Objevte krásy Dolomiti Alta Badia

If we take a look at Vila Ruac and Alfarëi we can see one of the oldest in the whole valley.
This is a late-Romance house in the architectural style of the medieval period, the oldest kind of house which can be found in the valley. What was once the hay barn has a stable on the ground floor and is characterized by a wide balcony, the "parincinch", where agricultural products were dried.
A short distance away there is an old sawmill and a mill. On the path leading from the farm to the old mill, which has recently been restored, we can see various types of fencing which were often used.

The house "Alfarëi" is today a restaurant where typical food is prepared on reservation.

The Gran Risa slope is one of the most technical slopes in the Alpine Ski World Cup circuit. With its gradient (average 36%) and curves the Gran Risa represents a challenge even for the greatest champions. In fact, the greatest ski stars such as the unforgettable Alberto Tomba who celebrated some of his greatest successes or Ted Ligety, Michael von Grünigen, Bode Miller and Marcel Hirscher have met here in recent years.

The Gran Risa slope is one of the most technically and demanding slopes in the alpine ski circus. With an altitude difference of 448 m, a length of 1,255 m and a maximum gradient of 69%, it challenges the world's best skiers every year.

The start of the piste can be reached from La Villa with the Piz La Ila cable car and via the ski slopes on the Piz La Ila - Piz Sorega plateau.

The descent through the forest starts just below the junction of the black and red slopes of Piz La Ila and runs through the forest close to La Villa. Since the slope extends mostly north and long parts through the forest, it is in the shade for the entire day. This makes it particularly speedy and sometimes even icy.

After overcoming the steep slope at the start, a marked bend leads the descent into a steep, narrow gully. The descent then leads to a second change of direction to arrive at the finish.

If you want to follow the footsteps of the world's best skiers, such as Ingemar Stenmark, Mark Girardelli, Michael von Grünigen, Ted Ligety, Bode Miller, Marcel Hirscher and of course the most successful racer in Italy - Alberto Tomba, and try the Gran Risa, you should be a well-trained skier.

But it’s worth to try, the satisfaction will be great because Gran Risa means pure emotion and adrenaline!

Technical data of the slope

Start at:1.868 m (6128ft)
Finish at:1.420 m (4658ft)
Drop: 448 m (1469ft)
Length:1.255 m (4117ft)
Maximum slope: 69%
Average slope: 36%

A church of the village was already mentioned in a document of the 15th century.

The reconstructed building dates back to 1782. The exterior aspect of the building consists of clearly separated architectural parts, while the interior decoration presents a subdivision in pilasters.

The Armentara meadows, a natural biotope in which flora and fauna merge harmoniously, are a natural spectacle of rare beauty. By crossing soft mountain meadows, in summer you can admire rare orchids, silicate spruce trees, larch meadows, stone pine forests and more than 60 varieties of birds. Wide pastures testify the work of our farmers who have shaped the landscape respecting its delicate natural balance.

In winter the Armentara meadows are the idyllic location for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Alta Badia, also known as the Gourmet Valley in the Dolomites, has been awarded for years by the leading gastronomy guides. And indeed, in Alta Badia you can find four Michelin stars on just 15 square kilometers.

And the best thing is: good food is not only to be found in top-class restaurants. For years, high-quality gastronomy has been one of the most important aspects of Alta Badia's tourist offer so you will be able to satisfy the joys of the palate both, in the valley as well as at the top of the mountain and on the ski slopes.

The Alta Badia ski pass and the Dolomiti Superski ski passes can be purchased online.

However, if online is not for you and you prefer to purchase your pass on arrival while picking up a few tips from the staff, you can go to one of the skipass sales offices in Alta Badia.

The Complojer shoe shop is a family business in its third generation. Our shop is located in the craft area along the Val Badia state road. Our shop offers a wide assortment of mountain, fashion, leisure, slippers and children's shoes. We have a workshop to guarantee an after-sales repair service.

"Our priority is to satisfy every customer need."

The Alta Badia ski pass and the Dolomiti Superski ski passes can be purchased online.

However, if online is not for you and you prefer to purchase your pass on arrival while picking up a few tips from the staff, you can go to one of the skipass sales offices in Alta Badia.

If we take the path above the Church in Badia, after about half an hour, we arrive at a junction; one road leads to Valgiarëi and the other to Sotciastel. The name of this farm is easy to  explain; the Ciastel farm is further above. As it's the case in many other places the name of the settlement below is given with the preposition "sot" (below).

In the 1980s Sotciastel became famous as the result of research carried out by the University of Trento in cooperation with the Provincial Monument Office and the Ladin Cultural Institute "Micurá de Rü". These excavations proved that a Bronze Age settlement including permanent living quarters once stood here. The kind of articles found: parts of weaving looms, kitchen implements, agricultural tools, jewellery, pins and awls lead us to believe that the settlement was agricultural and pastoral, was inhabited the whole year round and that above all sheep, goats, oxen and cattle were reared.

The settlement in Sotciastel appears to have been one of the first in the valley where people lived for a longer period of time.

The centre point of the First World War ski tour is the symbolic mountain of the 1st world war, Mount Col di Lana. The 80 km (49 mi) tour takes you around this mountain. Everywhere, you will find traces of World War 1: Artefacts from the war era, trenches running right through the rocks, parapet walks and forts.

In Alta Badia, you will start in Corvara and go to Campolongo Pass until you reach Arabba. Via Arabba and Porta Vescovo, you will reach Malga Ciapela/Marmolada. From here, you can take a detour to Marmolada Glacier (3,342 m / 10,964 ft). The lifts at Marmolada are included in the Dolomiti Superski pass.

Continue with the ski bus to Alleghe, where you can explore the runs of the skiing region Civetta. The ski bus takes you from Pescul to the Fedare hut (Giau Pass). From the Fedare slope you reach the forcella Croda Negra (Croda Negra pass) with a two-seater chair-lift.

On the north side of the Forcella Negra the new Averau-Troi ski track brings you to the Col Gallina and to Passo Falzarego where you continue for Alta Badia with the Lagazuoi ski tour.

For the whole tour you need approximately 7 and 8 hours. Therefore, we recommend to take off in the early morning in order to finish the tour in time before the lifts close.

The tour can be done either clockwise or anti-clockwise, and in both cases there are sections in the ski bus, the ticket for which must be purchased directly on board - not included in the ski pass. The counter-clockwise route includes an atmospheric section of approx. 1.5 km in which skiers are pulled by a parade of Norse horses. 

One of the most spectacular descents of this tour is definitely the ski slope that from the top of Lagazuoi descends towards Armentarola in Alta Badia, the longest ski slope in the Dolomites.

The Alta Badia ski pass and the Dolomiti Superski ski passes can be purchased online.

However, if online is not for you and you prefer to purchase your pass on arrival while picking up a few tips from the staff, you can go to one of the skipass sales offices in Alta Badia.

"La Roda", the giant wooden bicycle, can be seen in the meadows at the finish area of the Maratona dles Dolomites cycle marathon. The artwork, created by a local artist in 2016 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the cycling marathon, has become a symbol of the passion for cycling that can be felt everywhere in Alta Badia.

Bicycle events in Alta Badia:

• Sellaronda Bike Day - 07.06.2025 and 13.09.2025
• Dolomites Bike Day - 21.06.2025 
• Maratona dles Dolomites - 06.07.2025

The snow cave at the foot of the Sas dla Crusc/Sasso Croce massif - le ander dla nëi in Ladin language - is a natural cave which is formed by the snowmelt in the spring months and sometimes remains intact until the following winter. However, if only small amounts of snow fall in the winter, the cave will not form. During particularly cold and snowy winters, accumulations of snow remain in shaded areas and compact into large ice masses. Accumulations of scree and mud insulate the surface. The melt water flows down the mountain and underneath the ice masses and even though the temperature of the water is only just above freezing point, as it runs though, it carves out a small cave underneath the layers of ice. The cave continues to grow in size in the summer: the narrow hollow carved out by the stream is filled with cold air which is denser and therefore heavier than the summer air outside. This in turn sets off an inverted chimney effect: the heavy cold air sinks down to the bottom of the cave, giving rise to a strong draught from the top to the bottom of the snow cave. Warm summer air is now drawn into the cave from the upper openings, causing the cave to melt from within. In the meantime, the warm is cooled by the ice and thus flows out through the lower opening as heavy air. This effect can continue for months, melting an ever larger cavity in the ice.

P.S.: Please be aware that near the cave there is a risk of rockfall.

The hamlets are farming communities spread over the slopes of Val Badia at an altitude of between 1200 and 1700 metres.

They differ from typical farms in the rest of South Tyrol in their concentrated form as well as their basic structure and administration.

The space under the bridge leading to the barn and the paths that link everything together belong to all the farmers in the hamlet.
The surrounding field are devided so that each family can earn a living.

The farm houses are located one next to the other in the hamlets and next to them the fodder stores, the corn silo, the wood shed, the well and a small chapel.

The idyllic mountain lake, situated at 2252 metres above sea level, lies in a deep natural basin surrounded by the rugged cliffs of the Sella Group. The lake can be reached from the top station of the Boé cable car in just 20 minutes on an easy footpath. Those who want to walk a little longer can reach the Franz Kostner hut on the Vallon from Lake Boé on path no. 638.

Gigant – the giant, is a work of art in polished steel that was created by the artist Daniele Basso for the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Ski World Cup in Alta Badia. The giant takes up the skier of the World Cup logo and symbolizes the sport of skiing. It is, above all, an acknowledgement to all the volunteers who contributed to the great and unique success of the Ski World Cup in Alta Badia.

The artwork was set up at the Piz La Ila mountain station where the descent to the famous Gran Risa slope begins.

The circuit crosses the 4 Dolomite passes - Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella and Gardena - and 5 famous resorts: Corvara and Colfosco in Alta Badia, Arabba, Canazei and Selva di Val Gardena. In 2020, the Sellaronda was awarded the title of 'best ski tour' by the portal skiresort.de.
Alta Badia is the ideal starting point to begin the tour, which can be done clockwise or anticlockwise: either way, you will cross 40 km of beauty and enchantment, surrounded by the extraordinary Dolomite landscapes.
Clockwise the signs are orange, anticlockwise green. 
The slopes are suitable for skiers of average experience in good physical condition. For those who wish to dare more, there are some 'disgressions', such as the Gran Risa giant slalom slope in La Villa in Alta Badia or the Saslong descent in Santa Cristina in Val Gardena. 
To complete the Sellaronda, one must calculate about 6 hours between descents, ascents and breaks included.

Some data:

• Total length: 40 km (lifts and slopes)
• Slopes: 26 km
• Ascent time on the lifts: approx. 2 hours - calculate that waiting times are possible
• Average duration of descents: approx. 1.5 hours

Old parish church St. Genesius.                                                         

Along the slope from the Lagazuoi to the Capanna Alpina You drive past a very particular natural phenomenon.
In winter, when everything freezes, wonderful ice-waterfalls arise on this mountain. They are particular, because in summer water flows rarely at this point.
The waterfalls are very interesting for climbers.

The Deer Park “Sompunt”, between La Villa and Badia includes more than 7 hectares of meadows and forest where more than 30 species of deer and fallow deer live together in harmony.
The park can be easily reached by car, bus or by foot.

Starting from the hut “Paraciora” and following an easy marked path, you can admire these wild animals living in uncontaminated nature.
The path is approx. 1 km long.

The route is indicated by arrows and information boards on which you will find some information about the park and its majestic inhabitants. The trail is also suitable for trekking strollers.

• Every Tuesday from 1st June till 1st October from 10. 00 a.m. until 11.00 a.m. you can visit the Deer Park with the owner. Meeting Point is the hut “Paraciora”. The visit is free.

Our Park offers a playground for children and there are also ponies, donkeys, rabbits, ducks, chicken and goats to see.

At the foot of the rocky walls of the "Grup dl Sela" or Sella Group, the most imposing massif of the Dolomites, you can admire the suggestive “cascades de Pisciadú”. The waterfalls, which can be reached from Colfosco with an easy walk through a large clearing, are particularly impressive in spring, when thanks to the thaw they are rich in water.

 

This chapel in the hamlet "Rü" was built in 1973 and is dedicated to the Madonna of Lourdes.

Families which have owned the same land for more than 200 years are awarded a "Deed of inheritance" by the Province of Bolzano-South Tyrol. The Nagler family has been honoured in this way.

The original name was "Murin da Coz" because grain from the Coz farm was milled ("murin" means mill in Ladin) here. The oldest written documents mention Hof Palua (The Palua farm) in about 1566, Pares in 1780 and finally Murin. The first settlement can be dated 1296; the saw and the grain mill probably needed water power. In 1771 the "Brochia" family from Longiarü settled here. In common with many other family names in Val Badia, "Brochia" was reinvented in German, in this case, as "Nagler".

In those days priests as well judges came from places outside Ladinia and they could not speak Ladin which led them to renaming their family names; most written documents were set out in German or Italian. Before 1800 the Ladin language was used relatively rarely in written documents.

Now the Murin farm is private and can be visited outside doing the culture trail in Badia.

The biotope relaxing zone is frequently visited by young and adult guests that appreciate the three ponds, a lawn with showers, a bar with restaurant and a children's playground.

Holiday is even more beautiful if activity and fun are compatible with the surrounding ecosystem and the biotope lake of Corvara is.

The area of the Sotscofes biotope lake with a swimming lake, a pond for children, a regeneration pond for the biological cleaning of the water and a beautiful sunbathing lawn is ideal for a relaxing break with a view. Experience the pleasant feeling of cooling off in fresh and pure water, without chlorine and chemicals, and enjoy the surrounding landscape. The view ranges from the Sassongher to the Sas dla Crusc and, if you stop until sunset for an aperitif in the bar attached to the lake, you can watch the Enrosadira show that colors the Sas dla Crusc cliffs in warm red-pink-orange colors.

Next to the lake there is also a playground for the little ones, the access to the playground is free of charge.

Prices:

Adults: € 8,50
Children (7-14): € 6,50
Children (up to 6 years and only if accompanied): € 3,00
with Alta Badia Summer Card -20%
Deck chair: € 4,00

The MoviShop is located in the centre of Corvara, on the main promenade. Clothing and accessories by Movimënt Alta Badia to take home a lasting souvenir of your holiday.

Sweatshirts and t-shirts, technical and bike wear. Accessories such as hats, bandanas, neck warmers, caps and much more. Articles suitable for the whole family, both adults and children.

Even four-legged friends will find a souvenir to take home.

The parish church Saint Catherine of Alexandria, mentioned in 1347 and consecrated in 1452, is the first church of Corvara. In the small church, built in late gothic style, you can admire some admirable works of art.

For example, there are some frescoes and a winged altar dating back to 1520, the only well-preserved winged altar in the Val Badia valley. The altar was realized by the workshop of Ruprecht Potsch and was restored in 1975. The legend tells, that the landscape paintings on the two panels of the altar are by the famous painter Titian, who was probably in Corvara for a short time. Art experts attribute the work to an artist from the so-called Danube School, Albrecht Altdorfer.

Around the church there is, as usual in our alpine area, the town cemetery.

The Coz residence is a short distance away from San Linert. The name "Coz" appears to be of pre-Latin origin and comes from the word "koltju" although we do not know where this word comes from or what it means. This is one of the oldest farms in the area.

The Coz residence we see today was built by the Colz family in 1604. The residential part was renovated in 1996/97. The Colz family sold the farm to the Winkler family from St. Lorenzen in 1695 and they sold it to Jakob Irsara in 1754 and his family still own the farm.

The house is a rectangular form and a hipped roof with two wings. The decorations in the house chapel are very valuable; built in 1613 we can see scenes from the creation, the life of Moses, the Crucifixion and the copper snake. On the external wall we can see two saints; St. Christopher and St. Florian.

In addition to the living quarters there are also smaller buildings such as the corn silo, the smithy and the fodder store.

Now the Coz residence is privat and can be visited outside doing the culture trail in Badia.

Alta Badia, also known as the Gourmet Valley in the Dolomites, has been awarded for years by the leading gastronomy guides. And indeed, in Alta Badia you can find four Michelin stars on just 15 square kilometers.

And the best thing is: Good food is not only to be found in top-class restaurants. For years, high-quality gastronomy has been one of the most important aspects of Alta Badia's tourist offer so you will be able to satisfy the joys of the palate both, in the valley as well as at the top of the mountain and on the ski slopes.

The area around the Lagazuoi mountain offers a combination of hiking, skiing, culture and world history, in one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world, the Dolomites. The mountains of the area Lagazuoi - 5 Torri, bear traces of one of the most tragic events of the twentieth century, the First World War.

Do not miss: in winter, at the end of an impressive 8.5 km descent, the most ecological taxi in the Alps awaits you. A heard of horses pulls the skiers from Sas Dlacia to the Armentarola ski lift to get back to the Skicarosello ski area which connects all villages of Alta Badia.

Sompunt is located between Badia and La Villa and was an important residence for the families Mayrhofen and Koburg (rich families in the 19th century).
The house was already mentioned in the year 1296 and it is painted with decorations of the 16th century.

Today the house is privat and inhabited.