With un-crowded pistes, sunny slopes and a healthy appetite for sunbathing, shopping and socialising, ski holidays in Italy are just as popular with piste-cruisers as freeride enthusiasts. Dominated by the Dolomites and the Alps, the best ski holidays in Italy are found in the north of the country.
From chic retreats and freeride focal-points, to easy-going slopes and some of the cheapest resorts in Europe, Italy’s top ten ski resorts each hold their own unique appeal, both on and off the mountain… And the food is exceptional all year round!
This resort is made up of several sophisticated village stations, tucked folds of the Dolomiti SuperSki and Sella Ronda ski areas, each affording breath-taking views of the Sella Massif and wider Dolomites mountain range. A major attraction for adventurous skiers is to complete the Sella Ronda circuit – a 26-mile tour around the Sella Massif. Expect upmarket hotels and Michelin-starred restaurants making this on of the best ski holidays in Italy.
Great for… fine dining and the Sella Ronda ski circuit.
Located in the Monterosa ski area, Alagna is one of three interconnected resorts and links to the villages of Champoluc and Gressoney. This sprawling ski area is overlooked by 4000 metre peaks, and offers wide, un-crowded pistes and stunning scenery, alongside alluring backcountry terrain, affordable heli-skiing and one of the world’s greatest lift-served verticals.
Great for… un-crowded pistes and heli-skiing.
With access to 146 slopes, Sestriere forms part of the expansive Via Lattea, or Milky Way, ski area. A home for international ski events, including the 2006 Winter Olympics and the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Sestriere offers plenty of freestyle facilities, including ski jumps and a superb snow park. A floodlight run means that skiing continues after dark.
Great for… freestyle and floodlight skiing.
With around 90 miles of pistes and packed with designer boutiques, antiques and classy coffee shops, Cortina is just as much about shopping and socialising as it is skiing. The resort hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics and still holds regular FIS downhill competitions but, with many visitors not venturing onto the slopes at all, you can expect peaceful pistes and bustling boutiques.
Great for… peaceful pistes and non-skiers.
Just across the border from Chamonix, skiing in Courmayeur is about picking which award-winning restaurant to eat in next. A medieval town with abundant eateries, foodie-skiers and non-skiers alike are well catered for and, although the pisted terrain is somewhat limited, there’s plenty of action for freeriders in the abundant off-piste and heli-skiing terrain.
Great for… freeriders and foodies.
The picturesque village of Arabba is located on the Dolomite’s highest mountain, with the Marmolada glacier on one side and the Sella Ronda on the other. Renowned for its challenging steeps, superb heli-skiing and good snow cover, adrenaline is spent on the mountain, making for a more subdued après scene than other resorts in Italy.
Great for… challenging skiing and quieter nightlife.
At 2,006 metres, Cervinia is one of the highest ski resorts in Italy. Named after the Cervinia mountain (4 478 m) – a peak that is better-known by its Swiss name, the Matterhorn – Cervinia links to the Swiss resort of Zermatt, providing an international ski area with 217 miles of slopes and abundant off-piste. A high-altitude resort with a long season, Cervinia is superb for cruising, whilst advanced skiers will find more challenge on the Swiss side but in combination make this one of best ski holidays in Italy.
Great for… good snow cover and intermediate skiing.
At the western end of the Val di Sole, this good-value, snow-sure ski resort is one of Italy’s highest, with lifts reaching up to 3,088 metres. Operating a lengthy season, the resort offers year-round skiing on the Presena glacier and is a popular weekend resort for local Italians and school groups.
Great for… families and overall value.
An archetypal Italian ski resort, this pretty, vibrant town has access to around 95 miles of sunny pistes, covering all four sides of the wooded valley in which it sits. Sunbathing is almost as popular as skiing here, and towards the end of the season the terraces are often bedecked with bronzed bodies after, during and even before a day on the mountain. The gentle pistes are ideal for families and beginners, with après-ski a congenial affair.
Great for… authentic Italian resort and quiet pistes.
This remote, duty-free resort is one of Europe’s cheapest. At an altitude of 1,816 metres, with lifts reaching up to 2,800 metres, snow conditions are excellent and the gentle slopes are particularly well suited to beginners and intermediates skiing in Italy for the first time. There’s less here for experts, but as a hub for Italy’s telemarkers, it presents a good opportunity to try something new.
Great for… telemarking and cheap ski holidays.
We hope you have enjoyed our guide to the 10 best ski holidays in Italy. If you feel we have missed and key resorts please let us know.
5 responses to “The 10 best ski holidays in Italy”
Want to go NOW! Great write-up! Is Nordic skiing big at any of these mountains?
Thanks Melanie,
All our bloggers are really experienced in their sports, I’m not sure about Nordic skiing in Italy though, let me speak with Lucy, see if she knows.
Hi Melanie,
Italy has loads to offer in the way of Nordic Skiing, particularly in the Dolomites, where some of the world’s top Nordic ski events have been held in the past, including the International Championships and the Nordic Combined World Cup – there’s even a designated ‘SuperNordicSkipass’ which gives visitors access to the Dolomite’s cross-country trails.
The resort of Ortisei and the Grand Paradiso National Park are particularly good areas for Nordic Skiing. Of the above, Courmayeur, Passo Tonale and Madonna di Campiglio have plenty of trails, with less on offer in Cervinia.
if your looking at staying in morzine then make sure you look around and find the best to suit you. if you are staying with family then make sure you are staying in accommodation that welcomes family.
Hi Betty – thanks for the comment. But the article was about Italy, Morzine is in France. We have removed the links you added as it seems to me you were adding them to get links rather than as part of making insightful comments on the article. If you wish to promote accommodation in Morzine please email me on [email protected] and I can let you know the options.