Villas in Fassa Valley

Canazei and Campitello put skiers on the Sella Ronda from the door, while Pozza, Soraga and Moena are quieter and cheaper. The Fassa Valley is Dolomites chalet and apartment country rather than villa country. Winters are for skiing, summers for walking and via ferrata, and the shoulder months are very quiet.

Where

Villas: 171
From, per week: £417
Cheapest month: October
Nearest airports: Verona is the usual choice, around two and a quarter hours to Moena and nearer three to Canazei. Innsbruck is around two and a half hours over the Brenner, and Venice around three. Bolzano is about an hour away but has few flights. Flights from London to Verona take around two hours.

Where to stay in Fassa Valley

Canazei, Alba and Penia (top of the valley)

Canazei has the large majority of our Fassa homes. The Pecol gondola leaves from the village for the Belvedere ski area and the Sella Ronda circuit, and Alba, just up the road, has its own cable car to Ciampac. The Pordoi and Sella passes are short drives away, as is the road under the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites. Verona airport is around two and three quarter hours away.

Best for: Keen skiers and summer walkers who want the high passes close by

Not for you if: You want a quiet, cheap base in peak weeks: Canazei is the busiest and priciest village in the valley.

Campitello di Fassa

Campitello is a couple of kilometres below Canazei, with a cable car from the village to Col Rodella, a viewpoint over the Sassolungo and a way into the Sella Ronda. In summer the same lift takes walkers up towards the Sassolungo and the Val Duron, a flat side valley with farms and huts. Canazei's shops and restaurants are a few minutes away. Allow around two and three quarter hours from Verona.

Best for: Skiers who want Sella Ronda access with fewer crowds than Canazei

Not for you if: You want lots of shops and bars: Campitello is small and you'll walk or bus to Canazei for those.

Pozza di Fassa and Vigo di Fassa (San Giovanni di Fassa)

Pozza and Vigo merged into a single municipality, San Giovanni di Fassa, in 2018. Pozza has the Buffaure gondola, linked by lifts to Ciampac and Alba, and the Aloch slope right by the village. From Vigo a cable car climbs to Ciampedie under the Catinaccio (Rosengarten), a classic walking area in summer. The Ladin museum in Vigo covers the valley's own language and culture. Bolzano is around an hour away.

Best for: Families who want easy access to the Catinaccio and slopes suited to learners

Not for you if: You want to ski the Sella Ronda every day: it starts around 15 minutes up the valley.

Moena and Soraga (lower valley)

Moena is the largest town in the valley, with more shops and restaurants than anywhere else and the Alpe Lusia ski area on its edge. The San Pellegrino pass, with more skiing, is around 20 minutes away. Soraga is a small village between Moena and Pozza, a few minutes from the lifts at either. Ski hire is easy to find in Moena and Pozza. Verona airport is around two and a quarter hours away.

Best for: Better value, a proper town and the shortest drive from Verona

Not for you if: You want ski lifts on your doorstep in Soraga: it has none of its own.

When to go to Fassa Valley

The ski season runs from early December to early April, with the Sella Ronda and Dolomiti Superski pass at the centre of it. Christmas, New Year, February half-term and Italian school holidays are the busiest weeks, and the pass roads can queue. Summer lifts and huts run from late June to mid-September, with August crowded with Italian families. July and early September are better for walking. Between mid-April and June, and again in October and November, many lifts, hotels and restaurants close.