Falcade is a traditional mountain village in the Veneto Dolomites of Italy, tucked into a high valley at 1,190m beneath a wall of pale, jagged peaks. It's a proper working mountain community, with a cluster of old timber and stone houses, hay barns, and family-run hotels set along the valley floor. One thing that sets it apart is the artwork. Many of the old houses carry painted facades and frescoes of mountain life and local saints, some of them centuries old, so a wander through the village doubles as a bit of an open-air gallery. That, plus the easygoing pace and the feel of a real lived-in village, gives Falcade a lot of character for its size.

The slopes rise high above the village, topping out at around 2,510m with a big drop of some 1,320m back to the valley, so there's proper vertical to play with. Falcade's local ski area, San Pellegrino, is part of the vast Dolomiti Superski network, which opens up a huge amount of terrain across the Dolomites on a single pass. Falcade's own runs suit confident skiers especially well, with a good stock of sweeping reds and a couple of steep, testing blacks for those chasing a challenge. Gentle blues and a dedicated learning area give beginners and early intermediates room to build up. The mountainsides are wide and open, too, with plenty of scope for venturing off the marked pistes when conditions allow. The slopes sit high and catch plenty of sun, and with full snowmaking behind them, the season runs from late November into early April.

Off the slopes, Falcade has a gentle, wholesome winter feel that rounds out a holiday nicely. There's cross-country skiing across the sunny valley plateau, snowshoe outings and horse-drawn sleigh rides into the surrounding meadows, and an ice rink in the village. Evenings are relaxed and characterful. Wander past the floodlit painted facades, have a drink on a hotel terrace, and settle in for dinner built around hearty local cooking, polenta, mountain cheeses, and handmade pasta served in cosy trattorias and mountain huts. It's an intimate, unshowy place, and all the more appealing for it.

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