Arabba e Marmolada: what to see, do and where to stay

Arabba is a small mountain village above 1,600 metres, part of the municipality of Livinallongo del Col di Lana, in the Ladin heart of the Belluno Dolomites. It sits at a crossroads. The great passes fan out from here, the Pordoi, the Campolongo, and the Falzarego, and it's one of the four corners of the Sellaronda alongside Val Badia, Val Gardena, and Val di Fassa. The altitude keeps the snow reliably good and feeds some of the steepest, most technical runs in the whole Dolomiti Superski.

Over everything rises the Marmolada, the Queen of the Dolomites. At 3,343 metres on Punta Penia it's the highest peak in the group and the only one with a glacier, now shrinking fast and acting as a kind of gauge for climate change. The cable car climbs to Punta Rocca, above 3,200 metres, where a panoramic terrace looks out over a sea of summits. Arabba has built its whole identity around this mountain.

These valleys still carry deep marks from the First World War. The nearby Col di Lana was renamed Col di Sangue, the Blood Mountain, for how savage the fighting got, and the slopes of the Marmolada were a stage for warfare at altitude, leaving behind tunnels, gun emplacements, and the museum now at the Punta Serauta cable-car station. In summer the Viel del Pan trail gives you one of the finest views of the glacier, on an easy, well-loved path.

When it is worth coming to Arabba e Marmolada, month by month: When to Go to the Dolomites: A Month-by-Month Guide.

When to go & weather — Arabba e Marmolada

Winter, December to April, is the prime time for Arabba's steep, technical skiing and for closing the Sellaronda loop, with snow that stays reliably good thanks to the altitude. From Punta Rocca, La Bellunese drops as the longest run in the Dolomiti Superski. In summer, June to September, the Marmolada cable car takes you up to the glacier and you can walk the Viel del Pan. July and August give the steadiest conditions up high, while September brings clear light and still-green meadows around the passes.

How to get there — Arabba e Marmolada

You reach Arabba over the great Dolomite passes: the Pordoi and Campolongo from the north, the Falzarego from Cortina, or up the Cordevole valley from Belluno. On the A22, exit at Bressanone/Val Pusteria and come in through Val Badia and the passes. From the south, follow the State Road d'Alemagna. The nearest rail stations are Brunico to the north and Calalzo di Cadore to the east, both with scheduled buses, and seasonal shuttles run from the main airports. At over 1,600 metres, Arabba is one of the four junctions of the Sellaronda alongside Val Badia, Val Gardena, and Val di Fassa.