Franco Nones' story, our story
A man, a champion and his vision
It was February 7, 1968: Franco Nones was the first Italian in history to win the Olympic gold medal in the 30km at the Grenoble Winter Games, a date that marks a turning point in the world of cross-country skiing, until then the undisputed reign of giants Swedes, Norwegians, Finns and Russians. That was only the icing on the cake of a career studded with many national and international successes.
Thanks to the brilliant sporting result, but above all with the hard work and the pioneering vision of tourism, Franco Nones, shared with other enlightened entrepreneurs and sportsmen, the idea of the Marcialonga of Fiemme and Fassa, and 1971 saw the birth of the first edition. Since then, this race represents the most important and famous cross-country skiing competition in Italy, recognized worldwide. This race takes place on the snows of the Valleys of Fiemme and Fassa, on the last Sunday of January.
The unstoppable Franco was one of the main architects in the organization of the Nordic Ski World Championships, held in the Fiemme valley in 1991 - 2003 - 2013 and of the birth in 1983 of the Topolino Trophy, now Skiri Trophy a youth world championship that draws more than a thousand children from all over the world, on the second last weekend of January every year.
After his sporting career ended, Franco and his wife Inger created NONES SPORT, which in a few years became a national reference company in the technical supplies of skiing and outdoors. In the early 1980s the Nones family built the Hotel Olimpionico in Castello di Fiemme and in 2001 renovated the Hotel Bellavista in Cavalese.
June 2020. The entrepreneurial passion linked to the territory keeps on going today, with the new Bellavista restyling.
