Italy has it all: dazzling cliffs in the Dolomites, powder snow paradises as in Livigno, Alpine "hospitality" and cosy mountain lodges in the southern Tyrolean ski regions - all that with a healthy dose of sunshine.
Aosta Valley:
The Aosta Valley is located near the borders of Italy to Switzerland and to France. The like-named town of Aosta has a middle-sized population of approx. 35,000 residents. Because of this, visitors will find everything they need in this pretty ski resort – from hotels to ski lodges to Restaurants and discos. Not only the city attracts visitors with its plentiful activities, the area itself draws crowds with its breathtaking natural beauty and awesome runs.
South Tyrol:
The region of South Tyrol is located on the sunny side of the Alpes and gets its snow from the Genoa-low. Here winter sports fans will find much sun, good food and depending on preference everything from little ski stations with groomed pistes to the incredible Dolomiti Superski area.
Trentino:
West of the Adige and easily accessible from the Brenner motorway in the Brenta and Presanella areas lie some well-known winter sports regions. Among them are the town of Madonna di Campiglio, Fassa and Fleims Valley with the most famous Dolimite peak and connections to the famous Sella Ronda, a day-trip ski trail that encircles the Sella Massives.
Lombardy:
Lombardy offers, in its northern-most region Sondrio, an especially sporty ski area. On one side there is Bormio, the site of several World Ski Championships, and on the other side Livigno a duty and tax free mountain valley on the Swiss border. There is a total of over 400 kilometers of piste available here!
Piedmont:
Situated near to the French boarder and Turin, Piedmont offers loads of action with over 600 kilometres of piste and activities such as heliskiing, canyoning or hang-gliding! Well-known towns here are Bardonecchia, Sestriére or even Limone Piedmont. Snowboarders will find Olympic approved pistes, as the snowboard competition for the Turin Olympic Winter Games 2006 were held in Bardonecchia!
Venezia:
The region Venezia stretches from the Adriatic coast, through the Venetian pre-Alps to the Dolomites. The province Belluno has the largest number of ski areas with first-class slopes, like for example Cortina d'Ampezzo, which has several mountains that are at least 3,000 m high. The famous peak Marmolada is located here too, which has one of the longest pistes in Europe, at 12 km length! Numerous winter sports and free-ride areas ensure pure action.
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Bella Italia – this also applies to cross-country ski fans. Many ski areas offer a dense network of trails for cross-country skiers with levels from easy to expert.
From Fiames (Cortina d'Ampezzo) you have access to the 200 km long "Four-Country-Track" (Carinthia-East Tyrol-South Tyrol-Venetia). Nature lovers will be well satisfied with numerous routes. A further cross-country skiing paradise is the area around Sterzing. In total you will find 31.5 km of trails, with many located in the Ridnau Valley.
More information about cross-country skiing in Cortina d'Ampezzo and about cross-country skiing in Sterzing.
A spectacular place to go cross-country skiing can be found around the Kronplatz. For instance from St. Lorenzen you can access the vast network of tracks easily. A total of 175 km of trails is available and also those who desire the skating style will find what they are looking for.
More information about cross-country skiing in St. Lorenzen.
The network of tracks around the Seiser Alp is a popular area for training the national team's members. Whilst the easier trails can be found lower down in the valley the experts will be drawn up higher on to the Alps. Here you can find the intermediate Joch trail which takes you up to the exposed lying Laurin hut at 2,018 m altitude.
More information about cross-country skiing in the region Seiser Alp.
Ambitious skiers can participate in the Pustertaler Skimarathon which takes place every year in January, as well as in the Gsiesertal-Lauf in Feburary. The steeper incline of the World Champion track Valtellina at Santa Caterina proves to be a challenge for many. The Fleims Valley in Tretino is counted to one of the world's best Nordic skiing regions.
More information about cross-country skiing in Santa Caterina. |
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