Ski holidays in Italy - Italy 's skiing is the most under-rated in Europe and many skiers know little about it. Probably only the amount of skiing in Japan comes as a greater surprise. There are in fact around 400 different ski centres in Italy, slightly more than in France or Switzerland, with the fifth highest number of lifts in the world. This puts Italy a marginal second in Europe for the number of chair lifts, although it is ahead of Austria and Switzerland in that category.
Italy has a long skiing history. Resorts such as Cortina d'Ampezzo and Selva in Val Gardena were famous in the 1930’s after the first resort had been established at ClavFre on the French border. The Italians also pioneered purpose-built ski centres with the aid of large corporations such as Fiat and famous centres such as Sestière, site of the 1997 World championships, were created.
Italy is a long country from north to south, and in its northern half stretches from French to Slovenian (former Yugoslav)
borders along the southern edges of Switzerland and throughout Austria. There are ski resorts throughout the country, including some of Europe's biggest (in terms of skier uplift per hour) close to Rome. There is also skiing on several of the Italian islands, including Sicily and Sardinia. Skiers can choose from the dramatic pink peaks of the Dolomites, the highest of the Alps or the central Apennines. For more information on skiing holidays in Italy call freephone 0800 652 8552 |