Moso - A winter paradise

Moso (or Moos in English) is a very quiet town located in the Dolomites in Italy. It is a great vacation destination for people who are fond of mountain sports. During winter, the town is full of tourists who have come for ski vacation while summer is a paradise for hikers. The landscape is breathtaking from all directions and one can literally spend months to years there exploring every corner of the valley.

Main church in the town of Sesto near Moso

One of the ski schools in Sesto

Ski slopes

Although in Italy, people in Moso speak German as their first language. The town was apparently in the Austrian region in the beginning of the 20th century after which it became a part of Italy. The typical Italian food (as people think) such as Pizza and pasta are available only in a few restaurants while most of the places offer German food - Schnitzel, Kaiserschmarrn and other dishes which are very close to the Bavarian style. Ladies wear Drindls here, another German touch. Travelling around in Italy does make one realize that there is nothing called as "typical" Italian food. In fact, people here do not even eat that many pizzas as the world might think.

I visited this town in Winter. Every morning, one can see people already in their ski shoes, waiting in line at the bus stop which takes them to various ski slopes in the region. The location of the valley and its altitude makes it special for this activity as there is loads of snow most of the time during the winter compared to the other regions in this district. Ski lessons and the renting equipment are quite cheap which makes it all the more attractive for tourists. There are tons of paths for cross country skiers as well, if downhill ski is not your cup of coffee. The restaurant prices generally come in a package which includes breakfast and dinner, quite unusual for most of the hotels I have been around in Europe.

We had the opportunity to experience a taste of the local musical instruments in one of the huts outside the town. The musical instruments seemed to be made out of scrap and basically anything that made a sound passed as a musical instruments. Though I would say the accordion made it very similar to the Bavarian style again.

This is definitely a recommended place if you love skiing or hiking or just relax in a peaceful town surrounded by mountains.