The village resort: Arabba/Marmolada (Belluno Veneto/Trentino regions)

On the face of it, here we have a typical tiny Dolomitian village, tucked in the heart of the Trentino region, complete with small village square, several cheap guesthouses, enough hotels to suit everyone and a smattering of eateries with real people as well as tourists.

Now look up. See those valley walls and the giant Gruppo di Sella up the road? Every mountain in sight has skiing on it. And the mountains behind them have the same. And the mountains behind them...

Like Val Gardena, Arabba is hard to pin down because if you include the linked areas it is simply enormous. The huge Sella Ronda is only about 20 percent of what you can access. Let's start near the village. We'd
point pure beginners elsewhere – maybe the linked Val di Fassa area – but once you can make sense of a blue then head up the Burz lift out of town and make your way over to Monte Cherz. From there you have
dozens of runs opened up. You'll be in a different valley, so keep an eye on the time to avoid a cab ride home.

For anyone who wants to step it up, Arabba has so much skiing it's almost rude. Porta Vescovo opens up the north-facing runs above the village, or head over to Passo Pordoi (part of the Sella Ronda) for wider,
more open runs above the tree line. The DMC Europa lifts are your route from the village towards the highest mountain around, the mighty Marmolada (just over the regional border in Belluno). To get the full hit,
it's a couple of rides up to Malga Ciapela for the cable car to the top.

Don't forget the museum – a collection from the Great War, when this region was the front line between Italy and the Austro-Hungarian empire. Then set out on a 12km descent back to the valley floor above the
lake at Paso Fedaia. This is proper, long piste skiing. Arabba is truly one of Fall-Line’s favourite village resorts.

• www.arabba.it