Folgaria – Lavarone – Luserna

The Cimbrian Highlands and an Under-the-Radar Resort

Folgaria sits on the Altipiani Cimbri plateau at 1,168 metres, a tableland that in summer hosts green pastures and in winter becomes one of the most accessible and underrated ski stations in Trentino. It lacks the fame of Madonna di Campiglio and the international profile of Cortina, but it has something few Alpine resorts can claim: an exceptional geographic position — less than an hour from Verona, 45 minutes from Trento, 30 minutes from Rovereto — that makes it the ski destination closest to the Veneto-Lombard plain.

The resort unites three skiing municipalities: Folgaria, Lavarone and the small village of Luserna. The 104 km of pistes are distributed across two main basins — Folgaria to the west and Costa Rizza to the east — connected by a system of chairlifts and drag lifts that operates efficiently. The distances are not as vast as some Dolomite resorts, but the variety is sufficient for a week’s skiing without boredom.

A Resort Built for Families

Folgaria has made a clear choice about its audience: families, beginners and intermediate skiers seeking a relaxed experience without interminable queues and without luxury resort prices. The pistes are predominantly blue and red, broad and well-lit by sun, which quickly dries any icy morning crust. Local ski schools have built a solid reputation for teaching children, and the beginner parks are well equipped and safe.

Skipass prices are among the most competitive in Trentino — a meaningful difference compared to nearby Dolomite resorts that translates, for a family of four, into significant savings over the course of a week. This economic accessibility, combined with proximity to the main cities of the north-east, means weekends are very busy with visitors from nearby.

The Great War on the Mountains

What truly distinguishes Folgaria from any other Italian ski resort is the density of First World War history literally beneath skiers’ feet. The Cimbrian plateau was one of the most intense theatres of the conflict: here Italians and Austro-Hungarians faced each other for years in extreme conditions, carving trenches, tunnels and artillery positions into the same rocks where chairlifts now pass.

Forte Belvedere-Gschwent, a few minutes from the pistes, is one of the best-preserved military structures in Italy: the internal tunnels, cannons still in position, storerooms and dormitories convey a concrete sense of life and combat at 1,800 metres altitude. The visit — possible in winter on snowshoes — is one of the most intense experiences a traveller can have in Trentino, and perfectly complements a skiing holiday with a historical dimension found nowhere else.

The Cimbrian Culture of Luserna

The third municipality in the resort, Luserna, is something rarer still: one of the last Cimbrian villages in Italy. The Cimbri are a linguistic minority of medieval Germanic origin — descendants of Bavarian settlers who established themselves on the highlands in the 12th and 13th centuries and have preserved to this day their own language, Cimbrian, alongside traditions, festivities and a cultural identity distinct from both standard Italian and South Tyrolean German. In Luserna Cimbrian is still spoken among the elderly, the local museum documents this extraordinary cultural survival, and road signs are bilingual in Italian and Cimbrian.

Getting There

From Verona take the A4 and A22 to Rovereto, then the SS240 towards the plateau — around 1 hour 15 minutes total. From Trento the SS350 goes directly to Folgaria in 45 minutes. From Rovereto the ascent takes 30 minutes on a road cleared of snow throughout the season. There are no direct rail connections, but a regular bus service from Rovereto station operates throughout the ski season.