• Home
  • /
  • Travel News
  • /
  • Discovering the Dolomites, Italys Most Deliciously Underrated Mountain Region

Discovering the Dolomites, Italys Most Deliciously Underrated Mountain Region

Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort

Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita ResortPreidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort

From here, it is an easy walk to the shiny futuristic modernist Como Alpina in the Alpe de Suisi, with its rotunda crafted from quartzite and angular wood – an architectural spaceship that’s landed into the folds of hills under the looming Sassalongo massif. Decked out in industrial lights and posters of old Tyrolean ski societies, pizzas with bubbling charred crusts and oozing stracciatella comfort families and all-day hikers. The main hotel’s afternoon trestles laid with slices of strudel, mortadella, and pecorino sandwiches—complimentary to guests—are taken with treacle thick espressos or Aperols, depending on your poison.

As GM Julian Seeber explains over a lavish spread of pepper-rimmed salami and cumin goat’s cheese, accompanied by mounds of piquant homemade horseradish, “We have the German precise way of doing things alongside the Italian passion. That’s what makes the region—and the cooking—so unique.”

La Perla hotel

La PerlaLa Perla

Where to stay in The Dolomites

La Perla

One of Alta Badia’s most beloved Dolomite hotels and home to the region’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, La Stua de Michil, La Perla in Corvara in Val Badia, has welcomed guests since 1956. The hotel now houses new rooms, including the two-bedroom Dolomite suite with a double balcony. Take an aperitvo of Franciacorta and local hams in the treehouse, which can house two people for drinks. In summer, the hotel offers everything from rock climbing courses to golf at 5,500 feet. Chef Simone Cantafio organizes immersive cooking sessions in the Stua de Michil restaurant, concluding with a wine and tasting session.

Image may contain Couch Furniture Indoors Interior Design Desk Table Window Plant and Tree

FORESTISForestis Dolomites

Forestis

An adults-only refuge focused on wellness, run by husband-and-wife team Stefan and Teresa Hinteregga, the spruce-scented rooms are cool white and minimalist. Tower suites have a day bed outside to soak in the panoramic views. The spa is based around the ancient Celtic reverence for nature and comes with an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, a Wyda room (a Celtish form of yoga practised here), and ‘silence’ rooms. The cuisine is first-rate, with Chef Roland Lamprecht’s fare drawn from the surrounding forest. Don’t miss the spectacular hikes—accessible by cable car, or for the hardier, by foot. You’d be hard-pressed to find a more calming sanctum for a long weekend break.

Image may contain Mountain Mountain Range Nature Outdoors Peak Architecture Building Shelter Scenery and Hotel

Como Alpina DolomitesAndrea Cazzaniga/COMO Alpina Dolomites

Como Alpina Dolomites

What was just the Alpina Dolomites, the Singaporean brand Como took it over last year and, along with it, a palette refresh—out with the taupe and neutral palette and in blue-hued lounge areas and bedrooms. The new Trattoria dell’Alpe offers food from Venice and Verona, focusing on fish. However, Sassolungo delivers crisped coated schnitzel alongside Como’s signature healthy fare for hearty mountain food. The labyrinthine sauna complex nods to the region’s German roots in etiquette—so make sure to read the rules and leave modesty (and swimsuits) at the door.

Hotel Gardena restaurant

Hotel Gardena restaurantFiorenzo Calosso/Gardena Grödnerhof

The best restaurants in The Dolomites

Hotel Gardena

After a day soaking in the Alpine views on Via Ferrata and well-marked trails above, the Hotel Gardena in Ortesei heads back to their One Michelin-starred Anna Stuben for a blow-out treat. The tasting menu is elevated trad cuisine—pumpkin comes with seasoned buffalo cheese, and gnocchi is crafted from beetroot and cave-aged cheese, with local riffs such as Villnoser Valley lamb alongside a gremolata. Pair with Alto Adige wines such as the blossom-rich St. Paul’s Praeclarus Brut.