Italy is one of the major alpine ski nations. Family ski holidays in Italy are quite different from those in the other Alpine nations. In general, the Italians are laid back, late to arrive on the slopes and big on lunch. One reason why the Italians love to lunch is the quality of the food. The cuisine in the Dolomites in particular is a wonderful mix of Italian, Austrian and Ladin (a language based on a local dialect and Latin which dominates some of the local valleys).
Many of the top ski resorts in Italy are in the Val d’Aosta where you’ll find Cervinia, La Thuile and Pila. The exceptionally scenic Dolomites contains the resort or Corvara on the famous Sella Ronda ski circuit.
Cervinia is linked across the Swiss border with Zermatt, and has extensive high altitude slopes, which are wide and well-groomed.
The Dolomites are the location for the celebrated Sella Ronda – a circular tour through several resorts, Corvara, Colfosco, Selva and Arraba. Skiing round the truly impressive Sella massif is one of the great highlights of a skiing in the Dolomites. This panoramic 25-mile circuit includes more than 16 miles of skiing and takes you through four Ladin valleys. The tour can be comfortably completed in five or six hours, even by less experienced skiers..
Those who have never encountered the Dolomites while skiing in Italy will be inspired by some of the most astonishing scenery in the Alps. These sheer and towering limestone peaks are so different in appearance that some people think of them as a completely different mountain range. At dawn and dusk, sunlight produces variety of shades of pink and flaming red as it glints on porphyry - a reddish-purple rock of large feldspar crystals embedded in the limestone.