Where to Eat in Andalo

Star of the mountain-restaurant scene in Andalo is undoubtedly La Roda, a mountain-top restaurant-with-rooms which would the grace the slopes of any resort. The enlightened owner, Luigi Giovannini, rebuilt it completely in 2006 and at huge expense (110,000€) installed a geothermal heating system. Despite the cost, Luigi is delighted with it. “I’m already celebrating,” he says, because the system is largely self-sufficient, requires no transportation to get fuel up the mountain, and will have paid for itself by 2014.

The food here is reasonably-priced, inventive, and delicious (great pasta and soups). You can stay here too – right at the top of the Cima Paganella – and the views to the south, towards the Italian Lake District, are amazing. Call +39 348 89 39 544 for details.

This being Italy, there are plenty of other choices for a good, inexpensive lunchtime meal. In fact, there are 11 other rifugios and restaurants scattered around the ski area – click here for a quick guide.

From dining rooms with vaulted ceilings to isolated mountain huts

Back down at resort level, the choice is more limited – for the simple reason that most visitors are staying in hotels on half-board packages and dine in every night. However, there are few options for those who want to spread their wings. The best, and most atmospheric, is the Trattoria Al Faggio, which is set beneath a low, vaulted ceiling and serves hearty mountain food, such as barley soup, and fresh pasta with roe deer venison and porcini mushrooms.

If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can hire a horse-drawn sleigh and jingle your way to dinner at La Tana dell’ Ermellino – or join a night-time snowmobile tour to one of the isolated mountain huts in the Adamello Brenta Natural Park for dinner – call the Andalo tourist office (+39 0461 585836) for details.