Italy is home to some of the best downhill or Alpine Skiing stretches around the world. Alpine Skiing involves sliding down snow terrains on skis and is closest to Nordic Skiing in terms of sport activity.
Alpine skier Giuliano Razzoli, winner of the Gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics is an Italian by birth. In fact the Winter Olympic Games in1956 were held in Cortina and that success resulted in the 2006 Winter Olympics being held in Torino, Italy. New additions and significant improvements on existing skiing trails have made Italy one of the best skiing holiday and sport destinations in Europe.
The Valle d'Aosta, the Milky Way or Via Lattea and the Dolomite ski stretches have some of the best ski resorts in the country. Italians look at skiing as a holiday activity rather than a sporting game and more often than not you will find ski resorts full of fun and frolics once the skiers have finished for the day. Lots of Italians along with their love for food, music and drink are also known to love their ‘settimana Bianca’ or the traditional “white week” holiday year after year.
Most ski resorts are easily accessible by either mode of transport and offer a varied number of night time and indoor activities to tourists not interested in skiing. All ski slopes are graded by difficulty and skiers are advised on this basis before they can begin skiing. First timers in Italy will be advised to visit the North alpine regions of Italy for the best skiing experience but it pays to consider options available at the South end of the terrain too as these are equally competent.
The Dolomite Super Ski Networks are by far the first in the list of international ski destinations of the world. They offer great holiday activities during summer or winter. Dolomite Super Ski boasts of 12 different skiing networks linked together including the Cortina d’Ampezzo and the Madonna di Campiglio.
The Veneto region in north-east Italy located along the Adriatic Sea contains the famous Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort that hold some of the best winter sporting activities within the country. Turin is another better known skiing spot for tourists as it has not only some beautiful and complacent skiing trails but also a regional airport. Sauze d’Olux, Sestriere and Bardonecchia are busy ski resorts on Turin’s Valle that lies on the border of the Turin-Paris train line. The Sestriere ski stretch lies within the Valle del Chisone and has a fully developed resort of cross country trails, 20 ski-lifts as well as an ice skating rink among other regular activities.
At the foothills of the Mont Blanc lies Cormayeur, one of Italy’s most talked about ski resorts, that has all the makings of a world number one ski resort namely; chairlifts, cable cars, graded slopes, cross country skiing expanses and above all helicopters to enjoy an aerial view of the scenic mountains. Next in popularity is the Valle d’Aosta whose inhabitants speak a mix of French and Italian. The region also has a number of historic castles and wooden chalets that tell stories of yore. Valle d’Aosta lies among the Monte Rosa, Matterhorn, Gran Paradiso and Mont Blanc mountains.
