Get ready for a vacation of outdoor pursuits amid the breathtaking natural beauty of Andalo. This pretty resort in Italy’s Trentino region welcomes visitors year-round to its mountain sports center and Alpine village. It’s a place for relaxed hiking and superb snow sports, skiing competitions and live music events.
Rising above the southern edge of the village is the Paganella Ski Area. Chairlifts whisk you up direct from the village to a terrain of powdery snow and some 31 miles (50 kilometers) of slopes. Carve up on runs suitable for first-time skiers and seasoned experts. Try ski-mountaineering, snowshoeing and telemarking or hone your freestyling skills at the snow park. Watch slalom racing exhibitions and open-air concerts during the Alpine Rock Fest.
The lifts stay open throughout the summer months, allowing you to access miles of natural hiking trails and admire the jaw-dropping views. Adrenalin junkies might want to enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the area on a paragliding flight.
The village itself is a laid-back area of intertwining streets lined with chalets, guesthouses, hotels and restaurants. Sample traditional Trentino cuisine such as Spressa delle Giudicarie, a cheese made from pure mountain milk.
Andalo Life Park has everything from a pitch-and-putt course and ice rink to biking trails, horseback riding tours and swimming pools. Try go-karting at Ice Racing Kart. Don’t miss the chance to visit Lake Andalo. A scenic path skirts the lakeshore, which becomes a floodlit cross-country skiing trail in winter.
A short drive to the south is the village of Molveno. Here, Lake Molveno is the setting for summer activities such as kayaking, sailing and windsurfing. A chairlift travels from the village into the heart of Adamello Brenta Nature Park. Find hiking routes, mountain-biking trails and mountaineering opportunities. Forest Park is a family-friendly adventure playground with bridges, rope courses and zip-lines strewn between treetops.
Andalo is just a 1-hour drive from Bolzano, the capital of the Alto-Adige region. Andalo also makes a great base for daytrips to Trento, a historic city encompassed by sprawling vineyards.
