...

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