Folgaria - Lavarone - Luserna: Ski area guide

The Cimbrian plateaus and a resort under the radar

Folgaria lies at 1,168 metres on the Altipiani Cimbri, the Cimbrian plateaus. In summer they are green pastures; in winter they become one of the most accessible and underrated ski resorts in Trentino.

Folgaria does not have the fame of Madonna di Campiglio or the international crowd of Cortina. What it does have is an exceptional location: less than an hour from Verona, 45 minutes from Trento and 30 minutes from Rovereto. That makes it the closest ski resort to the plains of the Veneto and Lombardy.

The ski area joins three villages: Folgaria, Lavarone and tiny Luserna. Its 104 km of runs are split between two main basins, Folgaria to the west and Costa Rizza to the east, linked by an efficient network of chairlifts and drag lifts. You will not find the vast distances of some Dolomite ski areas, but there is enough variety for a week’s holiday without getting bored.

A resort made for families

Folgaria knows exactly who it is for: families, beginners and intermediate skiers who want a relaxed experience, without endless queues or luxury-resort prices.

The runs are mostly blue and red, wide and sunny, so icy snow softens quickly on frosty mornings. The local ski schools have a strong reputation for teaching children, and the learning areas for the youngest are well equipped and safe.

Ski pass prices are among the lowest in Trentino. Compared with the nearby Dolomite resorts, a family of four saves a significant amount over a week. Low prices and the short drive from the main cities of north-east Italy mean weekends get very busy with day-trippers from the region.

The Great War in the mountains

What really sets Folgaria apart from any other Italian ski resort is the amount of First World War history that lies, quite literally, under skiers’ feet. The Cimbrian plateau was one of the harshest fronts of the war. Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops faced each other here for years in extreme conditions, digging trenches, tunnels and gun emplacements into the same rock the chairlifts pass over today.

Forte Belvedere-Gschwent, a few minutes from the slopes, is one of the best-preserved military forts in Italy. Its tunnels, guns still in place, stores and dormitories give a vivid idea of how soldiers lived and fought at 1,800 metres. You can visit in winter too, on snowshoes. It is one of the most powerful experiences a traveller can have in Trentino, and it adds a historical dimension to a ski holiday that you will not find elsewhere.

Cimbrian culture in Luserna

The third village in the ski area, Luserna, is something even rarer: one of the last Cimbrian villages in Italy. The Cimbrians are a linguistic minority of medieval Germanic origin, descended from Bavarian settlers who moved to the plateaus in the 12th and 13th centuries.

They have kept their own language, Cimbrian, to this day, together with their traditions, festivals and a cultural identity distinct from both Italian and South Tyrolean German. In Luserna older residents still speak Cimbrian, the local museum documents this remarkable survival and road signs are bilingual in Italian and Cimbrian.

Skiing, Great War history and a minority culture: this layering makes Folgaria one of the most complex and fascinating ski areas in Trentino, despite its modest altitude and low profile.

Getting there

• From Verona: the A4 and A22 motorways to Rovereto, then the SS240 up to the plateau, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
• From Trento: the SS350 takes you straight to Folgaria in 45 minutes.
• From Rovereto: a 30-minute climb on a road that is regularly cleared of snow in winter.

There is no direct rail link, but buses run regularly from Rovereto station throughout the ski season.