Deep in the Dolomites, celestial deities danced to the rhythmic click of the ancient Ladin people’s looms as they wove moonbeams into a galactic tapestry that would bind their prince’s true love, a cosmic princess, to her terrestrial twin flame. The clouds heralded the royal couple’s coronation by encircling the full moon in a fluffy, white crown, stars prancing on its midnight-dark edges.

        According to the Ladins, who have lived in the Dolomites for thousands of years, the princess-bride’s lunar blanket remains stitched to the mountain range’s jagged peaks, accounting for their otherworldly glow. Whether the story is true is of little importance because, like most myths in the Dolomites, the tale is real. To this I can personally attest because I witnessed the previously described scene unfold above the infinity pool of my suite at Forestis.

        Forestis, a hotel and spa located 5,905 feet above sea level in the South Tyrol province on the northernmost edge of the Dolomites, was the final stop on a weeklong journey, one that became more and more surreal the farther I drove into the mountains, exploring their bleached faces and shadowy crevices — from Cortina d’Ampezzo (host to the forthcoming Olympics) to Olang to Brixen. With each stratospheric layer and interaction, the lines separating past from present, ascent from descent, fact from fantasy seemed to vibrate, then dissolve.

        Perhaps it was the altitude. Here, the sky appears within arm’s reach even as precipitous valleys seem to carve to the center of the Earth, their old-growth forests said to be home to Salvan (Ladin gnome) burrows. Maybe the burrows are hidden under fallen spruce trees that, these days, become wood chips burned to fuel hotel saunas and hot tubs. The mountain bikers, climbers, hikers, and skiers who travel the region’s slopes have come to expect such amenities, just as they anticipate the local speck ham, schiava wine, and canederli dumplings. Cuisine is the common language of this former Austro-Hungarian territory, which only became part of Italy in 1919. But such distinctions are neither here nor there because the Dolomites are a dimension unto themselves. This is a place legitimately regulated by its own rules. This is where the cow landed after it jumped over that fabled moon. Just listen: You can hear its bell ringing from slopes and pastures across these incredible lands.

Here are a few exceptional properties from which to explore them when traveling between (or long after) the Milano Cortina Winter Games.

Hotel Ancora Cortina. Located in an 1826 landmark building smack in the center of Cortina, this legacy hotel received a top-to-bottom facelift from its new owner, Italian fashion entrepreneur Renzo Rosso, in 2025, with the help of interior designer Vicky Charles, known for her work at Soho House. The property looks good from a distance, certainly, but as anyone with a discerning eye knows, expertise is in the details: intentionally international luxe decor — shearling upon velvet, marble upon gold, with no two rooms alike — and a wellness center with all the accoutrements. There’s also a boutique carrying Rosso’s brands (Marni, Margiela, Diesel), a subterranean nightclub with flattering lighting and a strict no-phone policy, a glossy lobby bar with rare spirits, arguably the town’s most prestigious terrace, and an unerringly smiling staff.

Hotel de Len. Len is the Ladin word for wood; it also reflects the hotel’s aesthetic. This heritage property — located less than a five-minute walk from the Olympic Ice Stadium and Cortina Skyline gondola — reopened in 2022 with an architectural wellness focus. The emphasis informs everything from its raw materials and electromagnetic field blockers to its rooftop wellness center, home to mountain views, top-notch spa facilities, and excellent massages.

Hotel Hubertus. A family-owned, wellness-centered hotel in South Tyrol, Hotel Hubertus is located just up the mountain from Olang, a small town situated an hour’s drive from Cortina. Along with its impossibly suspended sauna and whirlpool structure (named Heaven and Hell), its dramatically cantilevered Sky Pool with equally shocking views, and its invigorating spa treatments, the hotel’s preeminent feature is its proximity to Kronplatz mountain. Home to world-class skiing, hiking, and mountain biking, as well as Zaha Hadid’s amorphous Messner Mountain Museum and the Lumen Museum of Mountain Photography, the mountain hosts plaques recalling Ladin legends and (on a sunny Sunday) paragliders careening off the mountain’s edge past rifugi (mountain huts) and grazing cows.

Forestis. Secreted away on the Plose mountain above Brixen, Forestis is an homage to its environment. Every seat in its signature restaurant faces the landscape that inspires its hypnotic menu. Its two-floor penthouse suite presents a terrace with an infinity pool, a Finnish sauna wrapped in glass, and a front row seat to the clouds. A communal indoor-outdoor stone swimming pool holds the mountain’s purifying waters. Saunas emit the calming, healing essences of their wood and host a nightly ritual that sears bergamot, lavender, and pine into your pores; cleanses emotional blocks; and attunes you to the property’s transcendent energy. A sculptural cold plunge crystalizes the transformation.

        At the hotel’s cave restaurant, Yera, a primordial dining room wraps around an open fire, where executive chef Roland Lamprecht and his team prepare an 18-course tribute to forest cuisine. It’s like being inside a womb, complete with rust-colored walls and an aural heartbeat of drums and birdsong. Flames, earthen flavors, and fermented beverages create a high that feels ancestral, born from the restaurant’s modern creators and their collaborators, which include local wood weavers, potters, brewers, chef Lamprecht’s beekeeper father, and sous-chef Francesco Polla’s foraging grandmother. It is not a resurrection of craft but a continuation of lineage, an expression of collective memory. Like the Dolomites themselves, it feels very much like the past and future at the same time.

It’s fair to say Verona, Italy, is a globally renowned city, thanks in great part to Shakespeare — or, depending upon your generational references, Baz Luhrmann. But its unsung allure is its location bang in the center of Northern Italy, an ideal stop situated between Cortina and Milano (and equidistant to Venice). I had the good fortune of getting to know the city through a local while I was living in nearby Padova (another terrific destination a short train ride away). He took me exploring far beyond the throngs under “Juliet’s” balcony, into the crisp aquamarine waters of Lake Garda and down the city’s admittedly romantic, lantern-lit cobblestone streets, a route I retraced not long ago when visiting independently owned, family-run Vista Palazzo Verona.

        The boutique hotel and its counterpart in Puglia, Vista Ostuni, each feature a distinct panorama worthy of the collection’s name (vista means “view” in Italian) at the same time they reflect the company’s foundational promise: to offer guests an interior view of the destination. They invite you into an easy world of magnetic abundance, where amiable staff introduce you to a meaningful perspective of their city. “It is extremely important to us to offer guests the opportunity to experience not just the inside of the hotel but also the true life of a place,” Bianca Passera explained to me. Passara is the President of Lario Hotels, the parent company of Vista Verona, of which she is a third-generation hotelier.

        This commitment extends from Vista Verona’s ardently local sourcing to its “people” initiatives, which include everything from offering employees continuing education and training, to partnering with a secondary school extending career opportunities to talented youth, to ensuring fair salaries and equal treatment for employees. Pledges are also made to “benevolent” tourism that gives back to its community through tangible, ongoing cultural investments and guest explorations that buoy the surrounding region. The heart-shaped biscotti guests receive as a parting gift sum it all up nicely: This is a stunning property with passion and heart, in a city of love.

 

The best thing about my room … The bed’s Italian linen sheets and locally produced vial of lavender spray, which delivered my best night’s sleep of the year.

 

The best amenities … Bath products sourced locally in Como, made from seracina, the protein byproduct of silk manufacturing renowned for its skin and hair soothing and smoothing properties. Notably, the items are also packaged in recycled plastic that is also recyclable.

A dish I’d recommend … Pheasant ravioli paired with a glass of local Valpolicella on the rooftop terrace of Sottovoce, the hotel’s signature restaurant.

 

The best view … Aperitivo hour at Sottovoce, where the view stretches across the city’s terracotta rooftops and colorful facades. Multiple church steeples dot the landscape, their bells harmoniously tolling the hour. The famed Verona Arena declares its importance, and the verdant Torricelle hills frame the city to the north.

 

Something unexpected … The hotel’s purposefully eclectic decor, which combines custom Minotti Collezione fabrics made in Brianza with Ginori 1735 “Labirinto” dishware, Italian marble (primarily sourced between Verona and Bergamo), and wood from nearby Morgano for a resolutely refined, definitively Italian ambiance.

 

A local discovery … Palazzo Maffei. Situated just a short walk from the hotel, the casa museo (house museum) is located in the seminal, fully restored 17th century palazzo that gives the institution its name and houses the private collection of Veronese entrepreneur Luigi Carlon. Comprising around 600 works spanning 2,000 years and artistic disciplines, the collection places modern and contemporary art in conversation with history and antiquity. It puts a fine point on Veronese artists, Italian Futurism, and Metaphysical Art.

 

A song that embodies Vista Palazzo Verona … “Romeo and Juliet” by Dire Straits, an obvious yet seditious choice, given the actual lyrics. 

There’s nothing that makes me happier than landing at Milano Malpensa Airport after a red-eye flight from New York City. It’s not just coming home to the warmth of my country, it’s also knowing that this is where some of the most special people in my life live, work, eat, and sleep. And, ironically, even though everyone paints Milano as a gray city, it’s almost always a bright sunrise that greets me on my flight over the Alps.

        After the sunrise is Milano, with its incredible architecture, monumental Stazione Centrale (just “Centrale” for the locals), its majestic Duomo (among the most incredible masterpieces of Gothic architecture), stunning Liberty-style houses near Porta Venezia (a colony of pink flamingos lives in the garden of one), and Teatro all Scala. There’s the Brera neighborhood’s designer shops and Pinoteca di Brera, with its incredible cafe and botanical garden, Porta Genova and Navigli, where bars and restaurants line the canal — the district’s aperitivo hour and nightlife notorious worldwide. Birra and patatine (beer and potato chips) always taste better here. And don’t forget to peek inside the entryways of the buildings you pass. Each is a work of art, whether in an ostentatious villa or modest palazzo.

        Milano is where I go to recharge and feel the love. Here are a few of my favorite places …

 

For coffee and pastries (or aperitivi) … The city is famous for its pasticcerie, which serve incredible pastries and coffee, but also aperitivi. Pasticceria Cucchi is a classic, very popular in the fashion and creative worlds, and Pasticceria Sissi is also great. Bar Quadronno’s signature sandwiches and happy hour are top-notch, while Bulgari Bar serves the city’s best fancy aperitivi. Later in the evening, opt for Bar Basso (as noted above).

 

For a meal … Osteria dei Binari is a cute, cozy restaurant serving Milanese classics. Osteria Serafina and Osteria Conchetta also offer seasonal Italian specialties, including fresh pasta, in warm, friendly spaces. For seafood, head to Trattoria del Pescatore, which has been a local stalwart since it opened in 1975.

 

For culture … Museo del Cenacolo Vinciano is where “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci resides (reservations required), while Fondazione Prada’s modern art exhibitions are as impressive as the museum’s reputation.

For shopping … There are too many great shops in Milano to list, so I’ll stick to Cavalli e Nastri for vintage and 10 Corso Como for its always non-traditional curation, rotating gallery, and cafe.