San Cassiano: a new wellness destination in the Dolomites
Everyone knows Cortina d'Ampezzo. Fewer people know San Cassiano, a small village in the Alta Badia valley of the Dolomites, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site, a short drive from Cortina but with a quieter, more residential feel. I found it the way most people find anywhere now, scrolling Airbnb, and ended up staying in a two-bedroom mountain apartment five to ten minutes on foot from the Piz Sorega gondola.
What struck me first was how much wellness infrastructure sits inside one small village. Within a few minutes of each other are a newly reopened Aman resort, a five-star spa hotel, and a historic family-run hotel with its own thermal-style spa. That concentration, in a village small enough to walk end to end, is not something Cortina itself offers in quite the same way, and it is a large part of why I stayed here rather than in the bigger, more photographed town next door.
A Village Built Around Wellness
The most talked-about arrival is Aman Rosa Alpina, which reopened in July 2025 after a full renovation of the historic Rosa Alpina hotel, now with a new Aman Spa. I went for a massage there and the views alone, across the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park, were worth the walk over. Down the street, Dolomiti Wellness Hotel Fanes runs one of the region's larger spa circuits, including an indoor pool. A little further out, Hotel Armentarola, family-run since 1938, has its own spa with saunas, a steam bath, and an indoor pool, set right at the base of the Lavarella and Conturines peaks.
None of this reads as a wellness resort town trying too hard. It reads as a village where quiet, restorative spaces have simply always been part of daily life, alongside skiing, hiking, and long lunches.
Where I Stayed
I ended up in a two-bedroom apartment in the Wonderlust Sanctuaries collection, designed by Italian architect Asti, and it had exactly the alpine feel I was hoping for: pale wood everywhere, from the floors to the ceiling beams, and a stillness that made it hard to want to leave in the mornings. Everything felt new and highly curated without tipping into showy, three beds and two bathrooms across a layout that never felt tight, even with the terrace doors thrown open.
The kitchen is the kind you actually want to cook in, fully equipped and clearly designed by someone who cooks, which mattered more than I expected after full days outside. Most evenings ended on the private, fully fenced terrace, partial mountain views, BBQ going, which is also where most mornings started, tea first, then my crystal alchemy bowls, the same instruments I use for sound healing and sound bath sessions back home. The hikes that followed became their own kind of somatic practice, one slow step at a time through the Fanes plateau. It is peaceful in a way that is hard to manufacture, five to ten minutes on foot from the gondola and ten to fifteen minutes by car from Corvara, close enough to everything and far enough from the noise of it.
You can book it directly on Airbnb,or through @wonderlustsanctuaries on Instagram, which also manages a small collection of other properties, including a home in Merida, Mexico, a villa in Phuket, and the Sunreef 60 for charter.
Summer and Winter, Without Compromise
San Cassiano earns its reputation twice a year. In winter, it sits inside the Dolomiti Superski network, one of the largest linked ski areas in the world, with the Piz Sorega lift a few minutes from the apartment door. In summer, the same lift opens onto high alpine trails across the Fanes plateau, inside the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park. Two of my favorite hikes, walking distance from the apartment door:
The hike toward Rifugio Scotoni, a mountain hut reachable on foot from Armentarola, known for its grilled meats after a few hours on the trail
The wider Fanes altopiano, a high plateau of rolling alpine meadow ringed by dolomitic peaks
Few places let you ski one season and hike the next from the exact same front door. San Cassiano does, and the pace of the village makes both feel unhurried rather than packed into a checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A.It depends on what you want. Cortina is larger, livelier, and more built up. San Cassiano is smaller and quieter, with a notable concentration of spa hotels, including Aman Rosa Alpina, Hotel Fanes, and Hotel Armentarola, all within walking or short driving distance of each other.
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A. The village includes the newly reopened Aman Spa at Aman Rosa Alpina, the large wellness circuit at Dolomiti Wellness Hotel Fanes, and the spa at family-run Hotel Armentarola, which includes saunas, a steam bath, and an indoor pool.
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A. The Fanes plateau, reached via the Piz Sorega lift, offers high alpine walking inside the Fanes-Sennes-Braies Natural Park. A popular route continues to Rifugio Scotoni, a mountain hut known for its food, reachable on foot from the Armentarola area.
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A. Yes. In winter it is part of the Dolomiti Superski network, one of the largest linked ski areas in the world. In summer the same lift infrastructure opens onto alpine hiking trails, making it a genuine year-round base.
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A. The apartment featured here can be booked directly on Airbnb or through Wonderlust Sanctuaries on Instagram, which also manages a small portfolio of other properties, including a home in Merida, Mexico.
