Luxury Ski Holidays Italy
The Italian’s know how to do luxury with some of the best luxury ski resorts and hotels to choose from. In the evenings, Italian’s take part in the traditional passeggiata where they dress up and take an evening walk around the town, perusing the shops and having aperitivo in the bars. Corso Italia in Cortina – the equivalent to London’s Kings Road – and the bars in Piazza Venezia are often busier than the ski slopes. It is the Italian way to welcome guests as though they were long lost friends, feed them well and thrust homemade grappa or limoncello into their palms after a meal. When looking for a luxury ski resort that you will keep returning to, Italy’s warm hospitality is a strong contender to its European counterparts.
STAY IN LUXURY
The modern and sleek five-star Le Massif in Courmayeur is opposite the Courmayeur cable car and a short walk from the shops and bars on Via Roma. For the Sellaronda, Hotel Col Alto in Corvara is a family-run hotel with traditional Alpine furnishings and the restaurant serves delicious regional cuisine. While the sumptuous Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano has the three-Michelin-star restaurant St. Hubertus, an in-house cinema and an indoor pool with mountain views. Tucked away on the mountainside, stay at Hotellerie de Mascognaz in Champoluc for secluded luxury, this wonderful hotel is only accessible by skis or skidoo. Enjoy the peace and quiet while you take in uninterrupted views over the surrounding mountains.
Italian wine & cuisine
Cortina, Courmayeur and Corvara are renowned for their excellent cuisine at mountain rifugios, where recipes are passed down from great grandmothers, and Michelin-star restaurants that create innovative plates with seasonal produce. If you’re skiing the Sellaronda, the Piz Boè Alpine Lounge restaurant is a must for southern Tyrolean cuisine. In Courmayeur, Giacomo welcomes everyone at Maison Vielle, we recommend his trio of pasta plates for two.
SKIING IN ITALY
Skiing in Italy tends to be more relaxed than in France or Austria, the cuisine and ambience are just as important to the Italians. The extensive Monterosa ski area is at the foot of the second tallest mountain in the Alps – Monte Rosa – and includes the resorts Champoluc, Gressoney and Alagna. The 23-kilometre circular Sellaronda route links Arabba, Val Gardena, Canazei and Corvara as well as being covered by the Dolomiti Superski pass. On France and Italy’s border, the world-famous Mont Blanc looms in the backdrop as you cruise along Courmayeur’s blue runs. Take the Mont Blanc cable car for sweeping panoramas over Courmayeur and access to steep off-piste runs and colouirs.
Winter activities
In Courmayeur, take in the 360-degree views on the rotating glass cabins of the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car. Peruse the designer shops of Courmayeur’s Via Roma or relax in the Pré Saint Didier thermal baths nearby. There are plenty of activities in Alta Badia, including ice skating on the frozen Sompunt lake, horse and sleigh rides through the snow and an indoor swimming pool. Learn about the local Ladin culture at the Ciastel de Tor and Ursus Landinicus museums.
