Who we are

Franco Nones was the first Italian to break the unbeaten wall of the Viking giants. February 7, 1968 marks a turning point in the world of cross-country skiing, until then the undisputed reign of the Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Russian giants.

 

The “piccoletto azzurro”, as he was called by the press of the time, with his great perseverance, wins the Olympic gold medal in the 30 km cross-coutry skiing classic technique in Grenoble and shocks the whole ski-movement of the time. The victory in the Olympics was just the icing on the cake for a successful career. He wasn't very popular in Italy because the Italian public was more interested in other sports but, especially in 1967, the pre-Olympic year, the Scandinavians were keeping an eye on him. That year Nones never fell below the fourth placement.

Franco grew up in a small mountain village, third of eight children, used to fatigue of fields and manual labor, so common, at that time, among the people of 'Val di Fiemme'. He was passionate about sports that require great energy inputs like cycling. Sport has always been part of the life of Franco, who takes every opportunity to measure himself and his limits: for example during the period he spent as a worker in a factory 15 km from home. Franco was used to go to work by bike and on his way back he daily challenged the locomotive of the train winning 9 times out of 10.

During the years of training and competition in Scandinavian soil, he met the Swedish Inger. It was love at first sight between the two and after a few years they get married and settle in Castello di Fiemme, birthplace of Franco.

 

OLIMPIONICO HOTEL

30 years after its inauguration, which took place on December 8, 1984, important renovations are carried out and the Olimpionico Hotel become the first 4-star hotel in Castello di Fiemme. 

 

It can be said that with the winter season of 2014-2015 the Nones family returns home: in fact, the central part of the Hotel has been built on top of what was their first home, built between 1967 and 1969, and inhabited by them until 1975.

With the expansion of the business of importing and selling sporting goods in the store Nones Sport, Franco and Inger decide to transform their first home into a Hotel to which they give the name “Olimpionico” as suggested by their dear friend Vladimir Pacl.