Six short emails. One global event. We’re covering the 2026 Winter Olympics with the biggest stories, travel insight, and insider context.

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The Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, form the dramatic spine of the Milano Cortina Olympics, and for viewers at home, they promise a rare treat: elite winter sports framed by soaring limestone spires that glow rose-gold at sunrise and sunset. Locals call the phenomenon enrosadira.

The Dolomites bring a soft warmth to winter competition that contrasts sharply with the stark, icy backdrops of past Olympics (and the notorious man-made snow of some). It’s a setting where elegance runs against ancient stone, where human speed is measured against geological time.

Here’s how — and where — to experience the best views of the Games, both on-site and on screen.

Cortina is surrounded by the vertical rock faces and jagged peaks of the Dolomites that feel almost sculpted. This is where much of the alpine skiing action will unfold, including women’s downhill, Super-G, and giant slalom events. The courses carve directly through forested slopes beneath towering mountains like Tofana di Mezzo, giving broadcasts a sense of depth and scale that few ski races ever achieve.

▶ Watch it on TV: Alpine skiing events will be broadcast globally on NBC (US), CBC (Canada), BBC (UK), and on Olympic streaming platforms. For those pink-lit peaks, you’ll have to get up early or stay up late – New York City is six hours behind local time, and early-morning start times are when the soft glow is at its best.

Farther west, Val di Fiemme offers a different Dolomite perspective with wide-open valleys below Italy’s famous serrated ridgelines. This is the stage for cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, and ski jumping. The views here are expansive rather than vertical: long sightlines across snowy meadows punctuated by church steeples with mountains layered into the distance. Ski jumping in particular benefits visually, as the athletes will leap against a backdrop that looks more like a landscape painting than a sports venue.

▶ Watch it on TV: Nordic events are typically shown mid-morning in Europe, making them prime-time viewing in Asia and early-morning viewing in North America (hopefully we’ll get used to that alarm after a few days).

Bormio, in Lombardy’s high Alps, hosts men’s alpine speed events on steep, historic courses known for being both technical difficulty and having epic exposure. While not strictly Dolomitic limestone, the surrounding alpine scenery blends seamlessly with the Dolomite aesthetic of high altitude, rugged terrain and sweeping views of the region. Downhill races here offer some of the most cinematic long shots of the Games.

▶ Watch it on TV: Expect extensive slow-motion replays and helicopter footage during downhill and Super-G coverage.

▶ Insider Look: What It's Like to Be a 2022 Olympics Ski Patroller: Quarantines, King-Size Beds, and 80 MPH Skiing

▶ Trip-planning Guide: Why You Should Visit Milan Even if You Aren’t Into Fashion

▶ Head to the Lake: Lake Como Is the Deepest Lake in Italy, and Its Shore Is Dotted With Centuries-Old Villas

▶ Places Less Traveled: Lake Como Too Crowded? Lake Orta Is an Affordable, Unspoiled Escape Just Outside Milan