What Even is the "Best"?
Any comparison of the best ski resorts in Italy will be biased. How you define the “best” is equally at examination here.
It’s hardly surprising that, of the five resorts listed here, I have lived in two of them. In one sense, that makes me prejudiced towards them, and against others. On the other, it gives me a more indepth knowledge of the towns compared with those who have only been on a one week holiday.
Each person has a unique reason they visit ski resorts. Yes, for most of us, that is to ski. But what classes as the best depends on whether we are a beginner, intermediate or advance, a skier or a snowboarder, an on piste or an off pister.
Additional differences are less perceptible – do you prefer easy runs through scenic forests, or steep and adrenaline runs from the top of the mountain? Do you like snowparks? Do you want loud Apres or a quite pint with your friends, or even by yourself? Do you look for rustic accommodation, or five star hotels? Is food important to you? Maybe, you don’t ski at all and it’s the Winter Walking, or the Spas that beckon?
With the myriad of questions, this list becomes more and more subjective.
For me though, if you ski and can ski anything, this is my completely subjective five best resorts in Italy.
Cervinia
Heading for the Slopes through Cervinia Town
Looking out from the Plateau Rosa Glacier is a sight. A great one. Nestled 3500 metres above sea level, the glacier is the connection between Cervinia below and Zermatt in Switzerland. You can ski here even in Summer, if you have an appetite for slush skiing by 11am in the morning.
Cervinia itself is one of the higher Italian resorts at 2008 metres. Snow coverage is good and the view dominated by the Matterhorn – also known as Monte Cervino in Italian, and from which the town gets its name.
Ski one way across and down from Cervinia, and you hit Valtourneche, the town above it. Come up and over, and you have the whole of Zermatt ski area to play with. On paper, there are 72 ski runs in Cervinia and a further 78 in Zermatt.
Unsurprisingly the longest ski run is approximately 22km from the Piccolo Cervino down to the village of Valtourneche – from 3883 metres to a mere 1524. Well, this all depends on what you class as the longest run. It’s a one ride deal, from top to bottom, along Red 85, Blue 88, Red 7, Red 35, Red 36, Red 12, Blue 10, Red 1a then Red 1 until you stop at the bottom gondola station of Valtourneche itself.
If you’re a purist who measures their longest runs by one run number, try Ventina. This is Red 7 in its entirety, a demanding and enjoyable slope from the top of the Testa Griglia cable car to the bottom lift station in Cervinia. Some say it’s 11km, some say its 8km. Either way, it’s a stunning run to ski.
Off the slopes, Lo Copa Pan in town doubles up as a great bar and restaurant. Upstairs you can drink cocktails, surrounded each night by live music. Leave the barman to his own devices, and he’ll make some great concoctions. The Espresso Martinis, when your head starts nodding before midnight, are first rate. Downstairs, the prices are a little higher than many Italian places, but the food quality is very good – may I recommend the Filet Mignon?
Elsewhere across town, you can head to the Yeti, the Dragon or Ymeletrob for drinks before hitting the clubs of Gasoline and Sound late night.
But for me, Cervinia is all about a day of skiing, a late afternoon with Prosecco in hand at the Principe before half skiing half falling down the last section of the Blue into town, a good cocktail and dinner at the Copapan, then to bed.
La Thuile
Architecture is not a strong point in the Planibel Apartments, a tired sixties complex, in an incredible village.
My first impression of La Thuile was not favourable. That’s an understatement. It’s a dead end village in the mountains up from Courmayeur, which is one of the glitziest and refined resorts that Italy has.
It is literally the end of the road, at least in Winter. Beyond La Thuile in the hamlet of Pont Serrand the tarmac becomes Red number 7; La Thuile’s longest run at 11km. Only in Summer does the road functions as the Petit San Bernard pass, running over to its counterpart ski resort La Rosiere in France.
Time does wonders in La Thuile. It took two weeks to fall in love with La Thuile. The people are friendly, the food is the best I’ve found in mountain Italy, the skiing is impressive for a small area, and the queues are non-existent.
I’d go as far to say it’s Italian’s skiing best kept secret.
There are negatives. The village is split into the traditional centre and the Planibel Complex, from which the only gondola and two chairs head up the mountain. The Planibel Complex is ugly, worn out and soulless. Lurking deep in the Planibel is King’s Pub, one of the worst fake Irish bars you may have the misfortune of visiting in your life. Indeed, this is not a place for good Apres, even by Italian standards.
On the slopes, whilst many rate la Thuile a good area for beginners, I do not. When you’ve conquered Blue 11 and 13, there’s no real place to go for an aspiring beginner-intermediate. All the runs down to the village are harder, consisting of two reds and three blacks. Additionally, it’s not a thrilling area for snowboarders, unless you like walking.
Furthermore, when the weather picks up, many of the chairlifts can get very windy and very cold. You may think you know wind, until you come to La Thuile.
On the flip side La Thuile boasts a connection with La Rosiere, offers 155km of skiing, and great food. The starter’s area of Les Suches is all rather soulless, but the Argilien and Petit San Bernard areas have their own flavour, and there are some cracking runs – Red 18 and Black 2 to start are both class. There are some considerable off piste delights as well, if you know where to look.
The food on and off the mountain is superb. La Foyer, Maison Carrell and Lo Riondet are three top restaurants out of a variety I could pick on the mountain. In town, restaurants are not as easy to come by – by that, I mean they like to hide away and that’s part of the charm. The trifecta of Copapan, Lo Tata and Pepita are a phenomenal start to La Thuile’s hearty cuisine.
In summary, La Thuile feels like home. But an exciting home where you spend your days staring at the scenery of the Mont Blanc area, darting between France and Italy, and evenings over good food and cheerful drinks in the pub.
As you would expect, it doesn’t have many promoters. It’s a dead end town afternoon. But those it does have, return year after year, and the sing its praises – quietly and to the right people.
Madonna di Campiglio
Staring across the Madonna - Pinzolo - Marileva - Folgarida Range in the Brenta Dolomites
Madonna, or Madonna di Campiglio for its full name, lies in the North of Italy in the Brenta Dolomites. It’s a delightful small town of a thousand inhabitants, and the joy of its ski area outweighs the sum of its parts. There’s 150km to room across to Pinzolo, Folgarida and Marileva. It could have been a disjointed area, but the towns around make the ski area feel more considerable than it is.
It’s definitely an area for intermediates and above, and I would say more classy and ritzy than Courmayeur on the other side of the country. It’s also quite some way from the “proper” Dolomites, around a 150 minute car drive, and this isolation works in its favour.
Firm favourites of the immediate Madonna area are the Fiat Chalet for lunch, followed by a run down the Spinale Direttisima – one of Madonna;s challenging blacks. Recently completely renovated and sponsored for some reason by the Italian car manufacture, they have both a table service and self-service restaurant. From the self-service comes some great pasta and tiramisu, together with other options. After lunch, you can head for the Spinale Blakc run. After hitting signs warning of its steepness, the first section seems quite pleasant and you wonder what’s coming. Then comes the Schumacher Streif, the last section to the bottom of the gondola. It’s named after the F1 driver who, thought he didn’t have his publicised ski accident here, often visited the resort. It’s sheer but short, enough to give you the adrenaline pump by the time you hit town level.
If you fancy less demanding slopes, Paradalgo calls, the main section of Madonna.
But the other joy of Madonna is full day romps across the mountain to Folgarida and Marileva. It feels like a mini ski safari, as you take in the network and stop on the way back for a drink.
I’ve yet to explore Madonna and its neighbouring resorts as much as I would like. The last day skiing I did there firmly sticks in my mind, and I wait for the next time I’ll be back.
Selva di Val Gardena
Looking across the rooftops of Selva on a Winter's Evening
On one of the great corners of the Sellaronda circuits sits Selva, in the heart of the Dolomites. It’s nestled at the top of the Val Gardena valley, past the towns of Ortisei and Santa Cristina till you nestle in the foothills of the Sella mountains themselves.
It’s a blend of Austria and Italy. The food is mixed but the people and the architecture sits more firmly in the Austrian camp. People here are friendly but not too Italian. There’s more of the efficiency and the drive to run upmarket businesses here that betrays a more Germanic ancestry. You can’t argue with it. The hotels are immaculate – clean, well run, great food. Even the 3 stars punch above their weight. There is currently only one five star in Selva – the Alpenroyal – but it won’t be long before a few more come snapping at its heels.
While some of Italy thrives on English custom, and other foreigners, the Dolomites can take or leave it. They get considerable business from the local extended area, including the Austrians and Germans who come across the border for a weekend of skiing before packing the dogs and children back into the Mercedes and heading back to Innsbruck and Munich.
There are English, Russians and Scandinavians in the mix too, making it a varied skier base on the slopes. Regardless, most are intermediate and above. While the blacks are not notoriously hard, there are plenty of Reds and long distance skiing to be had.
The Sellaronda itself has 40 kilometres of lifts and runs in two directions, anticlockwise and clockwise. The joy of the circuit is that you don’t have to use the same slope or lift twice. But the larger imminent area around the Sella is 500 kilometres full of pistes in four directions. At the North-West from Selva you can head down the valley to the Alpe di Siusi. At its north-Eastern point, Alta badia beckons with its network of picturesque runs, many through the trees. At the South on each point lies Fassa (see below) and Arabba, probably the hardest section on the circuit. Arabba is also the launchpoint for the highest section of the Dolomites, the Marmolada Glacier at 3342 metres.
If you feel intrepid – or bothered – enough, a bus ride will take you further afield to the areas of Carezza, Kronplatz and Civetta. Have a car? Then a jaunt from Selva across the mountain passes will open up access to all 12 of the valleys, with a total area of more than 1200 kilometres.
After a day of skiing, a trip back into Selva will reward you with drinks at Kronestube or La Stua. Most retire into their hotels for the night after that, where good food and relaxation is synonymous. For those in B&Bs, there is a considerable choice of Italian and Austrain food on offer. On the menu you’ll find dumplings like canerderli tris next to pastas, tiramisus next to kaiserschmarren.
Then, you just need to get up and do it all again. There’s too much to see on the mountains, too many places to go, and never enough time. This is a place you could buy a season pass and still not cover all the ground in five months. But then, that’s part of the delight – the skiing never gets old.
Val di Fassa
Standing at the top of the Sella Pass (Passo Sella) in the Dolomites looking out to the Val Di Fassa
The val di Fassa – the Fassa valley – sits on the Southern side of the Sella mountains. It consists of the villages of Alba, Canazei, Campitello, Pozza and Vigo. Whilst Canazei is the main hub for many visitors, Campitello also offers easy access to the Sella circuit. Pozza is more secluded, but its charm is in the quietness and the small areas above Pozza and Vigo have scenic skiing, great food and fewer people.
Wherever you go in the Val di Fassa, you have access like Selva to the Sellaronda and the Dolomites. And whether you pick the Val Gardena or the Val di Fassa side, the skiing is endless.
There are a few differences though. Selva has easier access to Kronplatz, Corvara, and Alpe di Siusi (nestled above Ortisei). Canazei has better access to Arabba and the Marmolada glacier. Additionally, a bus ride can take you as far down as the Latemar ski area, or to Alpe Lusia and San Pellegrino.
The valley also has a more tired feel than Val Gardena, but also more Italian. This does not detract from pretty scenery and some good food and drinking in the villages.
I’ve lived in Selva, so my heart lies that side of the mountain. However, I do belief that the Italian feel in the Fassa is more down to earth. Either way, Fassa is a stunning area with incredible skiing, so it sits up there as one of my Top 5 resorts in Italy.
Last Thoughts
A completely subjective pick of the best Italian Ski Resorts… do you agree? Leave a reply below…
Further Resources
Click on each tab below for resources to plan your trip
To book your first ski holiday, have a look at the following operators:-
- Crystal Ski Holidays
- Inghams
- Mark Warner
- Ski Total
- Club Med
- Topflight (for Irish customers)
- Igluski
Check out my other Ski related posts here:-