you have a passion for winter sports and are planning a few days of fun up in the mountains, you can’t afford to miss this offer by the Dolomiti Paganella Comprensorio which includes ski lessons, health spa, water park, guided excursions into the Adamello Brenta park and day care for your children. On January 30, the Comprensorio inaugurates the Family Festival with a romantic torchlight walk through the snow. . The festival which will run until February 6 includes games, shows and other interesting outdoor activities. Discounts available for families. For further information click here.

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With temperatures on the rise we all long for a bit of fresh air! The Mondo Ayurveda package deal offered by the Pineta Hotels Wellness Resort up in the Dolomites is an opportunity not to be missed; it includes 3 nights’ stay and several beauty treatments for 354 euros per person and if you opt for the Speciale Week Start, you will get a further discount on the hotel rates (the offer is valid from Sunday to Thursday - July and August excluded)

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Everyone has their own Italian landscape love affair, whether it be the tame, olive-groved countryside of Tuscany, the Mediterranean blue of Campania or the more dramatic mountainous landscapes of the north. This beautiful aerial photograph of the Peaks of the Brenta in the Trentino part of the Dolomites comes from Luca Bertagnolio and Anthinula Tori who seem to be aviators intent on snapping some of Italy’s most beautiful scenes. See more of their pictures on Italian Notebook.

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The 2010 Capital One World Men’s Curling Championship will be held at Cortina d’Ampezzo in Veneto this year in what could prove to be an interesting event for Italians as they get to see a sport relatively unknown to them. The curling world championships will take place from April 3 to 11 in the famous Dolomites location.

The nations participating are Canada, Norway, the US, China, Japan, Denmark, France, Germany, Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland and the local Italian team. Showcasing the sport of curling could provide a nice boost in profile in Italy, and the chic location of Cortina d’Ampezzo is sure to make a fashion out of it come next season.

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I always thought popes would go on sabbatical-like holidays. You know the kind - where you go and meditate in Assisi for a few weeks before getting back to your busy papal duties. But it seems popes enjoy seaside and mountain locations as much as the rest of us, and this year Pope Benedict XVI will spend some time in the mountains in Veneto.

The Bishop of Bolzano and Bressanone, Karl Golser, has announced that instead of passing his holidays at Isarco, in Bressanone, the Pope will instead go to Lorenzago di Cadore in Belluno, in the Dolomites area of Veneto. The Bishop has released a statement saying “For us what counts is that the Holy Father can spend a relaxing time, regardless of the location.”

You’d think that was the least someone could say in knowing their town has been passed over by the Pope for somewhere else. Despite that, the issue surrounding the papal holiday has appeared in local press, although it is the eighth time the Pope has chosen Lorenzago for his summer holidays. You can imagine the preparations, although the Castello Mirabello has already hosted Benedict XVI back in 2007, and prior, even had the honour of hosting John Paul II.

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While skiing in Italy in the lovely Dolomites region, you can also contribute to the healthy upbringing of the region’s cows by staying at one of the Residence Hotels Dolomites accommodation. Until the end of winter, anyone staying in one of the eight Residence Hotels is contributing to the wellbeing of a cow, helping it to live and graze happily throughout the summer months.

Residence Hotels are located throughout some of the Dolomites most beautiful areas: Madonna di Campiglio, San Martino di Castrozza, in the Val di Fassa and in the Val Gardena. The areas have significance to the region’s agriculture, being a source of traditional Italian alpine products and foods.

While tourists enjoying their winter skiing, and indulge in some apres ski, the cows then get to come out and play in the summer months, feasting on mountain herbs and grasses at high altitudes.

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Located in the heart of the Dolomites on an old military road which leads to Cortina d‘Ampezzo, the mountain hut “ Fanes” is enchanting place where one can relax and enjoy healthy food (the famous Grey Cheese is absolutely delicious!). The whole area is redolent of age and history. Here during The Great War, the Italians and Austrians fought each other and it’s not rare to come across poignant relics of those fierful battles. The old owner of the place loves to tell people touching stories about those long years of war when the two sides shouted Christmas greetings to one another across no man’s land.

Continue reading: Holidays in the Dolomites: mountain hut Fanes, near Cortina

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Winter in Italy for 2009-2010 follows the same trend of snow shoeing as last winter. It’s an activity lost in the snows of time, and isn’t like skiing, nor like walking. In Italy, the activity is called “ciaspolare” and it’s something many Italians and foreigners enjoy, whether they’re skiers or not.

In the video above, you can see how trekking with snow shoes can appeal to nature lovers, and people enjoying the silence and the serenity of the Italian mountains in winter. In this video we’re in the Fanes Dolomites of Alta Badia.

Video | You Tube

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Go skiing in Italy in December and you could save on some great ski deals. The Alta Badia area is offering three days’ ski pass for the Dolomites in the Superski zone with breakfast at the Col Alto mountain refuge and skiing in the light of dawn with fresh snow. The Dolomites superski area comprises 12 separate ski areas connected by 1,200 km of slopes and chair lifts.

You can find the Alfa Badia ski deal at “Sciare con gusto in Alta Badia“. It’s valid from December 14th to 24th and costs from 162 to 273 euros.

Photo | Flickr

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A skiing deal for the Italian ski resort of the Dolomites Superski has some great reductions after booking at least four days skiing and hotel stay. The “Prima Neve” or “First Snow” skiing in Italy promotion includes the “Dolomiti Superski Premiere” deal, valid until December 23.

If you book four days in a hotel with skipass, you get the next days accommodation and ski passes for free, as well as discounts on ski hire and lessons. For an area with 12 skiing stations and 1,200 km of slopes, in a UNESCO world heritage site, that’s not a bad deal!

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After Cortina, more Dolomites ski resorts are opening in November, with the Dolomites Superski area opening on the 28th. It includes 12 skiing areas over 1,200 metres of slopes, and the Valle Isarco will also open, on December 5th (seen here is this beautiful photo from Dolomiti SuperSki).

This area of the Dolomites, including Plan de Corones, Alta Badia, Val di Fiemme, S Martino di Castrozza, Moena and Civetta, is now on the UNESCO list, and in the words of Reinhold Messner “The Dolomites might not be the highest mountains in the world, but they are certainly the most beautiful”.

New things for the 2009-2010 ski season include the Dolomites Super Freestyle Day from mid-January, free ski passes for children up to eight years old and 30 percent discount for teenagers up to 16. A world premier is the “Marchner” chair lift at Plan de Corones, with heated seats (this one is definitely for me!) and the “Bullaccia” Telemix lift now accommodates families and skiers who don’t want to take their skis off.

The Cianross lift at San Vigilio di Marebbe, out of service since 2007, will be open again with eight-seater cabins to access the Corn and Cianross slopes. There is a new ski slope at Val Di Fiemme which includes a slope covering about 460 metres of different altitude and a maximum slope of 59 percent, and to top it all off there is the Christmas market at Santa Cristina from December 1st.

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The town of Cortina in the Dolomites has always been the favourite haunt of celebrities and socialites, so much so that many now look on it as the playground of the rich and famous. So if you are one of them or aspired to be one of the in-crowd, the Cristallo hotel and spa is the place to be. Located in the mountains which surround the town, this deluxe hotel has plenty to offer; conference rooms (dedicated to king Gustav III and the German writer Goethe) which have been richly decorated and can accommodate up to 80 people, sophisticated lounge bars and luxurious bedrooms from which one can have a breathtaking view of the majestic mountains that surround Cortina. The Cristallo hotel also features an amazing health spa where guests can revive their body and spirit. So if you are looking for the ultimate in relaxation and pampering, the Cristallo hotel will not disappoint you.

Continue reading: Luxury hotels in the Dolomites: Cristallo Palace Hotel, Cortina

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