San Cassiano or St. Kassian depending on if you speak Italian or German is a small, upscale mountain village located in the Alta Badia valley of the Italian Dolomites. Situated at 5,000 feet in South Tyrol, Italy, this quiet alpine town is known for world class skiing, fine dining, and stunning scenery.
At first glance, San Cassiano, only about a ½ mile long with one main street and a few feeders, seems tiny with almost nothing to do. But if you like the outdoors and take some time to explore the surrounding hills, you’ll find some interesting places and many things to do in San Cassiano.
Where to Stay in San Cassiano
We hiked from Pederu to San Cassiano on the Alta Via 1 and arrived on foot late in the afternoon. MacsAdventure delivered our excess luggage to Hotel Conturines where we stayed for two nights.
Hotel Conturines is perched just above the beginning of the pedestrian street. Though somewhat squished between other buildings (of which one was under construction), the lobby is welcoming, the service is lovely, and the dining is divine.
My room was comfortable, though the shower water flooded the floor and my view stunk…a bummer given the surrounding dramatic landscape. But the welcoming atmosphere made up for it. Also, I don’t tend to spend much time in my room, so I took in the views as I wandered the feeder streets.
The Pedestrian Street
Due to our late arrival, we spent our first night in St Kassian exploring the pedestrian street which features a handful of restaurants, a church, a stage, a museum, and a hidden grocery store and tiny shopping center down a narrow side street.
Enjoy the Atmosphere at La Vedla
With its outdoor seating, La Vedla is the most popular casual dining location. We ordered a prosciutto, artichoke, olive, and mushroom pizza which we were very excited about because beyond a simple dinner salad with lettuce and tomato, vegetables were hard to find.
Once again, our food order surprised us! The toppings were piled in a row like you sometimes find on a cob salad. So, the ham was on one side, the artichokes were on the other side, and the mushrooms and whole olives were dumped in the middle. We spread out the toppings ourselves!
Visit the Museum
Next to La Velda is the MusLa, two museums with a focus on Ladin culture, art, history, and nature. The Museum Ladin Ursus Ladinicus is the one in town, and its three stories features exhibits on the prehistoric cave bears and the geology of the Dolomites. Who knew cave bears roamed the area 50,000 years ago?
Somehow, we missed the Ciastel de Tor. It is situated between San Vigilio and San Cassiano, about a 20 minute drive from town. Once a tower, then a castle, and ultimately purchased by farmers, this historical building has served as the Museum Ladin for 20 years. Visitors may explore the past and present of the locals living in the five Ladin valleys; Val Badia, Val Gardena, Val di Fassa, Livinallongo, and Ampezzo. Each valley has its own variant of the Ladin language and distinct traditions.
Admire the Church of San Cassiano
Before exploring beyond the pedestrian street be sure to visit the Church of San Cassiano. The reconstructed building dates back to 1782, and its white exterior with green trim glows in the setting sun. Surrounding it is the cemetery which is beautifully kept by locals.
Sip and Savor
If you are craving a sweet treat, stop in Stua dal Pan – Panetteria just across from the church. The cute bakery also sells other packaged food items that would serve as great souvenirs. Nextdoor, Café Ploner also offers tasty treats.
Ride the Gondola
Of course, being in an outdoor paradise, hiking was our biggest focus. At the bottom of town is the Piz Sorega Gondola which climbs to the Pralongia High Plateau. Known as the Ampitheater of the Dolomites, the high plateau provides magnificent panoramic views.
We took the gondola up with a tentative plan to hike eight miles. As we strolled along the well-maintained paths, however, we couldn’t stop snapping photos. Fifty pictures and 2.3 miles later, we finally reached Rifugio Utia Bioch.
Hike and Lunch on the Mountain Top
This was an easy jaunt, but after admiring the mountainside of colorful wildflowers pollenated by bees and spotting the Alta Via 1 in the distance where we hiked yesterday and where we will be forging ahead tomorrow, we took way too long.
Fortunately, it is easy to abort your hiking plans in the Dolomites. There is a network of lifts connecting multiple towns and rifugios with restaurants all over the place. So change of plans? No problem.
That said, if it weren’t for the stunning landscapes, I’d probably say the area is too commercialized for me, especially as the day goes on and tourists stream up the mountain. But the scenery is just breathtaking!
We took advantage of the lounge chairs, ordered a non-alcoholic beverage and just relaxed beneath the bluebird skies where paragliders floated above the few clouds. What a pleasant morning! As we finished up, hoards of visitors sat down for a mountain top lunch.
Hike to the Historic Sawmill
We finished so early, we had time for another hike on the other side of San Cassion. Instead of walking down to Piz Sorega Gondola, we had to walk up the mountain behind the town to get to Path of the Larches No. 15.
I wasn’t too enthusiastic at first, as hiking up an asphalt road is not my idea of nature, but soon we reached the trail which passes through larch forests with intermittent views of alpine meadows, nearby towns, and towering granite peaks.
The path is lined by old fence and dry-stone walls with a few information boards before it reaches a historic operational water mill at the Rüdeferia (waterfall). I would like to own the home that sits across from the sawmill and overlooks the valley. The views and the history can’t get any better. Superb!
Tour a Dairy Farm
Anyway, the trail continues on to another town, but we turned around and upon our descent we visited the Luch da Pcei which is family run dairy farm with a B&B. The farm produces its own milk, cheese, yogurt, and eggs and even sells its cheese rounds right out of a vending machine!
Enjoy Some Fine Dining
After taking a self-guided tour of the milking shed, we returned to our hotel for a lovely meal. After all our surprise food orders over the last few days, we grilled the poor waiter about everything on the fancy menu. When it came to the pork medallions, we wanted to make sure it was a tenderloin and not speck or something. Low and behold, the entire meal came out just as we imagined, and it was spectacular! Don’t miss dessert.
Little did we know San Cassiano is known for its culinary delights and most of the hotels have a nice restaurant inside, a few are even Michelin Star. We should have known Hotel Conturines would serve a nice dinner, as the morning breakfast buffet was grandiose.
Overall, we enjoyed our two nights in San Cassiano before prepping for the next section of the Alta Via 1. ETB
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