Italian Alps ski holidays

Ski holidays in the Italian Alps in the west of the country offer great value for money in a more relaxed and laidback atmosphere than most of the European resorts. Italians like to ski and snowboard, with an emphasis on style and food. It's very relaxed and friendly on the piste in Italy.

The Italian Alps span a huge area, from Piedmont near the French border to the Swiss border area of Cervinia, and offer some superb skiing. The Piedmont mountain area is home to more than 50 resorts and gives you the chance to ski and snowboard on runs and parks used in the 2006 Winter Olympics of Turin.

Resorts cater for beginners as well as those who are more expert, and also offer a huge range of additional winter sports. Resorts in this area include Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx.

Further north, the Cervinia area is home to resorts such as Courmayeur, offering a picture postcard alpine village, and La Thuile with its easy skiing with all the practicalities thought out for you.

Some of the higher resorts in Italy are found in this area, making for year round skiing. Cervinia is on the Italian side of the mighty Matterhorn Mountain and offers everything you would find in Zermatt, over on the Swiss side, but without

Prices in general are good in Italy and your ski euro will go further here than in the Swiss and Italian resorts of the Alps. Wherever you go you will find a big welcome for families.

Whether you have little ones on their first ski trips or babies in need of a crèche, the facilities are geared up for Italians and visitors alike to take the entire family to the slopes to enjoy their break. And this welcome extends to hotels, apartments, restaurants and bars.

With a huge number of resorts to pick from, we've highlighted the most popular for ski and snowboard holidays in the Italian Alps region.

Here are the main resorts we feature in the Italian Alps, with handy guides to help you select the right destination. Not only do we give you an overview of the resort, but we rate each one out of 10 for:

• Suitability for beginners, intermediates and advanced skiers and snowboarders

• Après-ski

• Non-skiers

• Cost of living

• Attractiveness of the resort