You run five days over and through the Dolomites. Then you sleep in a five-star hotel. This is not a contradiction.
It is, in fact, the point.
I am in the early planning stages of a 2027 trip for myself and a group of running club friends — a trail running adventure tackling sections of the Alta Via delle Leggende, the "High Route of Legends." Five days, starting in Alta Badia in the heart of Ladin culture, threading through the Puez-Odle Natural Park, climbing above 3,000 meters across the Sella Massif to the summit of Piz Boé, then finishing beneath the glaciers of the south walls of the Marmolada — the highest peak in the Dolomites. This is skyrunning terrain: high-altitude ridges, scree descents, aided passages with cables and ladders through the Pale di San Martino where the word "trail" becomes generous.
Then, at the end of it: Como Alpina Dolomites. A five-star hotel. A pool. An alpine meadow panorama. A spa. A Negroni. A Michelin-starred dinner.
The Route: Alta Via delle Leggende
The Alta Via 2 — dubbed the "High Route of Legends" — is the more technical and demanding sibling to the classic Alta Via 1. Running north to south from Alta Badia (1,226m) to the Primiero Valley, it stays at elevation throughout, frequently reaching above 2,900 meters. The route passes through the Puez-Odle Natural Park, across the fortress-shaped Sella Massif, and beneath the Marmolada's enormous south face. In the Pale di San Martino, the landscape turns lunar — vast white limestone plateaus where aided pathways equipped with cables and ladders demand sure-footedness and a head for heights.
For a trail running group, this is exceptional terrain: technically challenging, visually dramatic, and culturally rich. The Dolomites were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, and the Alta Via 2 passes through their most iconic geological features. Rifugios — traditional Alpine mountain huts — appear throughout the route, offering warm meals and shelter at the end of each day's run.
The Recovery: Como Alpina Dolomites
Como Alpina Dolomites sits in the meadows of the Alpe di Siusi — the largest high-altitude Alpine plateau in Europe — surrounded by the very peaks the trail crosses above. The property combines five-star amenities with a setting that earns the description "spectacular" without trying very hard. A pool. A full spa. Michelin-starred dining. The kind of food and wine that tastes better because you've done something to deserve it.
I've been to the Dolomites several times — mostly for easy mountain biking in the Alpe di Siusi when the wildflowers were blooming, or for difficult climbs up famous mountain passes on a road bike until my legs were cooked and my lungs were empty. But planning this trail running trip has meant going deeper — engaging with a local tour operator who knows every inch of the Dolomite trails, and meeting with the Director of Global Sales for Como Hotels to talk through what this pairing might look like. Both understood immediately. They don't need the explanation.
That's because they know what I believe: the greatest luxury you can give a tired body is the rest it has earned.
L'Equilibrio: Why This Pairing Is Not a Coincidence
That's the Yin and the Yang of it. Not two separate products for two separate people. One complete thing. You wouldn't appreciate the Weiss Bier in the mountain rifugio as much without the 3,000-foot climb preceding it. Some clients come wanting to push themselves. Some come wanting to be pampered. The best trips do both.
This is what I think of as L'Equilibrio — the balance — the organizing principle underneath everything I plan at Sentiero. The balance between action and inaction. Progress and regress. Striving and yielding. Body and mind.
It is my sincere hope that trips like this remind us that our path is not always as linear as we'd like. It's up to us to embrace the complete cycle.
The Dolomites, more than anywhere I know, make this easy to understand. The mountains demand something of you. Then they give it back — in every direction you look.
Is This Trip Right for You?
The trail running version of this itinerary requires a solid base of aerobic fitness and comfort with technical mountain terrain — sustained climbs, rocky descents, and exposed passages at altitude. The hiking version of the Alta Via delle Leggende is accessible to strong recreational hikers; the trail running pace compresses the same terrain into fewer, harder days.
The luxury component requires nothing except a willingness to enjoy the fruits of your effort.
This is a 2027 trip, which means there is time to train for it, plan it properly, and build it around your schedule. If you're thinking about something like this, I'd love to start the conversation now — the earlier we plan, the better the result.
[Reach out through the contact page or email me directly at tom@huffmantravel.com.]
