After much delay, finally, here is the description of the “gourmet” part of the ski safari. We spent the first day skiing in the Alta Badia resort, getting to know our guide, Carlos, and him getting to know us. Lunch was on the mountain at Rifugio Punta Trieste; steaks, ribs, pork knuckles, pasta, yummy.
https://www.puntatrieste.it/en/restaurant-in-corvara-in-alta-badia
Dinner was at the Michelin-starred La Stüa de Michil in Corvara, which is about a 20 minute drive from from La Villa. The dining room is a restoration of a 17th Century wood-paneled room. Dinner and conversation was accompanied by Sarah Vaughn tunes. The cuisine was "creative"; e.g., sole fillet with watermelon, seaweed, pea, mint puree mentioned in this review,
https://thecuriouspixie.co.uk/la-stua-de-michil-at-la-perla-corvara-italy/
The next day, we leave Alta Badia and ski to the upper parts of Val Gardena, along the northern part of the Sella Massif, then we turn south along its western flanks at Passo Sella, the pass that connects Val Gardena to Val di Fassa. For those challenged by the compass, think of the Sella Massif as a giant rock-clock. We started at about 3 o'clock in Alta Badia, rounded it at 12 o'clock at Val Gardena, went through a pass (Passo Sella) at 3 o'clock, where we had lunch at… 12 o'clock . Actually, I think it was 1, but lunch was at Rifugio Passo Sella. It's a full-blown resort hotel that is along the Sellaronda route (the route that circumnavigates the Sella Massif),
https://www.passosella-resort.com/en/
I had a great pasta there,
https://www.passosella-resort.com/en/restaurant-at-gardena-valley/
One can also dine at their grill, which looks like a great choice for a fulsome dinner after a day of skiing.
https://www.passosella-resort.com/en/langolino/
Definitely felt some good vibes at Passo Sella,
Alas, we had to keep moving, since we had a lot more distance to cover; I was not going to put down a lunch that was going to put me away. After our lunch, we diverged from the Sellaronda (rounding Sella, rounding the rock-clock) route, and skied to Belvedere resort. We skied that resort a bit, then headed to our first rifugio by downloading to the valley on a tram, then taking a gondola up the opposite side, to the Buffaure/Ciampac resort. Rifugio Ciampac is at the top of the resort.
http://www.albaciampac.it/en
Nothing remarkable about dinner here. The nice thing about it though is that, in the morning, you have the resort to yourself before others ascend on the gondola. For us, it is just an overnight waypoint. The next morning we take the poma lift, top the ridge and ski down the otherside, then catch a taxi.
Lunch is special, at Rifugio Paradise's pizzeria, in San Pellegrino. To enter, one walks past a bar and across a dining area, then through a small sun-drenched room to this door, which, with a press of the button behind the flower vase,
Sliding Door
opens to
Pizzeria
Inside, one can order four pizzas; actually, one must order four pizzas, as it’s all or nothing. The pizzas are made with different toppings, different flours with different yeasts. It was an amazing experience. I could not find an English language website, but here is an Italian language review, with photos, Google Translated here,
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.dolomitireview.com/baita-paradiso-passo-san-pellegrino-trentino/
The review does not feature the pizza. It doesn't even have photos of pizza, but this was definitely one of the culinary highlights of the tour. Here are three of them,
Pizza #1
Pizza #2
Pizza #3
After lunch, we ski both sides of the San Pellegrino pass, then end the day at Rifugio Fuciade. Dinner was preceded by a wine tasting in the cellar.
Dropping In
for the Goods
Followed by a dinner with starter,
Speck & Cheese
which is followed by,
roasted trout, locally caught, perfectly prepared, delicate, moist and flavorful with crispy skin; another culinary highlight, courtesy of Chef Martino,
https://www.fuciade.it/en/our-restaurant/
I would not disagree with
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUse...a_Province_of_Trento_Trentino_Alto_Adige.html
The next morning, we take a taxi to Alleghe, then ski the Civetti resort,
https://www.dolomitisuperski.com/en/Experience/Ski-areas/Civetta/Ski-map
and lunch at Rifugio Col dei Baldi,
https://www.chaletcoldeibaldi.com/lo-chalet/
After skiing a bit more in the afternoon, we took a taxi to our last rifugio, Rifugio Passo Giau. Because of my self-imposed dietary restriction, nothing on the menu suited me. Not a problem. The chef prepared a simple grilled chicken breast, seasoned with salt, pepper and lemon, simple, accompanied by steamed vegetables and boiled potatoes. Perfectly satisfactory and delicious. As previously posted in this thread, the real reason to be at Passo Giau is the view. Try to be here on a clear night and a full moon. Arrive early enough to catch the sunset and get up early enough to catch the sunrise.
https://www.pugski.com/threads/photo-of-the-day.2083/page-46#post-348313
http://www.passogiau.it/
On our last day, we skied the spectacularly scenic environs of Lagazuoi and Cinque Torri, and ended our day at the town of Cortina d'Ampezzo.. Lunch was at Rifugio Col Druscé, in Cortina. I was famished and had both a huge salad and a huge pasta. The place is popular amongst athletes, who were there in droves that day, as they were checking out a new course designed for a coming Winter Olympics.
http://www.freccianelcielo.com/en/restaurant-col-druscie-1778/
At the end of the day, we ski down to the town of Cortina, through a pine forest, which is an amazing experience in itself. The scent of pine permeated the air, a olfactory treat. Dinner that last evening was at Tivoli, a one-star Michelin restaurant,
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://ristorantetivolicortina.it/
It was to be a seven-course dinner; no way! None of us were up to it, so we all ordered a la carte. View the menu here,
https://ristorantetivolicortina.it/
Click ‘Il Menu”, or go to
https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://ristorantetivolicortina.it/
and, click “The Menu”
What stood out for me was the excellent service and the incredibly fresh and flavorful sashimi, though sashimi is a bit jarring juxtaposed with more traditional local dishes.
The tour went very well. Carlos, our guide, led us to trails that were fun for all of us; taxis for transfers were always awaiting and ready when we were. I'd love to do it again and already tried, having asked my daughter, who was not able to join us, to return with me this coming season. What would I do if I were to do it again? I'd skip the Michelin-starred restaurants. The culinary highlights, for me, were lunch at the pizzeria, and dinner at La Fuciade. And, I am intrigued by Rifugio Passo Sella, at the pass by that name. I would also spend more time there. First day out, I'd ski Alta Badia a bit in the morning, maybe drop into Corvara for lunch somewhere, then head to Passo Sella and overnight there one or two nights. On the transfer-day, after lunch, I would head to Rifugio Ciampac, doing about half the amount of skiing than we did in a single day, and overnight there. Then, I would head out the next day for my pizza-fix, ski San Pellegrino area a bit, then overnight at La Fuciade, arriving in time to settle in, do a wine-tasting, then enjoy dinner. All the while, I would be checking the evening and nighttime weather forecast for Passo Giau. If I have to wait a couple days for a clear night, I would try to hangout at La Fuciade one or two nights longer. That might be tough; rooms may not be available. Getting extra nights at Rifugio Passo Giau would be super-easy, but it's not so convenient to get to any skiing there, unless you have your touring gear. After an evening and early-morning of picture-taking at Passo Giau, I'd head to Cortina D’Ampezzo. But, instead of going straight to Cortina, I would spend a night at Rifugio Lagazuoi,
https://www.rifugiolagazuoi.com/index_en.php,
and, per
@Seldomski 's recommendation, do the Lagazuoi ski tour,
https://www.pugski.com/posts/339712/
which also comes very highly recommended by others,
"
One of the best ski-runs in the world
From the Lagazuoi down to Alta Badia - Armentarola you will find one of the most beautiful ski-runs in the world - "The Hidden Valley". Moore than 10 km long passing dramatic landscape/scenery and ice-walls.", per MullahOMA in,
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...pezzo_Province_of_Belluno_Veneto.html#REVIEWS
You had to have been there to see the possibility. We were at the peak, where Rifugio Lagazuoi is, during the day. I'd want to see the sunset, night time, and sunrise views. And, though the trails getting there were fairly easy, the terrain is so expansive. It felt like we were skiing in the wilderness. But, doing the Lagazuoi tour means heading back to Alta Badia, not to Cortina, as we did. Maybe start the tour at Lagazuoi, do the Lagazuoi to Alta Badia run, do our circuit from Alta Badia back to Lagazuoi, then head to Cortina to round off the tour? Anyway, I would certainly want to spend a day skiing Cortina D’Ampezzo resort and finish the day skiing into town, if only to experience the pine forest. If an extra day is available, I'd linger in Cortina for a day of shopping; the town is big enough and walkable enough to do that. Dinner at Tivoli would be a great way to cap off a lazy shopping day, rather than after a full day of skiing.
So, have I dissuaded you from signing up for a tour with a guide? Don't be dissuaded. Yes, we were always on the move. Carlos made sure we were on our way at the beginning of the day and after lunch, to make it to our next overnight rifugio. But, on the other hand, he also made sure that taxis were at the ready when we needed them, we skied a lot of terrain that we would not have found in such a short time, the tour operator got us a wine tasting at La Fuciade (the only others who did that were with one other tour operator). And, when the Good Wife fell ill, Carlos, with the help of his colleagues at the office, made the taxi and hotel bookings to get her to and settle her into Cortina. So, what to do? I think one can get to resort to resort well enough on one's own, either by skiing or, where needed, by taxi. And, if the tour is spaced out like I describe, just hire a local ski instructor to act as a day-guide for any particular resort. They might even be willing to pick you up where you overnight and take you to their resort, who knows. Or, more simply, just ask the tour operator to set up a custom-tour.
This tour was a great introduction to the Dolomites. A bit of a whirlwind, but rewarding, enough to entice me to return and, when doing so, devote more time, at a slower pace, to explore and experience.