San Martino di Castrozza is a picturesque ski resort situated in the Italian Dolomites, right in the heart of the national park Peneveggio Pale di San Martino, whose beauty will certainly not leave anyone indifferent. Except for unforgettable views of the Cimon della Pala (3,184 m), Rosetta (2,743 m), Pale di S. Martino (2,982) and Vezzana (3,192 m) peaks, located amphitheatrically around the village, a national park is well known for its extremely rich and dense black forests, the house of many wild animals.
San Martino is the personification of a typical alpine village set for tourism. Hotels, apartments, restaurants, shops and everything else that accompanies ski tourism is present here in large numbers. Still, one cannot help the feeling of being in a somewhat exclusive ski resort. Even if the prices do not differ from the neighboring ski destinations, San Martino still has the scent of some old times. A lot of wooden buildings and architecture of several decades ago return us to long passed "golden" ski era in which San Martino still lives.
The ski resort is a part of the Dolomiti Superski carousel which is a guarantee of quality for itself. There is about 45 km of ski slopes, almost entirely connected, except for the part under the peak of Cimon della Pala and Rosetta. Below these two rocks Col Verde slope is set, fully lit for night skiing. The slope bears a red mark, but in the upper part has blue and red variation. On top of Col Verde there is a restaurant and a departure point of a gondola that goes under the very top of Rosetta, where an unforgettable view can be admired and another restaurant is available. Only way down from here is with the gondola again since no prepared ski runs exist.
A word about the main ski area... San Martino has 9 chairlifts, 3 gondolas (2 of them on the above mentioned separate area) and 4 ski lifts. Slopes stretch on the 3 major hills - Punta Ces (2,227 m), Cima Tognola (2,383 m) and Tognola (2,220 m). All of them are connected by very ancient ski lifts. Several decades old Leitner lifts would not be such a problem if they were not so long, making you bored during the ride. Red runs dominate the ski resort. Areas around Malga Cesa and Tognola are suitable for learning the first ski steps. Only two black runs exist, one called "Direttissima" that connects to the red run and other "Tognola 1" set right underneath the gondola that runs to the peak of Tognola. Slopes are rather narrow, but well prepared and maintained. The only objection could be pointed at poor slope marking which can impede skiing during the bad weather. Skiers used to signpost with numbers of the slopes might be disappointed because the numbers can be found on the maps, but not on the courses.
Ski area on mountain pass Passo Rolle is considered a part of San Martino di Castrozza ski resort, too. Although the slopes are not connected with the ones of San Martino, it is worth coming (only by car, no ski bus here) for beautiful runs served by four chairlifts and two lifts. With Passo Rolle, there is 60 km of ski slopes in San Martino di Castrozza.
Prices in the restaurants on the slopes are common for this part of Italy. Hamburger cost about EUR 4.50, pizza around EUR 8, pasta or lasagna about EUR 7.50. Daily skipasssix-day skipass is 162 Euros. Dolomiti Superski six-day skipass costs EUR 193 and is valid on 11 neighboring ski resorts and 1,220 km of slopes.
for adults costs 32 Euros, while
Would you like to in a resort that has it all on one site, which is equally perfect for walking and enjoying the views as for skiing and active vacations in nature, San Martino could easily become your destination. But if you are in search of many kilometers of wide ski slopes served by high-speed ski lifts, then look a bit further... Ski resorts in Sella Ronda circuit are not far away.
www.ski-mag.com
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