Folgarida

Trentino, north-west of Trento

Folgarida belongs to the comune of Dimaro Folgarida in Trentino, in the northern Italian region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, about 34 km north-west of the provincial capital, Trento. The municipality is a recent creation on paper: it was established on 1 January 2016 when Dimaro and Monclassico merged, and as of 2015 the combined area had a population of 2,206 across 36.53 square kilometres. It borders Cles, Commezzadura, Croviana, Malè, Pinzolo and Ville d’Anaunia.

The skiing

Folgarida sits under the Skirama Dolomiti banner, which places it within a wider Trentino grouping rather than leaving it as an isolated hill, and the figures here are 150 km of pistes and 60 lifts. The lifts run from 1,300 m to a top station at 2,180 m, about 880 m of vertical. The top falls just short of the altitude at which height alone secures the snow, so this is a mid-altitude area rather than a high one, and the base at 1,300 m is the more useful number: the village starts reasonably high, which limits the low, soft stretch that troubles lower resorts in spring.

Sixty lifts for 150 km is a notably dense network, 2.5 km of piste per lift, and our data flags the resort for modern lifts. That combination usually means quick connections and a lot of uplift capacity for the terrain, an arrangement that favours skiers who like to keep moving through a network rather than commit to one long descent. Our data does not split the 150 km by difficulty.

Character

Folgarida is a small-scale place, flagged in our data for traditional charm and scenic views, and the 2,206 residents of the whole comune give a sense of the proportions: the skiing is the big thing here, the settlements are not. The merger that created Dimaro Folgarida is recent enough that the constituent villages keep their own names and identities, and Folgarida is the one that lends its name to the lifts.

The proximity to Bolzano’s airport at roughly 38 km, and to Trento at about 34 km, also makes Folgarida unusually easy to combine with a city: this is not a remote valley head, but a resort within easy reach of the provincial capital and of an airport.

Practical

Bolzano is the nearest airport, roughly 38 km away as the crow flies, a short hop by the standards of Alpine transfers. The season runs from December to April. Municipal information, including the resort, is on the official website.