Tucked into the foot of the Marmolada glacier in the heart of the Italian Dolomites, Arabba is a resort that's earned its reputation quietly. This is a small, traditional village with a serious mountain attached to it: the kind of place where you can hear your boots crunch on fresh snow in the morning and ski all day without repeating a run. At 1,602m, the village sits at a useful altitude, and with the Marmolada glacier reaching 3,342m above, the vertical range is impressive. Arabba is a key access point to the Sella Ronda, the famous circuit linking four Dolomite valleys, and holds a pass to the wider Dolomiti Superski network, where over 1,200km of pistes connect across 12 valleys.

Skiing here leans towards confident intermediates and advanced skiers. The local area covers 63km of pistes, with the steep, north-facing runs off Portavescovo providing some of the best snow and most challenging terrain in the Sella Ronda. A gondola from Malga Ciapela accesses the Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites with long descents that make the trip worthwhile. Snowmaking in the region is the most comprehensive in the Alps, guaranteeing good piste coverage even in lean years, and a season that runs from early December through to mid-April.

Away from the slopes, Arabba keeps things authentic. The village is small and unhurried, with Ladin culture running through its character, a handful of welcoming restaurants, and cosy bars where locals and visitors mix over inexpensive wine. It's a place where the mountains are the main event, with dramatic Dolomite spires on every horizon, and where evenings are about good food and early nights before another day on some of the finest terrain in the Italian Alps.