Italy ski holidays

What do you look forward to after a day on the slopes? If it’s a steaming plate of delicious food (perhaps with a nice glass of wine to wash it down), then you can’t go wrong with ski holidays in Italy.

Cheaper than many other European ski destinations, resorts in the Italian Alps and Dolomites are friendly, stylish and fun.

With not one but two spectacular mountain ranges, Italy offers the perfect ski resort for every type of skier or snowboarder...

The Italian Alps alone span a huge area, from Piedmont near the French border to the Swiss border area of Cervinia, and are home to thousands of pistes.

The Italian Dolomites, meanwhile, are known for the Dolomiti Superski area, which links a number of resorts together to form a huge network of lifts and runs.

In the Alps, you can choose from the 50 or so resorts in the Piedmont mountain area, where you will find both gentle nursery slopes and snow parks built for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin.

Resorts in this area include laidback, intermediate-friendly Sestriere and lively Sauze d'Oulx.

Further north, the Cervinia area is home to resorts such as picturesque Courmayeur and La Thuile, a quiet resort from which you can ski into France.

There’s also Cervinia itself, which is on the Italian side of the mighty Matterhorn Mountain and offers access to the famous resort of Zermatt in Switzerland without the eye-watering price tag.

In the Dolomites, the massive Dolomiti Superski area includes the resorts of Selva Val Gardena, Corvara, Arabba, Canazei, Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val di Fassa.

Catering for all levels of skiers and snowboarders, many of these resorts are south facing, giving you a greater chance of sunny slopes and restaurant terraces.

They also offer a range of non-skiing activities such as skating and snow shoeing, as well as a family-friendly après-ski scene featuring trattorias, pizzerias, bars and nightclubs.

Try Cortina d’Ampezzo for designer boutiques and stylish bars, and Selva Val Gardena for excellent nursery slopes and quality ski tuition.

Wherever you decide to base your Italian ski adventure, you will find that Italian resorts tend to take themselves less seriously than some of their Swiss or French counterparts.

The result is a more relaxed and laidback atmosphere where children are very welcome and the prices are much more palatable.

Accommodation in Italian ski resorts also tends to offer value for money, with lots of budget options and self-catering apartments available alongside chic, luxurious hotels and chalets.