Civetta - Alleghe/Selva di Cadore/Palafavera/Zoldo

The praise is for the snow and the price: despite its modest altitude Civetta is reckoned among the snowiest areas in the Dolomites, with around six metres a winter, and the pass and lodging cost far less than in the fashionable valleys next door. The pistes are well kept and empty, with the Pelmo and the Marmolada standing around them. Buses run to Cortina and Arabba.

Infrastructure draws the criticism: the lifts are old, some of the doubles are thirty years in service, and the ride up from Alleghe takes an age. Mountain restaurants are few and overrun at lunchtime. By all accounts the area has gone without investment for years.