Kosher Food in the Dolomites: How It Really Works
In Val di Fassa there's no kosher restaurant and no kosher store. How do you eat there for a whole week from the same kitchen, what goes up the mountain with you, and what to leave at home.
In the Dolomites, in the Val di Fassa valley, in Canazei and in Alba, there are no kosher restaurants, no kosher stores, and the local shops carry no bread, meat or dairy products under kosher certification. The only way to eat kosher there for a whole week is to stay at MY KOSHER HOTEL in Alba di Canazei, the only kosher hotel in Canazei, whose kitchen provides all the meals, including the lunch that leaves the kitchen with you for the mountain. Here's what it looks like in practice.
A typical day:
- Morning: a full breakfast at the hotel, before heading out to the slopes.
- Lunch: at the end of breakfast you make yourself sandwiches from the buffet, and they go up the mountain with you.
- Afternoon: coffee and cake at the hotel when you return.
- Evening: a hot dinner.
- Shabbat: full board, three meals, with a minyan.
Are there kosher restaurants in the Dolomites?
No. The Dolomites are a vast tourist region, and in terms of kosher it's empty. The mountain huts too, where everyone eats lunch, are all non-kosher. This is what determines how a kashrut-observant family's vacation looks there, and that's why the question isn't "how do you manage" but where you sleep.
How do you eat kosher for a whole week in Canazei?
In one hotel. The kitchen and bakery of MY KOSHER HOTEL work at a Glatt Mehadrin standard with a full-time mashgiach, Chalav Yisrael, Pat Yisrael and Bishul Yisrael, and complete separation between dairy and meat. Those who stay there never encounter the question at all. The kitchen blends Italian tradition with Jewish cuisine, at a four-star hotel level.
On the mountain
A ski day is six hours outdoors, and going down to the village at lunchtime means giving up half a day. Those who come on their own run into this on the first day; with us it's packed up in the morning. What goes with you: the sandwiches you made at the buffet, a piece of fruit and a snack for your pocket, and your own little thermos for a hot drink, which at minus ten isn't a luxury. With children you take double the snacks. Their energy runs out without warning, and usually right at the far end of the ski area.
What you don't need to pack for skiing
Food. This is the part that saves a whole suitcase. People arrive loaded with food and discover they never touched it:
- No ready meals, canned goods or dry food for the week
- No bread, snacks or spreads
- No coffee, tea or cocoa powder for the kids. It's all at the hotel
- No searching for anything on the first day
What is worth having in your carry-on: something small for the flight and the bus ride, since your first meal at the hotel is dinner. And this is also what makes a ski week with carry-on only possible.
Shabbat
Full board: three Shabbat meals, with a minyan at the hotel, together with all the guests. No searching and no surprises on Friday afternoon.
Vegetarians, allergies and special diets
The kitchen makes adjustments on request: vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free. Note it at registration, so the kitchen knows in advance and not on the first evening at dinner. For a serious allergy, write it in the traveler notes as well, and also tell our team at the hotel.
In Canazei there's no halfway option: either you're in a place where the food is taken care of from breakfast to the mountain, or you spend your vacation solving this problem instead of skiing. For everything else, see the guide to a kosher ski vacation, and the dates on the ski vacation page.
Have a vegetarian, an allergy or a baby at home? Tell us in advance. Talk to us at Har Tayarut.
Is there a kosher restaurant in Canazei?
No. In all of Val di Fassa there are no kosher restaurants and no kosher stores. The only kosher food is at the kosher hotel in Alba di Canazei, MY KOSHER HOTEL, for guests who stay there.
What do you eat for lunch on the mountain during a kosher ski vacation?
Sandwiches made at the end of breakfast from the hotel buffet, with fruit and a snack, and a thermos for a hot drink. The mountain huts are not kosher, so lunch leaves the hotel with you.
Is there gluten-free or vegetarian kosher food on the ski vacation?
Yes. The kitchen adapts vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free meals on request. Note it at registration.
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