Canazei is a small Ladin town at the head of the Val di Fassa, and the first impression is of towering rock. The Marmolada, the highest peak in the Dolomites at 3,343 metres, rises to the south-east with its glacier, while the cliffs of the Sella group fill the northern horizon, huge walls of pale dolomite that glow pink and orange at sunrise and sunset. The Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2009, and no one who stands here is likely to wonder why.
This is Ladin country, and the old language, related to Romansh and Friulian, is still spoken in the valley, with signs in Italian, German and Ladin. Canazei is a ski town as much as a summer one, with a lively main street of hotels, shops and restaurants, and the cuisine mixes Tyrolean and Italian: speck, canederli dumplings, polenta, strudel and rich soups. The mountains were also a front line in the First World War, and the Marmolada glacier held an entire network of tunnels and barracks, the so-called Ice City, where Austrian and Italian soldiers lived in the ice. In July 2022, part of the glacier collapsed, killing several climbers, a reminder of how fast the high mountains are changing.
The riding is why most people are here. From Canazei, roads climb to the Passo Pordoi at 2,239 metres, with dozens of hairpins and a huge view, and to the Passo Sella and Passo Gardena, forming the famous Sella Ronda loop around the massif. The surface is generally excellent, but the passes are narrow, popular and crowded, with cyclists, motorhomes and fellow bikers. On certain days in summer and autumn the passes are closed to motor traffic for cycling events, so check the calendar before planning. The best hours are early morning and evening, and September, when the crowds thin and the larches turn gold.
Canazei has fuel and shops, but fill up in the valley rather than counting on the passes, where petrol is scarce and expensive. There are plenty of hotels, hostels and rifugi, and booking is wise in July and August. Weather is changeable, with sunshine, cloud and thunder in the same afternoon, so carry waterproofs and wear a warm layer for the high passes.
Take the loop in either direction, but start early, and stop at the summit of the Pordoi for a coffee and a long look at the Marmolada.