Starting with the weekends of the Dolomites Vertical Kilometer and the Bettelmatt International Skyrace—which this year will feature the BUT, an 83k race with 5,000 meters of elevation gain—not to mention the beautiful Pantelleria Trail and the Transcivetta Karpos team race

Although there won’t be many trail running races this weekend—at least compared to previous weekends—there will still be plenty of fun to be had! The center of the Italian trail running scene will be Canazei, in the province of Trento, where a true trail running festival will take place from July 15 to 17: It kicks off on Friday with the 2.5k Dolomites Vertical Kilometer, featuring a 1,000-meter elevation gain, continues on Saturday with the mini trail for kids, and wraps up on Sunday with the Dolomites Skirace, a 22k course featuring singletrack, ski runs, and scree slopes with an elevation gain of 1,750 meters.

Alongside the Night Vertical at Belli Venti in Arenzano, in the province of Genoa—a 5.2k race with 920 meters of elevation gain— on Saturday the 16th and Sunday the 17th, the Bettelmatt Trail will also take place, featuring a 33k Skyrace with 2,000 meters of elevation gain, a 22k race with 750 meters of elevation gain, and, new for 2016 to celebrate the race’s tenth anniversary—dedicated to the famous local cheese—the Bettelmatt Ultra Trail, BUT—an 82k race with a total elevation gain of 5,000 meters that will take runners through three valleys and eight alpine pastures, all along a route that remains between 2,300 and 2,700 meters in elevation at all times.

Finally, on Sunday, July 17, the Transcivetta Karpos—a 23.5-kilometer team trail running race with 1,950 meters of elevation gain—will take place in Listolade, Belluno;the Alpicella Trail in Piandelagotti, a 24k race with 1,300 meters of elevation gain; the Valle Elvo Skyrunning in Sordevolo, Biella, a 12-kilometer race with 1,650 meters of elevation gain, the Pantelleria Trail on the island of the same name—featuring a 50-kilometer race with 2,230 meters of elevation gain and a 21-kilometer race with 880 meters of elevation gain—the Classic Trail Torcole in Piazzatorre, Bergamo, a 23k race with 2,029 meters of elevation gain and a 12k race with 1,000 meters of elevation gain; and the Bettona Country Half Marathon in Bettona, Perugia—a half marathon with 450 meters of elevation gain.