Alta Valtellina in brief
Visit Alta Valtellina for excellent skiing, health spas, strong local red wine, World Cup slopes and night-time skiing.
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Resort name:
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Alta Valtellina
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Location:
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Lombardy, Italy
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Nearest airport:
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Milan (various)
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Transfer time:
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Approx. 3 hrs (by car)
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Altitude:
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Ranges from 1,225 m (Bormio) to 1,816 m (Livigno)
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Total ski runs:
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220 km
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Beginner runs:
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39
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Intermediate runs:
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57
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Advanced runs:
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16
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Activities:
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Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, hiking, ski touring, ice climbing, go-karting, paragliding, ice skating
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Did you know?
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Bormio’s spas have their origins in the Roman Empire, when the locals made use of the thermal springs here.
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Skiing in Valtellina
The Valtellina region is famous for two things: skiing and wine, which make for an excellent holiday! The Alta Valtellina area is made of several resorts offering a great selection of slopes for keen skiers and snowboarders.
Bormio is the main town and boasts 15 lifts and 50 km of slopes, with the highest at an altitude of just over 3,000 m. The resort has a total vertical drop of 1,800 m, making it one of Italy’s best resorts. Artificial snow-making covers 80% of the slopes.
It has hosted the Alpine Skiing World Cup twice, giving you an idea of the challenge presented by some of its runs, including the Stelvio run with over 4 km of downhill skiing through woods and past canyons. There are also two off-piste skiing areas to explore, Vallone and Skiers’ Spot.
Livigno is a popular resort with 115 km of runs and 24 lifts. It has mostly red slopes, followed by a good number of blue runs and a few black ones for expert skiers. Around 30 km of cross-country trails can also be enjoyed here.
The Costaccia area is located at the north end of Livigno and is accessed using the Tagliede gondola. You can travel towards Carosello from here and ski back to the top of Costaccia via a blue run. Head across the valley from Livigno and you’ll be able to get to Mottolino using a fast quad or gondola from Teola. From there, skiers can either take a chair lift along the ridge or go down to fast quads on either side.
Finally, Santa Caterina is the smallest of the three resorts with 35 km of slopes (the highest is at 2,800 m), but this also makes it a great destination if you’re looking for a quiet ski trip with your family. The most famous run here is Deborah Compagnoni, which was first used during the Alpine Skiing World Cup in 2005 and can be skied at night.
There are 2 blue runs (2 km), 12 red runs (27 km) and 2 black runs (6 km) in Santa Caterina. Night skiing is available and the Tapis-Roulant area offers a great setting for learning to ski for the kids.
Photo credits/Copyright ©Alessandro Belluscio
