San Martino di Castrozza: Ski area guide

The southern gateway to the Dolomites

San Martino di Castrozza enjoys a special position, where the southern Dolomites open towards inner Trentino. The village lies in a sheltered bowl at 1,467 metres, surrounded on three sides by sheer rock walls.

Above it, the Pale di San Martino dominate the landscape with a shape unlike anything else in the Alps. They are not a row of separate peaks but an almost flat rock platform, the Pale plateau at over 2,600 metres, from which towers and pinnacles of pale limestone rise and glitter dazzling white in the winter sun.

This unique geology makes San Martino one of the most photographed ski areas in Italy. But the village is more than a backdrop. It is a ski resort with a long tradition, where generations of families from Trentino, the Veneto and Emilia return every winter with a loyalty only a place that offers more than a service can earn.

The Pale di San Martino and the Rosetta

The highest sector of the ski area is the Rosetta, reached by the gondola that climbs straight from the village to 2,357 metres. From here you get one of the most striking views in the Dolomites: the Pale plateau stretches as far as the eye can see to the north, while to the south the Val Cismon opens out, with the Venetian plain fading on the horizon. Cima Rosetta (2,743 m), with its chimneys and ridges, is one of the most popular climbing destinations in Trentino in summer.

In winter the Rosetta sector has the best snow in the whole ski area: facing north, it keeps its snow well even in the sunniest weeks of February and March. The runs from the Rosetta down to the village are not extreme, but their gradients and changes of terrain call for good intermediate skiers.

The ski area: variety and quality

The 60 km of runs are spread across two main basins.

• Rosetta-Col Verde, the higher sector, has the longest and most scenic descents.
• Tognola, reached by a gondola from the hamlet of Siror, has gentler, sunnier slopes, ideal for families and for skiers still working on their technique.

A connecting run links the two sectors, so you can move between them without taking your skis off, although it needs some care when it is icy in the morning.

Snowmaking covers the critical sections, but snow quality is generally high thanks to the altitude and the mainly north-facing slopes of the main sector.

Atmosphere and character

San Martino has a character of its own compared with other Dolomite ski areas of similar size. It lacks the glamour of Madonna di Campiglio and the crowds of Cortina, but it has something more intimate and personal: family-run hotels in their third or fourth generation, restaurants that work with local producers and quiet evenings that favour good food over loud nightlife.

Prices for accommodation, restaurants and ski passes are generally lower than at the luxury Dolomite resorts, with a high standard of service.

The Rolle Pass and autumn colours

A few kilometres from San Martino, the Rolle Pass (1,984 m) is one of the most photographed passes in Italy. In autumn, when the larches on the plateau turn from gold to orange before shedding their needles, the view of the Pale behind a sea of colour below is considered one of the most beautiful natural sights in the Italian Alps.

In winter the pass is open to traffic, but you need snow chains or winter tyres. Snow on the bare larches completes a very striking landscape.

Getting there

• From Trento: via Primiero on the SS50, about 1 hour 45 minutes, through Borgo Valsugana and Imer.
• From Venice: the A27 motorway to Belluno, then via Feltre and Primiero, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• From Bolzano: via Val di Fiemme and the Rolle Pass, about 2 hours.

There is no railway to the village, but shuttle buses run from Trento station at weekends in winter.