Paganella

Paganella in northern Italy attracts visitors with its varied, beautiful landscape and excellent snow conditions. During the ski season, which runs from early December to the end of March, the area follows a special snowmaking and piste care programme, so whatever the fickle weather does, you can be sure of enough snow for skiing (snowmaking covers 98% of the pistes). It is worth adding that the natural climate is also kind to this Alpine region. Paganella belongs to the large Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta ski area. It is conveniently located, starting just 18 km from the A22 motorway exit (Mezzocorona/San Michele). The welcoming villages of Andalo, Fai della Paganella and Molveno lie at 800 to 1,000 m. The first two are the resort's main bases; the third, a few kilometres to the south-west, sits picturesquely on the shore of Lake Molveno, the largest glacial lake in the Alps, whose name the village shares and whose appeal it complements. The small Montanara slope in Molveno lets you ski right in the village, but Molveno also makes an excellent base for the slopes of Paganella and for other places of interest in the region. More than 50 km of pistes, mostly red runs for intermediates, put Paganella among the leading resorts worth considering for a family winter holiday. All the more so because the region is well prepared for children and novices of all ages, with easy green and blue pistes and friendly staff at several well-regarded ski schools (5 in Andalo, 1 in Fai della Paganella). So anyone who has not yet caught the skiing bug has an excellent chance here to join the ranks of skiers in good conditions and with professional guidance. Fans of winter sports history will find traces of the heroes of mid-20th-century Italian skiing such as Zeno Colò and Celina Seghi (especially on the red Tre-tre piste). Perhaps the memory will let some skiers feel the winning spirit of the champions on the way down... The modern infrastructure makes it easy to move between pistes and ride the lifts to the top of the runs without stress. Visitors have, among others, 2 eight-seater gondolas and 12 chairlifts (9 four-seaters and 3 two-seaters). The total capacity of all the lifts is estimated at 27,000 people per hour. Equipment can be hired on site, at 4 rental shops in Andalo and 1 in Fai della Paganella. Although the resort is aimed mainly at people taking their first steps on skis or improving their technique, advanced skiers are also happy to come here. Among the many red pistes there are some that will satisfy seasoned skiers, and the difficult black Olimpionica 2 piste delivers stronger thrills. Paganella is also a good choice for every kind of snow activity: cross-country skiing is very popular here (one trail, floodlit until 22:00, runs around the lake, the other through the forest), as are snowboarding, skating, tobogganing, or simply building snowmen and having snowball fights. Neither parents nor children will be bored. Andalo has the most accommodation (more than 4,000 beds), but good deals can also be found in Fai della Paganella and Molveno (2,500 beds in each village). The vast majority are cosy family-run hotels. Après-ski is well catered for in every village, both for food and drink (pubs, cafés, restaurants, pizzerias) and for entertainment (a cinema, discos, live concerts, trips to the most interesting natural sites of the Brenta massif, evening torchlit walks and so on). What more could you want?