october-2012

“Skiing in Italy
means a laid-back
atmosphere,
delicious food and
value for money”
GRESSONEY
• For a rich variety of on- and off-piste skiing
• A charmingly Swiss influence
Monterosa Ski is an area made up of the resorts of
Gressoney-La-Trinité, Champoluc and Alagna on
the southern side of the border with Switzerland.
Although the three villages are close as the crow flies
and well connected on piste and by lift, it takes two
to three hours to drive between any two of them. It is
one of the most underrated skiing in the Alps – both
on- and off-piste (monterosa-ski.com).
Gressoney-La-Trinité is a community of cobbled
streets with ancient wooden chalets surrounded by
more contemporary buildings. Being central, it is
the most convenient location. Don’t miss a visit to
Capanna Carla restaurant, at the far end of the valley.
You can head across towards Champoluc for easy blue
and red cruising, or turn right for Alagna and some of
the most exciting powder skiing in the Alps.
Ellex Hotel (ellexhotel.it) in Gressoney-La-Trinité is
a slope-side bio-hotel created with natural materials.
Its 20 bedrooms, named after Alpine flowers, have
wooden floors and goose down duvets.
MADESIMO
• For beginners, intermediates and snowboarders
• Feeling daring? Try the steep Canalone ski trail
• A quiet, small and pretty idyll
The small, attractive resort in the Valchiavenna ski
area is close to the Swiss border. Its 50km of skiing
is served by a dozen modern lifts and is ideal for
less adventurous intermediates looking for quiet,
uncrowded slopes. The ski school has small classes,
there’s a snowpark for freestylers and snowboarders, a
69km snowmobile trail, and the pistes are floodlit for
night-skiing. However, Madesimo’s main claim to fame
is its notoriously steep Canalone ski trail.
The nightlife centres around a few very Italian bars
and hotels. Stay at the new four-star Hotel Boscone
(bosconesuitehotel.it), close to the slopes. It comes
with a spa, restaurant and a children’s mini-club.
THREE HOURS AWAY
MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO
• For winter skiers, snowboarders, freestylers
• Fabulous pistes and mountain restaurants
• Expect the glam set and Italian celebs
The delightful town of Madonna di Campiglio
(campigliodolomiti.it) has a lot to offer for a mediumsized
ski resort: beautifully groomed pistes, mountain
restaurants and Italy’s best snowpark for freestylers
and snowboarders. Madonna itself is a chic resort,
attracting Italian celebrities, but the prices are far
lower than you’d expect for a resort of this calibre.
A downside is that the ski area isn’t too high – in
fact, the top pistes are at 2,500m, so make sure to visit
before the end of February if you can.
The ski area is split into three chunks – Cinque
Laghi, Pradalago and Monte Spinale/Grosté – linked
by piste at resort level. Once you’ve explored the
main slopes above Madonna, and so long as you’ve
bought the more expensive Superskirama lift pass,
you’ll be able to ski over to the neighbouring resorts of
Marilleva, Pinzolo and Folgarida.
Hermitage Biohotel (biohotelhermitage.it) is just
over a kilometre from the resort centre, but offers a
free minibus every five minutes to and from the slopes.
Inside, there’s a Michelin-starred restaurant and a
lovely spa. A cheaper option is the bright and cheery
three-star Hotel Montana (montanacampiglio.it), a
ski-in, ski-out hotel with a piste right beside it..
Felice Hardy is co-editor of the ski information
website, welove2ski.com
FABULOUS MOUNTAIN
RESTAURANTS AWAIT AT
MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO
MILAN FEATURE
OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012 WIZZ MAGAZINE 63