Val di Fassa and Canazei
The gateway to the Sella and the Marmolada
In the north east of Trentino, the Val di Fassa is one of the most famous valleys of the Dolomites, surrounded by some of the most spectacular groups of the range: the Sella, the Sassolungo, the Catinaccio, the Latemar and the Marmolada. It is one of the five Ladin valleys, where the inhabitants still speak Ladin, an ancient Rhaeto-Romance language, and preserve their own traditions, costumes and legends, told in the Museo Ladin de Fascia in San Giovanni di Fassa. At the head of the valley, at 1,460 metres, Canazei is its main resort, a village of wooden houses with flowered balconies, lively in winter and summer.
Canazei is one of the gateways to the Sellaronda, the famous ski tour around the Sella massif, which crosses four passes, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena and Campolongo, and four valleys, Fassa, Gardena, Badia and Livinallongo, linked by lifts and slopes, part of the Dolomiti Superski, the largest ski area in the world. From the Passo Pordoi, a cable car climbs to the Sass Pordoi, at about 2,950 metres, called the "Terrace of the Dolomites" for its 360-degree view. A few kilometres away rises the Marmolada, the "Queen of the Dolomites", at 3,343 metres the highest peak of the range, with its glacier, which can be reached by cable car from Malga Ciapela, on the Veneto side, with a museum of the Great War at the top. In summer, Val di Fassa is a paradise for hiking, climbing and via ferratas.
Tip: in summer the passes are crowded by car, use buses and lifts; the Sellaronda can also be done by mountain bike or e-bike.
Where it is
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Where to stay near Canazei
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