03 January 2017
Bringing in the New Year in the Italian Dolomites on a skiing or snowshoeing holiday offers a unique take on the Capodanno festival. Although the villages in the Alta Badia are famed as hubs for winter sport, when night fell on the last day of the year they came to life as friendly and welcoming bases for a special party. Many of the mountain refuges opened for New Year’s dinners, offering guests the opportunity to enjoy a unique celebration, between the crystal-clear stars and the lights and fireworks in the villages below.
Cappodanno – New Year in the Dolomites
In Corvara itself, festivities were mostly concentrated around the bandstand in the centre of town. Lit up and adorned with Christmas lights, which were soon added to by flares and stage lights as the band got underway, the square formed a lively hub to events for the evening’s celebrations. The high street, busy with families decanting themselves from the bars and restaurants to wander the town, was bustling and joyful. With the school holidays in full swing and the many young ones in resort offered a rare late night, the atmosphere was jovial and family oriented. The alcohol induced carnage many expect in the UK replaced by huge feasts and convivial midnight ‘passeggiata’.
The ski show drew many of the crowds, illuminating mount Sassongher that looms over the village. This spectacle was followed by torchlit descents by skiers and paragliders, bright lights descending beautifully through the crisp winter air.
As the clock struck midnight and the church bells rang in the new year, the town celebrated together. It was worth raising a glass to the white lights of the piste bashers ploughing on into the night, whose lonely crew would still leave the slopes immaculate for the next day’s sport.
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