Hidden Mountain Towns That Are Just as Beautiful as the Swiss Alps

By

Akanksha Sharma

November 13, 2025

19. San Martino di Castrozza, Italy: Dolomites' Dramatic Majesty

Pale di San Martino mountain group in sunset time. Photo Credit: Envato @ivankmit

While Cortina is well-known, San Martino di Castrozza offers an equally stunning, perhaps more intimate, experience in the Italian Dolomites. This charming village is spectacularly set beneath the towering Pale di San Martino, whose sheer rock walls glow pink and orange at sunrise and sunset (the "Enrosadira"). A haven for hiking, via ferrata climbing, and skiing, San Martino provides access to breathtaking alpine scenery and a taste of Trentino mountain culture, often with fewer crowds than its more famous Dolomite counterparts.

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