Italian ski destinations

We sort out the blues from the reds on Italy‘s most stylish slopes.

Cortina d’Ampezzo

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Known for its great aprés ski and beautiful scenery, Cortina d’Ampezzo is beloved of brochure photographers. The surrounding Dolomites are some of the most breathtaking mountains in Europe, and the town itself is like a postcard of Italian sophistication, teeming with a picturesque clutter of designer clothes stores and upmarket jewellers. Things have come a long way since Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics, but for the most part the slopes remain underwhelming. They’re excellent for beginners and a fair amount of off-piste opens up in deep snow, but there’s little to keep serious riders occupied for long. The majority of slopes are blue, and the network of nursery runs in the Socrepes area is one of the most extensive and varied you’ll find anywhere, with plenty of scope for gentle progression and the option of moving on to the higher, steeper blues from Duca d’Aosta (2,100m) or Col Druscie (1,770m). The former winds through some wonderful wooded terrain; the latter leads right back into town.

Food The level of culinary excellence on display in Cortina should come as no surprise. Budgeteers, however, may be in for a bit of shock, especially if they stop in at Michelin-starred Tivoli.
Hotel Hotel de la Poste (+39 0436 4271/www.delaposte.it, rooms €110-210) and the Ancora (+39 0436 3261/ www.hotelancoracortina.com) are both handsome nineteenth-century buildings still run by the founding families.
Great for Beginners.
Fly Austrian Airlines to Innsbruck (160km away).


Livigno
With more money being pumped into upmarket accommodation every year, an expanded bus service and improved access, Livigno isn’t quite the delightfully dilapidated Alpine retreat it once was. Nor does it still feel like a big secret, with a huge number of Brits now joining the (predominantly Italian and German) holiday crowds. Many feel that skiing in Livigno is about as good as it gets; and its altitude of 1,800m-3,000m means heavy snowfall is more or less guaranteed between November and May. Its inaccessibility has earned it the name ‘Little Tibet’ and its shops are exempt from excise duty – which means designer clothes and digital cameras are cheap. Livigno is the perfect place for beginners to find their feet. The whole north-westerly side of the valley is fringed with a long line of low lying blue runs, all of them short and almost all of them accessed by a drag lift. The easiest and by far the most charming are those that face San Rocco – lifts 17a (chair) and 17b (drag). In fact, the best way to negotiate Livigno’s lifts is by their numbers, especially when they aren’t tied to any notable landmarks. The blue runs that wind their way back to the valley are some of the longest you’ll find in the Alps.

Food This is home of Valtellini cuisine – heavy on the carbs (buckwheat, pasta and potatoes play a prominent role),
andeffortlessly light on the wallet, if not the waistline. There’s a huge number of raucous boozers that are regularly packed to the rafters.
Hotel Accommodation has improved dramatically in recent years, but it’s still important to book well in advance if you’re hoping to secure a stay in one of the few classier hotels like Hotel Amerikan (+39 0342 996 521/www.amerikan.it).
Great for Beginners, intermediates, snowboarders, off-piste action.
Fly Austrian Airlines to Innsbruck Airport (180km away).

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