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La Villa Ski Resort
‘La Villa’ is the Italian name of this lovely Dolomite village, which also has roots in two other fascinating cultures - the Austrians know it as ‘Stern’ while in Ladin – a rare local language – you’ll hear it called ‘La Ila’.
It’s the location that makes this one of the best resorts in the Dolomites, not least because of its easy access to the Sella Ronda and central position in the Alta Badia ski area (it’s one of 6 resorts in the Alta Badia valley). The scenery here is stunning: the village marks the border between two natural parks in a valley formed by the steep walls of the Piz La Ila plateau and the Gardenazza and Sassongher Mountains.
While this is a quiet village, it’s well served by major roads and an airport transfer from Innsbruck or Venice only takes a few hours. Once you get here, the place is cosy, welcoming and small enough to cover entirely by foot. You can check out some of the other nearby towns by jumping on the bus which runs through from Brunico to Colfosco.
Some distance above the village is Santa Croce, a charming 17th Century church (with a number of good places for a mountain lunch nearby!). Down below, buildings like the Gothic mansion, Ciastel Colz maintain the area’s traditional character amongst the hotels, chalets and other modest new developments.
As well as being part of Alta Badia, the resort also belongs to Europe’s largest skiing region – the Dolomiti Superski. The area’s beauty has earned it UNESCO world heritage status, due in no small part to the striking limestone peaks and plateaus. When it comes to lifts, you’re well connected from the bottom of a number of Alta Badia lifts, which make up 53 of the 450 covered by the Dolomiti Super Ski pass.
Stats & FAQ
Location: Italy, Dolomites
Established: 20th Century
Open: December - May
Downhill: 95
View our detailed La Villa snow forecast or snow report and see all live webcams, piste maps, road and travel maps and lift pass prices. For a picture of historic snow conditions see the snow depths month by month with our La Villa snow history.
| Nearest Airport & Transfer Time: | |
| Innsbruck | 2 hrs |
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| Top Altitude: | 3,342m |
| Bottom Altitude: | 1,300m |
| Resort Altitude: | 1,433m |
| Longest run: | 8.5 km (off-piste) |
| Slope Orientation: | SE |
| Vertical Drop: | 1,500m |
| Skiable Vertical: | |
| Night Skiing: | No |
| Glacier: | No |
Snow Report
Web Cam
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| Downhill Runs: | 95 |
| Beginner slopes: | 53.5% |
| Intermediate: | 40% |
| Advanced slopes: | 6.5% |
| Lift Pass Price: | 201.00€ (Adult, 6 days) |
| Nearby resorts: San Cassiano, Corvara, Val Gardena, Dolomiti Superski, Sella Ronda | |
Skiing/BoardingSkiing in La Villa
The Alta Badia area is teeming with gentle, approachable blues for newcomers and the Ski & Snowboard School La Villa are always at hand for instruction. Try the wide, welcoming runs coming from Pralongia to get your confidence up or catch the Piz La Ila bubble and jump on one of the chairlifts at the top of it for some of Alta Badia's best blues.
More confident skiers and snowboarders can move on to Corvara, where you can join the famous Sella Ronda circuit. Decent skiers will love the reds and blues here and the network of interlinking lifts and runs means it’s possible to tackle the circuit clockwise and anti-clockwise – it’s slightly faster to whizz round clockwise, but it can get busy. Another gem is Lagazuoi, or the ‘Hidden Valley’, an easy 8.5km off-piste over soft powder. With awesome views of peaks, crags and frozen waterfalls, it’s well worth bringing a camera along for some terrific holiday snapshots. Get back to La Villa by bus afterwards or ride the horse-drawn sled to complete the experience...
Closer to basecamp there’s a host of great runs in Alta Badia; the quiet trail cut into the forest from Santa Croce to the village is a particular favourite. At the other end of the spectrum is the Gran Risa, thought to be one of the most formidable runs in the Alps and the host of the annual Alpine World Cup – definitely worth taking on if you’re proficient on the piste. Those interested in exploring away from the reach of the piste-bashers will find plenty of scope too – we love the Val Mezdi which is a challenging but ultimately rewarding route.
There’s plenty for snowboarders too; those keen to test their freestyle skills can seek out the Snowpark between the ‘La Freina’ and ‘Ciampai’, which is divided into sections based on difficulty. There’s also the Fun Slope Biok, combining piste with a variety of jumps to ease you in.
If you can tear yourself away from the downhill skiing, you may want to try out its cross-country cousin on the 38km of trails in Alta Badia.
La Villa Apres Ski
This isn’t a place for wild nightlife but it’s a goldmine for foodies with some great restaurants in town, on the mountain and dotted around the nearby villages. Italian ‘rifugios’ line the pistes, tempting passers-by with hot drinks and tasty local cuisine. The gorgeous views from Utia la Fraina’s sundeck are probably a big reason why this is a top place for lunch - it has a great reputation but is neatly hidden away, so rarely gets too busy. Long gentle blues leading away will ease you back into skiing when you’ve refuelled. At the top of the Piz La Ila lift you’ll find nice vino and lovely dishes at the Moritzino. The highlight here is the seafood, rather surprising for a restaurant 2,100m above sea level!
There’s plenty to choose from in the village itself; La Bercia is a convenient spot for families, with tasty meals at pretty low prices. Even though it’s a small distance out of the village, Gourmet La Gana is ideal for a more upmarket dinner or a special occasion. Almost all the restaurants have impressive wine-lists, so where bars are lacking there’s always the possibility of getting stuck in to one of these. There’s always the chance to take a trip to the surrounding settlements; the Badia Pub is known for its selection of wines, beers and grappa, or try Corvara’s busy L’Murin if you want to party. If you’re more interested in seeing the mountains than the bars, try paragliding to get an incredible view from above.
This isn’t a shopaholic’s Shangri-La but who wants to shop when there are Dolomites to ski? You will find a few places to pick up souvenirs, food and equipment and there’s always the option to pop over to the nearby towns if you do need some retail therapy - Colfosco and San Cassiano usually have weekly markets selling local produce and crafts.
Best time to go
Best time to ski La Villa
Best time to visit & ski La Villa
The high altitude slopes usually keep a good covering of snow through the season (December – May). If there is a lack of snowfall, you’ll find the area covered by some of the best snowmaking in Europe - in Alta Badia alone, 110km of slopes are serviced by artificial snow from a whopping 392 snow cannons.
As they face South East, the runs are often sunny, which is excellent news early in the season and at the start of the day. Higher on the Sella Ronda circuit, the trails face in all directions, so there’s usually plenty to ski all season long.
Because of its easy access, La Villa is a popular weekend retreat for Italians from the big northern cities but it still tends to be much quieter than large French resorts or the like. With more focus on relaxing and less on partying, peak dates tend to be pretty chilled out – half term in particular is often quiet as the Italians don’t have the same school holiday.
Peak Dates
This Christmas at La Villa, think of the fantastic food and incredible scenery as the presents under your tree and you can spend the time saved for writing to Santa to get on with the packing...
There are plenty of potential resolutions at New Year in La Villa, whether you choose to complete the Sella Ronda circuit, the Gran Risa World Cup slalom run or finally pull off that tricky move in the Snowpark.
Take a trip to La Villa in February to break the term-time tedium and roam the dolomites.
Most years have plenty of snow in La Villa at Easter but if you do have to call it off in the afternoons, the awesome restaurants and quaint villages to explore should more than make up for it.
Families in La Villa
If you’re after quality family time in the mountains, with days spend exploring the Dolomites and evenings of good food and wine, La Villa might be just the ticket.
Thanks to the raft of gentle blue runs in the Alta Badia, this is a good base in the Dolomites for children who are new to the slopes. The Ski & Snowboard School La Villa do private and group classes, so you can split off into age/ability groups or learn together with a private instructor. They even have a Ski Miniclub to look after tots while you take on some of the more challenging trails and if you’re bringing ski school graduates, the snow-park off the Ciampai run should keep teens occupied.
Intermediate and advanced skiers will find plenty of pistes in the enormous Dolomites Ski Area. Families who are confident on the slopes must put the Sella Ronda tour on the ‘to do’ list – an awesome day trip around the Dolomites. The untended ‘Hidden Valley’ is manageable and exquisite; it could be the perfect springboard for those who need a bit of a confidence boost off-piste.
Almost as abundant as the slopes are the restaurants – there’s some fantastic and affordable food to fill any rumbling tummies at the end of a long day. Try Fornella in Corvara or La Bercia for tasty pizzas which should leave the whole brood satisfied.
GroupsGroup Holidays La Villa
With a focus on good food and relaxation, this quiet Dolomites village is a superb place to spend quality time with friends and family. There are so many runs to try out that you might need to bring some backup, just to have a shot at seeing everything! The colossal ski area is excellent if you’re a group with varied interests and levels of proficiency - whether you prefer them wide and flat, thin and winding, or breakneck and steep, there are all sorts of slopes here. Beginners can head to Pralongia for some lovely casual blues, while more confident skiers might like to spend a day on the Sella Ronda circuit. You’ll find some fabulous un-pisted routes around the Alta Badia area as well and the local guides can show you the best powder, giving you some helpful pointers along the way.
The quiet après ski here is focused around incredible cuisine and when you hang up your boots for the day, you’re unlikely to be disappointed by the choice of restaurants. If you want affordable food and lots of choice, take your group to sample the big portions at La Ciano; they serve everything from steak to seafood, and you can’t go wrong with one of their pizzas.
Do something different and book a paragliding session if a day out on the Sella Ronda or a white-knuckle ride down the Gran Risa black isn’t enough adventure for you... The scenery is awesome from overhead and any group members without a head for heights can be designated photographers or just wait with a potent ‘bombardino’...
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