Val di Fiemme – Obereggen

The Valley of Violins

Val di Fiemme opens east of Trento along the course of the Avisio torrent, in a landscape where spruce forests descend compactly from the slopes to the cultivated valley floors. Cavalese, the main centre, holds the title of “capital” of a valley that has built over the twentieth century a leading tourist identity without surrendering its productive and cultural vocation. The nickname “valley of violins” is not romantic convention: the Paneveggio Forest, which closes the valley towards the Passo di Rolle, has for centuries supplied tonewoods to Stradivari and the world’s greatest luthiers. The Norway spruce of Paneveggio, grown slowly in the peculiar climatic conditions of the plateau, develops a wood structure with acoustic qualities impossible to replicate. Visiting it in winter, with the snow dampening every sound, is an experience of silent resonance.

Alpine Skiing on the Alpe Cermis

The valley’s alpine ski resort concentrates mainly on the Alpe Cermis, the massif dominating Cavalese at 2,254 metres with 110 km of pistes spread between valley floor and summit. The descent from the Cermis is long, varied and technically demanding in its upper section: the black runs above the Cermis glacial lake require solid technique and reward with open views over the Pale di San Martino, the Dolomite group closing the horizon to the east. The connection with the Obereggen resort, on the Corno del Renon plateau, extends the skiable basin northwards and places it within the Ski Center Latemar circuit, adding further kilometres to the overall system.

The Marcialonga: Seventy Kilometres Through the Heart of the Alps

Each final weekend of January, Val di Fiemme becomes the stage for the Marcialonga, one of the most important and widely entered Nordic ski marathons in the world. The 70 km course departs from Moena in Val di Fassa, traverses the entire Val di Fiemme and crosses the finish line at Cavalese — a route passing through valley floors, forests and demanding ascents involving over 7,500 registered participants from dozens of nations. The Marcialonga was born in 1971 at the initiative of a group of local enthusiasts, modelled on the great Nordic Ski Marathon format of northern Europe, and has since grown into an event that transforms the entire valley into an endurance sports festival. Watching the start from Moena — with thousands of Nordic skiers stretched over kilometres of snow — is a spectacle requiring no technical knowledge of cross-country skiing to be appreciated in its full grandeur.

The Nordic World Championships

Val di Fiemme has hosted the Nordic World Ski Championships on four occasions: 1991, 1999, 2003 and 2013. The ski jumping facilities at Predazzo and the cross-country tracks at Lago di Tesero are Olympic-standard structures that have allowed the valley to build a world-level tradition in snow athletics. Predazzo is on the calendar for ski jumping and Nordic combined at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics — a recognition that places Val di Fiemme as one of the central stages of the Olympic event.

Getting There

From Trento the SS48 ascends the Val di Cembra and reaches Cavalese in approximately 45 minutes on a scenic route. From Bolzano follow the SS48 southwards through the Passo di Costalunga, approximately one hour. The connection with the A22 motorway is through the Egna-Ora exit to the south or Bolzano Nord to the north.