Our tips for a great
getaway in... Milan Ski Italy
You see them in every smart Italian resort, with their fur coats, gold and silver bracelets, and jewellery: the Milanese at play, strolling down shopping arcades after a day on the slopes which is often more of a lingering lunch in the sun than anything too energetic on the slopes. So where do they ski, these sleek sun worshippers? You’ll find out if you fly into Milan’s Orio al Serio airport at Bergamo. Unless they are sampling the small local resorts of Cantoniera della Presolana, Colere, Foppolo or Schilpario (all about 45kms from Bergamo), chances are they’ll either be heading west to the resorts of the beautiful Aosta Valley (2½ hours from Milan), or north-east to the stunning Dolomites (nearer three hours).
bestheliskiing: Monte Rosa It’s only one run – but what a run! Hire a local guide (you won’t get a better one than Carlo Cugnetto from Monte Rosa Guides) and you’ll be dropped on the Col de Lys – a “shoulder” at 4,300m, not far from the top of the Monte Rosa (the second-highest peak in the Alps) where helicopters can land easily. The air is a touch thin here, and you’ll find yourself looking down on quite a few major peaks – even the mighty Matterhorn. Stick close to Carlo, especially in the opening sections which will be on a glacier. He’ll guide you safely through a maze of hidden crevasses. Further down you’ll negotiate a fairly easy couloir (a gully or “corridor” where snow blows in, making it inviting to powder skiers) on your way back down to a well-earned drink in Gressoney. What a ride! Powder, if you’re lucky for most of the way. You’ll never forget it. Where >Monte Rosa Guides are based at Gressoney la Trinité, one of the quaint cluster of villages in the less well-known Monte Rosa Ski area, which is part of the picturesque Aosta Valley region some 2½ to 3 hours from Bergamo Website > www.guidemonterosa.com
bestski area for unusual character and culture: Alagna This is a true cult resort. The skiing’s serious though, so if you’d rather not take on the steeps, couloirs or powder, just enjoy the village ambience. Alagna was founded by the Wallsers, originally of German origin, who migrated to various parts of the Alps around the 13th century. Many came here to the narrow valley “at the foot of the impressive south wall of Monte Rosa, where the River Sesia takes a first deep breath”. According to the tourist office, Alagna preserves the Wallsers' “architectural heritage, local costumes and antique dialect.” A plaque in the village centre says: “Because of the great difficulties they faced due to the altitude of their alpine dwellings and ethnic isolation, they developed an autonomous social life.” One of the most attractive examples of their architecture is the chalet-style houses with wooden slatted balconies, used to dry hay during the summer months, when the Sesia valley receives above average rainfall. Where >Alagna is at the nearest end of the Monte Rosa ski area, about 2½ hours or less from Bergamo Website > www.alagna.co.uk
bestfor scenery: The Sella Ronda, Dolomites It’s easy to keep referring to mountains as “spectacular” and ”stunning”, but the Dolomites really are – in a way that’s not found anywhere else in the Alps. These monoliths of limestone glint pink and violet at dawn and dusk, and tower almost vertically into the sky. The Sella Ronda is the ideal way to witness this scenery and enjoy an exhilarating but not difficult ski tour as well. The Sella Ronda is a circular tour round the breathtaking Gruppa Sella mountains, in which you ski through three provinces linked by four mountain passes. It’s easy for any reasonable intermediate skier to accomplish in a day, including a lunch break and the occasional halt to admire the view. Selva Gardena is a good entry point, and you will ski above Colfosco, Corvara and Arabba among many other villages during the 14 mile circuit. Where >Selva Gardena is three hours from Milan. Website > www.sella-ronda.info
bestfor people watching: Cortina d’Ampezzo This celebrated Olympic resort is a little further away from Bergamo – perhaps 3½ hours – but well worth the extra miles to see Italy’s most upmarket ski area. Cortina is the classic: a place to be seen, but not necessarily skied. A place for early lunches on sun-drenched balconies and sun-decks. And most famously, the place to people-watch. After skiing, the focus of attention is the early evening passeggiata (stroll) along the pedestrianised Corso Italia. The street is soon packed with wealthy, fur-and-jewellery clad visitors from Milan and Venice wandering in and out of antique shops and designer boutiques Where >Cortina d’Ampezzo is in the Belluno region of Italy’s Veneto region
bestfor easy slopes: Madonna di Campiglio Madonna is the queen of the Trentino Dolomites, and apart from one or two steep black runs, the skiing is pretty gentle. It’s actually three linked resorts with a total of 75 miles of skiing: Madonna, itself comprising three sections, is connected with Marilleva and Folgarida in the Val di Sole (Sun Valley). Once again the scenery is outstanding. Madonna is the Trentino region’s answer to Cortina in the up-market stakes, with tempting restaurants and designer shops. Even the quality – and quantity – of the dishes served in the vast dining room of the four-star Golf Hotel, packed with well-heeled families from Milan, Turin and Venice, belies the notion that hotels with hundreds of guests are liable to serve “canteen” food. Where >Madonna is three hours from Milan
bestmountain restaurant: La Maison Vieille, Courmayeur This delightful and intimate restaurant is perched on a snowy plateau high above Courmayeur, a picturesque old climbing town in the Aosta Valley, just the other side of Mont Blanc from Chamonix. Here you’ll find the charismatic and handsome Giacomo Colosi making everyone feel like a VIP. Endless food (the main course tends to arrive just when you think you’re moving on to the pudding), generous portions and Giacomo’s expansive welcome will give you the ultimate feel-good lunch as he bears cornucopias of delectable mountain fare to your table. Antipasti misti: platefuls of tagliatelle funghi, ravioli anatra and spaghetti carbonara, followed by stinco di maiale al forno (shin of pork), carbonada brasato al vino rosso (beef stew in red wine) and trota (trout) flambée. All this washed down with Vermentino and Chianti. And for pudding, who could resist the flambéed frutti di bosco (berries) brulée washed down with grappa al miele caldo (hot grappa with honey)? You may not want to ski again after all this as you soak up the sun and the largess. Strangely, Giacomo doesn’t ski, but does ferry guests around by snowobile after the lifts have shut. Where >La Maison Vieille, Courmayeur (about three hours from Bergamo) Website > www.maisonvieille.com
Compiled by Arnie Wilson
besttrivia
The picturesque old ski town of Moena, three hours from Bergamo, is also the name of a mythical princess. The story goes that Princess Moena lived happily with her father, King Laurino – embodied in a local peak resembling a king’s head – when a passing prince decided to marry her. The king, desperate at losing her, decreed that the beautiful local “rosegarden” mountains should be shrouded in a deep grey mist both by day and by night, so that henceforth, no-one could admire their beauty again. But he failed to realise that for a short while, at dawn and at dusk, it was neither day nor night. And thus, at these special times, the rising or setting sun illuminates the mountains.
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