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Stemma di Andalo

Trentino-South Tyrol · Trento

Andalo

An alpine pass at 1,042 metres on the Paganella plateau, with the Brenta Dolomites on one side and a periodic lake that empties and refills.

1042m

Elevation

38 km / 24 mi

Nearest hub (Trento)

1,147

Population

Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

Best time to visit

Why come

Andalo lies on a grassy pass at 1,042 metres between the Brenta Dolomites and Mount Paganella, on a plateau that opens between Piz Galin at 2,442 metres and Cima Paganella at 2,125 metres. The settlement began in the Middle Ages as thirteen scattered masi, the farm clusters typical of Trentino's high pastures, which merged into a single town over the centuries. Most of the territory falls inside the Adamello-Brenta Nature Park, the largest protected area in Trentino. From the second half of the twentieth century Andalo became a winter sports resort built around the Paganella ski area, with fifty kilometres of slopes and a gondola climbing from the village centre to Doss Pelà and on to Cima Paganella. The Lago di Andalo, at the edge of the village, is a periodic lake: it fills with snowmelt in spring and rain in autumn, drains underground in summer, and is one of only eight lakes in the world that behave this way.

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Gallery

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Known for

  • Cima Paganella

    Summit at 2,125 metres reached by gondola from the village centre via Doss Pelà, with panoramic views over the Brenta Dolomites and the Adige valley.

  • Lago di Andalo

    Periodic lake at the edge of the village, filled by snowmelt and autumn rain and drained underground in summer, one of eight such lakes worldwide.

  • Parco Naturale Adamello-Brenta

    Largest protected area in Trentino, covering most of the Andalo territory and the Brenta Dolomites group inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2009.

  • Paganella Ski Area

    Fifty kilometres of slopes between 1,030 and 2,125 metres, part of the Skirama Dolomiti Adamello Brenta circuit and centred on the Andalo village base.

  • Altopiano della Paganella

    Grassy plateau between the Brenta and Paganella massifs, with hiking and biking routes across alpine pastures and through the masi that founded the village.

When to visit

Best months · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar

  • J
  • F
  • M
  • A
  • M
  • J
  • J
  • A
  • S
  • O
  • N
  • D
  • Best
  • Hot or crowded
  • Quiet
  • Mostly closed

December through March is the ski season, the village's busiest months, with the Paganella lifts running from the centre and snow held above 1,000 metres into early April. June through September is the summer alpine season: cool evenings even in July, hiking and biking on the plateau, and the lake at its fullest in late June. April and May are quiet shoulder months when snow has gone and the meadows have not yet bloomed; many lifts and hotels close. October and November are the quietest months, with the village largely shut between the autumn closure and the December reopening. The lake disappears underground around mid-July most years.

How to get there

From Trento, Andalo is roughly 38 km by road. Allow about 33–46 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).

Drive time to the nearest gateway airports

  • Verona1h 48m
  • Milan2h 32m
  • Bologna2h 52m

Elevation 1042 m

Google MapsApple MapsDirections from Trento

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