Peter D'Attoma, President of DaVinci Custom Travel & Tours

L’inverno è arrivato e per gli appassionati di neve e di sport invernali l’Italia offre numerose attrazioni sciistiche. Le Alpi italiane sono anche la culla di resort per soddisfare ogni vostro gusto: dal classico all’alternativo, dal romantico all’estremo, dal casual all’elegante. Tra le destinazioni  più note sono Cortina d’Ampezzo, Courmayer, Cervinia, la Val di Susa, la Val Gardena  ed il Piemonte. Ecco le ultimissime direttamente dalle nostre amate Alpi.

Italy has always been a consideration for ski enthusiasts who want to experience the Alps for less. It is still considered one of the top European skiing countries today, and is a magnificent place to take a skiing vacation. There is a certain romance about Italy that makes it the number one choice for so many skiers each year. From its northern snow–tipped peaks, you can also venture toward the cultural hotbeds of Turin, Milan and Rome and experience Italy as intended, as well as its amazing ski slopes. The Italian Alps are home to many great and famous ski resorts such as Cortina d’Ampezzo and Courmayer. The best ski resorts with the most modern facilities are found in northern Italy, in the Alpine area, there are also some ski resorts south of the country too.

Skiing is a very popular activity in Italy. Many Italians take a week off during the winter just to go skiing. It is possible to find a ski resort for anyone in Italy. There are luxurious resorts, and very affordable ones. Some slopes are only for the advanced skier and others are moderate enough for beginners.
                 
The best way to arrive to Italy for a ski vacation is through one of the following airports: Turin, Milan, Bergamo, Verona, Venice or Treviso. Turin is a good place to plan your arrival. If you are going from Turin towards the French border you will find plenty of public transportation and many busy ski like Sestreiere (a very modern and fashionable ski resort that offers 20 ski lifts, an ice-skating rink and wonderful cross country trails) and Sauze d’Aulx.

Further to the north, on the border, is the area of Valle d’Aosta. In this area both Italian and French are spoken, and the food also has a lot of French influence. Here you will find some of the highest mountains in Europe: Matterhorn, Monte Rosa, Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso where the beautiful view of pine trees and castles is seen from wooden ski chalets.

Courmayer Skiing -- Situated on the opposite side of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc), Courmayer is one of the most glamorous resorts in Italy. The resort offers all that a skier can dream of, even summer skiing. Courmayer is a traditional alpine village in a fantastic location with great scenery and is known as one of the best all around ski resorts in Italy. Mont Blanc, one of the world’s tallest mountains peaking at 4,810 meters, is also Western Europe’s tallest mountain. It is no wonder that Italians consider this to be one of the prettiest resorts in Italy. Visitors come in hordes the year–round. The village offers great shopping and wonderful Italian restaurants with a very lively nightlife. In the winter, the crisp mountain skiing air, the après ski venues and accessible location give crowds a reason to come. In the summer, too, the Giardino Botanico Alpino Saussurea (Europe’s highest botanical garden) and hiking keep Courmayeur very busy.

Although skiing is best suited to intermediate skiers, there are some advanced runs and the more advanced skiers can cross the border into France. Courmayer is also a popular destination for climbers and hikers in the summer and early fall. If you want to get out and about in Courmayeur, travel to the town of Dolonne, where you can experience the more residential side of Italian life. To get here, you will have to cross a bridge over the tributary before the A5 road.

Because the skiing can be limiting, there’s plenty of après ski options to attract vacationers. Active vacationers will find an indoor ice rink, fitness center, snowshoe walks, heli–skiing, curling, swimming pool and walking tours. If you’re into music, dancing or restaurants, you won’t be disappointed. Restaurants dish up great Italian food including seafood. There’s also a weekly local market.

Cortina d’Ampezzo -- Cortina d’Ampezzo is in the leading resort of the magnificent Italian Dolomites and the leading resort in all of Italy. It is located in the Veneto Region of northern Italy, 451 kilometers from Milan’s Malpensa airport and one of Europe’s most exclusive resorts. Stylish and chic, it is surrounded by beautiful scenery and dramatic rock formations on its summit. This historic village has turned into one of the classiest and costliest of all European resorts. It boasts a wide variety of slopes for all abilities, matched with an abundance of off-snow activities that makes it a popular winter getaway for all Italians who want to be seen.

Cortina has long been the ski resort of choice for many Italians and Europeans. This is the place where the jet set and who’s who gather with their furs and Ferraris, Maseratis and mobile phones. Even if the town is crowded, the slopes might be relatively empty because nearly three- quarters of the winter guests come here for the clean air and brilliant sunshine. In lively Cortina, dining, shopping, walking the poodle or languishing over an espresso is as much of a part of the scene as skiing and snowboarding -- perhaps more so. Still, skiing is at Cortina’s core. Its lift companies participate in the Dolimiti Superskipass, which is good on some 500 lifts in resorts large and small, across the Italian Alps.

The most famous ski area is the Tofana, topping out at some 10,600 feet, with steep terrain on top and the resort’s best beginner slopes at the bottom. Connected with it is Socrepes, Cortina’s largest ski area. Across the valley are two other ski areas: Mietres and Faloria, known for huge snowfields high on the mountains.

Cervinia -- For side and sunny intermediate motorway ski runs that seem never to end, then Cervinia and its 200km of ski runs offer a great deal. Near the Swiss border and the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt, Cervinia is at the base of the Matterhorn. Although the village is not as charming as Zermatt, it is less expensive, has great Italian food and you can drive to the village, unlike in Zermatt where no cars are allowed.

Sharing views of the awesome Matterhorn as well as a ski pass with Zermatt, Cervinia can offer a far more reasonably priced alternative to its Swiss neighbor. For advanced skiers who are tired of the wide, gentle ski runs of Cervinia, a ski excursion into Zermatt is an easy option, with some fantastic advanced ski terrain to be found there. The ski resort is also of one the highest in Europe and has access to a glacier as is as such guaranteed snow. Cervinia has a run over 20 kilometers long -- one of the longest in the world. Because of heavy snowfall and high elevations, there is skiing nearly year-round. Skiing here is best for the intermediate skiers. The highest ski elevation is 3,480 meters and there are 30 ski lifts.

The magnificence of the towering Matterhorn is in stark contrast to the imagination of the architects who put a village on its foothills.  Lose any idea of a Swiss or Austrian Alpine village awaiting you and you will be fine; the skiing and the setting are truly impressive, the village not so. That said, Cervinia has intermittent charm and a very proud history of alpinism.

Ski Piemonte -- The mountains of Piemonte, featured at the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics, provide a unique backdrop for winter sports and skiing in Italy. But they also provide peace and quiet for amateurs to have fun, space for beginners, and great cultural and gastronomic traditions. Piemonte features 53 ski resorts, 1,300 kilometers of runs, and over 300 installations comprising aerial tramways, cableways, chairlifts and ski lifts, with a capacity of handling nearly 400, 000 people per hour. Winter sports that can be practiced in Piemonte include Alpine and cross-country skiing, telemark, snowboarding, ice climbing, free riding, ski mountaineering, horse trekking, driving sleighs pulled by Siberian huskies, paraskiing, heli-skiing and much, much more.

Valle di Susa (or Val di Susa) -- The Valle di Susa (or Val di Susa) area extends over 1,500 kilometers of ski runs and trails, set in a natural landscape that is unmatched anywhere in the world. Snow is the lifeblood of these places, which even offer illuminated slopes for night skiing and extremely long off-trail routes through fresh snow. There are runs for beginners too.  Sestriere is located at 2,035 meters on the hill of the same name that looks onto the Val Chisone and Valle di Susa and was the first modern Italian ski resort. It was created in 1937 on the initiative of the Agnelli family (of FIAT fame), and today offers snow lovers plenty of opportunity for enjoyment. Here you can choose from 146 different runs served by 92 lifts and cableways, covering 400 kilometers, 80 kilometers of which are covered artificially using 950 snow cannons. There are links to five other resorts, and skiers can enjoy skiing at night along the illuminated ski runs.

Val Gardena -- The ski area of Val Gardena is high in the Dolomites and has hosted World Cup skiing events. Val Gardena is part of the huge Sella Ronda circuit and has 80 lifts with a ski range of 1,563-2,518 meters, promising plenty of snow. It’s best for beginners and intermediate skiers. The resort village of Selva Gardena is at 1,563 meters and has a large number of restaurants, ice-skating and indoor sports. The area is dramatically beautiful, high in the Italian Dolomites. The ski holiday resort of Selva Gardena lies at 1,563 meters in the Dolomites, ensuring reliable snow. Selva Gardena is part of the extensive Sella Ronda circuit and offers extensive terrain.

Peter D’Attoma is president of DaVinci Custom Travel & Tours. He has over 25 years of planning and designing independent, custom and escorted tours of Italy for individuals, groups and incentives. For more information call 330-633-2292 or visit www.davincicustomtravel.com.