Big Mountains, Fascinating Culture : Biking in Badia

There can't be many places on Earth with fun (but not overly difficult) biking trails, views of towering limestone rock walls and a culture all of their own. Alta Badia - in the heart of the Dolomites - is one such place.

The utterly unique Ladin culture gives the Alta Badia its flavour, but the famous peaks of the Dolomites give it its drama; the area is a wonderful combination of amazing sights both far and near. Look up and you'll see huge, intimidating rock walls, look around and you'll notice the wonderful Ladin barns which lend Alta Badia an ambience you won't find anywhere else.

The rides themselves in this guidebook and all fabulous and each features some singletrack, but nothing too technically challenging. What's more, all 4 are in different parts of the valley so spending a long weekend ticking them off will give you a real idea of what riding in this part of the World is all about.

If that all sounds great but you'd like some trickier riding to go with it, explore the FATMAP map and you will soon find plenty of tougher challenges nearby....!