Heading to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games? Don’t miss these stops along the way

All eyes will be on northern Italy this February when the torch is lit for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. While Milan will host much of the fanfare, organisers have taken the bold move of scattering events across the jagged peaks of the Dolomites, from Cortina d’Ampezzo to Valtellina. Hoteliers and restaurateurs have seized the moment, debuting sleek new boltholes and reviving heritage stays with ambitious makeovers. The picturesque mountain chain is not just ready, it’s newly polished for its global close-up.

Where to stay in the Dolomites

Aman Rosa Alpina

The long-awaited Dolomites outpost of the Aman hotel group has finally arrived in the form of Aman Rosa Alpina, a 51-key ultra-luxury stay in the storybook village of San Cassiano. The interiors take a refined approach to alpine minimalism, with spacious rooms lined in blonde wood with carved stone fireplaces. Drinking and dining include a range of dining venues that celebrate the mountain locale, including a private dining room hidden within the hotel’s impeccably stocked wine cellar.

Aman Rosa Alpina is located at Strada Micurà de Rü, 20, 39036 San Cassiano, Italy.

Ancora Cortina

What happens when a fashion mogul sets his sights on a historic alpine hotel? You get the hotel Ancora Cortina, recently reborn under Diesel founder Renzo Rosso. He enlisted designer Vicky Charles to conjure wood-clad salons with velvet armchairs and jewel-toned spaces packed with custom Molteni&C furnishings, antiques and contemporary art. Après-ski continues in the Brave Club speakeasy, fitted with mirrored walls, curving, snake-like banquettes and a DJ booth.

Ancora Cortina is located at Corso Italia, 62, 32043 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

Berghoferin

Hidden in the pine-clad hills of South Tyrol, Berghoferin Fine Hotel & Hideaway channels the feeling of staying at your most discerning friend’s generations-old family chalet. The rooms are layered with handcrafted textiles and antiques, including vintage sofas newly upholstered in bright patterned fabrics from historic Swedish retailer Svenskt Tenn. Many feature reading nooks with views that stretch across the Italian, Swiss and Austrian Alps. And just outside, the sauna hut is fuelled entirely by wood – a welcome refuge after a winter dip in the heated pool.

Berghoferin is located at Redagno di Sopra, 54, 39040 Redagno, Aldino, Italy.

Where to eat and drink in The Dolomites

1224 Restaurant

The Grand Hotel Savoia has been a magnet for illustrious guests – Winston Churchill, Tolstoy, Sophia Loren, among them – since it opened in 1912. Never one to rest on its laurels, however, the hotel recently unveiled its latest fine dining concept, 1224 restaurant. The varied menu, which sets dishes like tomahawk steak and Iberico ham alongside an entire section dedicated to vegetable-based dishes, is a crowd-pleaser that caters cleverly to its international cohort of visitors.

1224 Restaurant is located inside The Grand Hotel Savoia, Via Roma, 62, 32043 Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy,

Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler

When it opened in 2023, the latest concept from South Tyrolean chef Norbert Niederkofler was among the most highly anticipated in the region. Now boasting three Michelin stars, the restaurant, located high in the Dolomites in a former textile factory, has undeniably lived up to the hype. His ‘Cook the Mountain’ tasting menu takes guests on a culinary tour of the region, centred on ingredients and dishes native to the area, like local trout, gnocchi made with beetroot and seasonal salads topped with fresh greens and flower petals.

Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler is located at Via Walther von der Vogelweide, 17, 39031 Brunico, Italy.

Yera

Yera, the new fine-dining outpost of the Forestis hotel, approaches its relationship with the landscape with near-religious devotion. Buried within a rock-hewn cave almost entirely swallowed by forest, the dining room feels more unearthed than built. Its Neanderthal spirit extends to the menu, which is eaten largely by hand, built on foraged ingredients and cooked over a roaring open flame at the centre of the dining room.

Yera is located inside Forestis, Palmschoss 22, 39042 Bressanone, Italy.

What to do in The Dolomites

MART Rovereto

Founded in 1987, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto (MART Rovereto) is one of Italy’s leading museums of modern and contemporary art, headquartered in Rovereto with a satellite venue in Bolzano. Its distinctive domed structure, by Mario Botta and Giulio Andreolli, houses an impressive collection spanning Futurism, Arte Povera and postwar Italian masters. Alongside landmark temporary exhibitions, Mart champions research and education, offering a dynamic program that connects regional history with international visual culture.

MART Rovereto is located at Corso Bettini, 43, 38068 Rovereto, Italy.

SMACH. Val dl’Ert

Woven into the forests above San Martino in Badia, SMACH. Val dl’Ert is an open-air sculpture park set along a gently ascending woodland trail. Contemporary installations appear between pine trees and valley clearings, ranging from monumental steel structures to delicate wooden pieces that react to wind, light and snow. Open year-round and free to visit, it offers a contemplative alternative to traditional hiking routes.

SMACH. Val dl’Ert is located at Str. Tor, 65, 39030 San Martino in Badia, Italy.

Where to switch off

Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti

The Lefay Resort & Spa is set within the UNESCO-listed landscape of Madonna di Campiglio, looking out onto the sheer limestone peaks and dense alpine forest of the Brenta Dolomites. The Lefay method follows a series of ‘energy-therapeutic paths’ – a system devised by the spa’s scientific committee in line with the principles of Chinese medicine. With over 1,700 square metres of wellness facilities, guests can move between Finnish saunas, ice plunges, steam baths, salt grottos and more before settling in for a balancing massage or Qi Gong session.

Lefay Resort & SPA Dolomiti is located at Via Alpe di Grual, 16, 38086 Pinzolo, Italy.

Miramonti Boutique Hotel

The panoramic view from the Miramonti Boutique Hotel’s outdoor infinity pool is among the region’s most spectacular. From its cliff-edge perch overlooking the sleepy town of Merano, mountain chains unfold in all directions. The pool is just the first in a sequence of alfresco wellness stops. A trail winds up the hill through the pine forest, and along it guests can find a plunge pool, sauna hut, lounge chairs and, at the top, a heated pool, each with a sweeping view of the valley.

Miramonti Boutique Hotel is located at Via S. Caterina, 14, 39010 Avelengo, Italy.