Ski holidays in Livigno - Italy

A good choice for beginners wanting to have fun, about half of Livigno's lifts are surface drags running parallel to one another along the length of the village over the sunny meadows which nonetheless remain snowsure thanks to Livigno's height. Much of the terrain higher up is intermediate standard but the wide smooth, sunny slopes here can normally be tackled by beginners by the end of their first week. There are in fact six ski areas around the long village, although most are lift linked to one another anyway. The ski area is, however, split in two by the village itself.

On one side, the toughest skiing is accessed by the Mottolino gondola and ultimately rises up to 2785 metres at Monte Della Neve from which the resort's two blacks descend back towards the tree line. The larger skiing sector is accessed by the two stage Carosello 3000 ski centre from the southern end of the village or by a series of chair lifts from the village centre. It is a centre of wide smooth trails well above the treeline and classified red, which will delight intermediates.

Advanced skiers may wish to take advantage of the Alta Valtellina area pass which, with a 6 day pass or longer, includes a day's skiing in the Swiss Engadin region. That famous region includes about a dozen resorts, most famously St Moritz, but also Pontresina, Samedan, Silvaplana and Zuoz . Unrestricted access to Livigno's Italian neighbours, including World Championships centre Bormio as well as Santa Caterina and San Colombano is also included - but it's a bit of a trek to all of these centres.

Back in Livigno the area of Trepalle, beneath Monte Della Neve, is particularly appealing to off piste skiers and 'boarders, telemarkers and ski tourers. It's Europe's highest permanently inhabited parish between 1900 and 2250 metres and is an area of immense peace and splendour throughout the year. Cross country skiers have 40km of trail around the sunny valley and there's a famous international cross-country race, the Sgambeda, a few days before Christmas each year.

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