The bell tower of a small chapel on a green hill before the Dolomites, Alta Badia
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Luxury in the Italian Alps

Alta Badia

A Ladin valley in the heart of the Dolomites: Corvara, San Cassiano and La Villa below the Sella, the Sella Ronda at the door, and some of the finest mountain tables in Italy.

A chapel above Alta BadiaPhotograph: Pexels

Bun dé

The Ladin valley of the Dolomites

Alta Badia is the upper part of the Val Badia in South Tyrol, a valley of small villages, Corvara, Colfosco, La Villa, San Cassiano, Badia and La Val, ringed by the pale walls of the Sella, the Sassongher and the Conturines. The Dolomites around it have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2009.

This is one of the last places where Ladin is spoken every day, an old Alpine language descended from the Latin of the Romans, alongside Italian and German. Road signs carry all three, and the valley keeps its own churches, wooden farmhouses and feast days.

In winter the valley lies on the Sella Ronda, the circuit of four passes around the Sella massif, and every December La Villa runs the giant slalom of the World Cup on the Gran Risa. In summer the same slopes become meadows for walking and cycling, and the mountain huts serve some of the best cooking in the Alps.

A few words of Italian
EnglishItalianSay it
Hello / Good dayBuongiornobwon-JOR-no
Good eveningBuonaserabwon-ah-SAIR-ah
PleasePer favorepair fah-VOR-eh
Thank youGrazieGRAHT-see-eh
The bill, pleaseIl conto, per favoreeel KON-toh, pair fah-VOR-eh
Enjoy your mealBuon appetitobwon ah-peh-TEE-toh
GoodbyeArrivederciah-ree-veh-DAIR-chee
Gondolas crossing the snowfields below the towers of the Sella
Gondolas below the Sella towers

Where to go

Alta Badia at a glance

When to go, the one best hotel and restaurant, and how to arrive by private jet and helicopter.

Alta Badia

The Ladin villages of Corvara, San Cassiano and La Villa on the Sella Ronda circuit in the Dolomites, known for refined food in a small mountain setting. It is quieter and more private than Cortina.

When to goWinter, December to April; summer, June to September. Signature events: the Gran Risa giant slalom World Cup in December, and the Maratona dles Dolomites cycling race in July.

  • Stay
    Hotel La Perla

    Corvara, a Leading Hotels of the World member run by the Costa family at the foot of the Sella Ronda.

  • Dine
    La Stüa de Michil – Simone Cantafio

    One MICHELIN star, at Hotel La Perla.

Arrive privately
By private jet or helicopter
Bolzano (BZO/LIPB), about 1 hr to 1 hr 15 by road.
A frozen lake below a great pale Dolomite massif, larch and fir woods on either side
A frozen lake below the Dolomites

Stay

Luxury hotels and chalets in Alta Badia

The officially five-star hotels.

The five-star hotels

The 3 confirmed, officially five-star hotels in Alta Badia.

See all 3 hotels

Alta Badia (Corvara and San Cassiano)

  • Hotel La Perla

    Five-star; winter and summer. A Leading Hotels of the World member run by the Costa family in the centre of Corvara, at the foot of the Sella Ronda ski circuit.

  • Hotel Sassongher

    Five-star; winter and summer. A long-established family hotel beneath the Sassongher peak above Corvara, close to the Dolomiti Superski lifts.

  • Dolomiti Wellness Hotel Fanes

    Five-star; winter and summer. A spa hotel in San Cassiano with views across the Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature park.

Two flutes of champagne touching against a black background
Champagne

Dine

The best restaurants in Alta Badia

The finest tables.

On the mountain

Lunch on the slopes, the way the Alps do it best.

  • Club MoritzinoAlta Badia

    At 2,100 metres at the top of the Piz La Ila gondola above La Villa, serving Italian and international cooking, with candlelit dinners reached by snowcat. Visit website ↗

A wide groomed piste through the firs, a mountain restaurant and snowy peaks beyond
A piste through the firs

Ski

Skiing in Alta Badia

The Sella Ronda and the Dolomiti Superski.

Ski schools and private instructors

  • Ski and Snowboard School LadiniaCorvara (Alta Badia)

    One of Alta Badia's official schools; some of its instructors are former racers and coaches of the Italian national ski team, and it offers group and private lessons. Visit website ↗

A climber in a white helmet roped up below a great wall of pale and orange rock
Climbing in the mountains

Travel

Private jets, helicopters and first-class travel in Alta Badia

Bolzano for light jets, Innsbruck, Venice and Milan for the airlines, then the road over the passes or a helicopter.

Airlines to Milan Malpensa

First and business class.

See all 17
Pale Dolomite towers glowing at dusk above a sea of cloud and dark forest
The Dolomites above the clouds at dusk

Experience

Events and things to do in Alta Badia

The Alta Badia year: the great events, month by month; each event's own website gives this year's dates.

The Marmolada and its glacier, the Queen of the Dolomites, above larches turned gold in autumn
The Marmolada

Plan your trip

Luxury travel in Alta Badia: your questions answered

Where is Alta Badia?

In South Tyrol in north-eastern Italy, in the upper Val Badia below the Sella massif in the Dolomites. Corvara, the main village, lies at 1,568 metres. Light jets land at Bolzano, about an hour and a quarter by road; Innsbruck and Venice are about two and a half hours.

What is the Sella Ronda?

A circuit of about forty kilometres of linked pistes and lifts around the Sella massif, over four passes and through four Ladin valleys: Alta Badia, Val Gardena, Val di Fassa and Arabba. A strong skier can ski it in a day, in either direction.

When is the best time to visit Alta Badia?

Winter, December to April; summer, June to September. Signature events: the Gran Risa giant slalom World Cup in December, and the Maratona dles Dolomites cycling race in July.

Where are the best luxury hotels in Alta Badia?

Hotel La Perla, Corvara, a Leading Hotels of the World member run by the Costa family at the foot of the Sella Ronda.

How do you arrive in Alta Badia by private jet?

Bolzano (BZO/LIPB), about 1 hr to 1 hr 15 by road.

Do you tip in Italy?

A per-person cover charge (coperto) for bread and table setting is normal and is not a tip, and a service charge (servizio) may already be on the bill. Leaving a few euros, or up to about 10% for excellent service, is appreciated.

What should you wear in Alta Badia?

Italians dress with care in the evening, in the resorts as in the cities, and smart dress is expected at dinner in the grand hotels of the mountains and the lakes. In the mountains, ski clothing is normal at lunch in the huts and at après-ski. Check each hotel's dress code.

Filled pasta in a golden sauce with herbs on fine white porcelain
Filled pasta, finely plated

Beyond Alta Badia

More in the Italian Alps

The other great resorts of Italy, and The Alps beyond.

The Italian AlpsCortina d'Ampezzo, Alta Badia, the Dolomites and Lake ComoExplore the Italian AlpsThe AlpsFive countries, seventeen resorts, first class onlyExplore The Alps
Red and white wine with cured ham, olives, grissini and grilled squid on a white tablecloth
Wine and small plates at the table

Customs and etiquette

Customs and etiquette in Italy

How Italy does things.

Language
Italian is spoken across the Italian Alps and the great lakes (Como, Maggiore, Garda), with important exceptions. The Aosta Valley is officially bilingual in Italian and French, and many locals also speak a Franco-Provençal patois. In South Tyrol German is the majority language (about two-thirds of the population), Italian is spoken by about a quarter, and Ladin, a Rhaeto-Romance language, by about 4 per cent, mainly in Val Gardena and Val Badia; place names appear in German and Italian, and in the Ladin valleys also in Ladin (Ortisei is Urtijëi; Selva is Sëlva). In Cortina and the rest of the Veneto Dolomites, Italian is the language, with Ladin in some valleys. English is spoken in the leading hotels.
Greetings
"Buongiorno" is the polite greeting until the afternoon, and "Buonasera" from mid-afternoon on; greet staff on entering a shop or restaurant. In South Tyrol "Grüß Gott" and "Servus" are used as in Austria, and German is the natural first language in most villages. Friends greet each other with a kiss on each cheek; a handshake is right on first meeting.
Dress
Italians dress with care in the evening, in the resorts as in the cities, and smart dress is expected at dinner in the grand hotels of the mountains and the lakes. In the mountains, ski clothing is normal at lunch in the huts and at après-ski. Check each hotel's dress code.
Dining and shopping
Lunch is usually served from about 12.30 pm to 2.30 pm and dinner from about 7.30 pm, later on the lakes in summer. Most bills carry a cover charge (coperto) per person for bread and table service; it is legal and shown on the menu. In towns many shops close for a long midday break and on Sundays; in the resorts most open daily during the season.
Tipping
A per-person cover charge (coperto) for bread and table setting is normal and is not a tip, and a service charge (servizio) may already be on the bill. Leaving a few euros, or up to about 10% for excellent service, is appreciated.
Mountain etiquette
The FIS Rules for Conduct apply on the pistes. Italian law also requires skiers and snowboarders under 18 to wear a helmet, and requires everyone on the pistes to hold third-party liability insurance, which can be bought with the lift pass. In mountain huts (rifugi), book ahead, bring a hut sleeping bag, keep quiet in the evening and take rubbish back down.

Every list on this page is checked by hand and dated: last checked October 2026. Hotels, restaurants and events link only to their own official websites, where confirmed.

The snowy walls of the Sella above the forests of Corvara in winter
The Sella above Corvara

The Mediterranean Season Letter

Where to be, every season

Four letters a year, one for each season: the Mediterranean from spring to autumn, and Beyond the Mediterranean, into the Alps, in winter. The one best hotel to book, and the events worth crossing a sea for.