Where to ski in Italy this season

Bye, bye El Niño. The sporadic Pacific Ocean climate anomaly was unusually strong at the end of 2023, and its probable knock-on effects included the mild Alpine winter that followed. Now, thank goodness, it’s over, so when it comes to the weather this season, we can hope for a return to something like normality. Which is good news for Italy. Its ski resorts sit on the sunny side of the Alps, shielded from Atlantic storms by the main Alpine ridge. And they’ve long adapted to the drier, sunnier Mediterranean climate by equipping themselves with some of the best snow-making systems on the planet. They’re also home to many of the ski world’s loveliest sun terraces, largely adorning the restaurants that predominate in Italy: family-owned spots where you can soak up mountain views and dine on food that is — by skiing’s elevated standards — refreshingly affordable. It’s often unusually good, too; right down to the smooth, €1.50 shot of espresso that will send you gunning back onto the slopes.

So, if your taste is for groomed pistes rather than backcountry powder, and good food and sunshine are a priority, your shortlist of places to ski this season should include some of the resorts selected below. With the exception of high-altitude Cervinia, the best time to ski them are in the colder months between New Year and the end of February, when the risk of slush-forming thaws is reduced. And if you’re targeting the second or third week in January and aren’t too fussy about accommodation, don’t book just yet. This is still — just about — low-season in the Alps, so last-minute discounts are likely. And, for all the recent talk about lack of snow, you may well arrive in the middle of a blizzard. When Mother Nature does send a snowstorm to Italy, she doesn’t hold back. Here are the resorts to make a beeline for this season.               

1. La Thuile

Best for families on a budget
Little La Thuile offers a rich mix of skiing amid spectacular scenery. There are easy pistes up top, steep World Cup descents lower, and intermediate slopes in ski-linked La Rosière, which shares a lift pass. You’ll love the reasonable restaurant prices and the convenience of the slopeside Planibel apartments, where tour operators such as Crystal offer English-speaking childcare. 

2. Madonna di Campiglio

Best for thrills
Don’t be fooled by cute and twinkly Madonna di Campiglio. To get the measure of this compact town, you need to ski its quintet of plunging black runs: expect gradients of up to 35 degrees. Warm up on the gentler — but also brilliant — blues and reds in lift-linked, neighbouring Pinzolo. Madonna di Campiglio's central Romantic Plaza hotel is close to the connecting lift.

3. Canazei

Best for keen intermediates
Want to ski your legs to jelly on well-tended pistes, with your eyes on stalks the entire time? Canazei's mix of steady slopes, expert snow-making and slab-sided Dolomite scenery is hard to beat. Book the cute Hotel Albolina for quick access to the snow: it's a short walk to the Alba-Col dei Rossi cable car.

4. Courmayeur

Best for weekenders
A 90-minute drive from Geneva, Courmayeur delivers intermediate-friendly skiing and a joyfully distinctive Italian feel. Enjoy lunch on the slopes beneath the sun-drenched Mont Blanc and aperitivo hour on Via Roma in the centre of town. The four-star Hotel Pavillon is handy for the main lift.

5. Ortisei

Best for spa
It’s not just a sumptuous spa that makes the Gardena Grödnerhof hotel such a serene destination, though its mix of pools, wood panelling and a scenic sauna has few rivals in the Alps. It’s also the fact that the nearby Seiser Alm cable car whisks you to a plateau of gentle pistes, ringed by a sawtooth crown of Dolomite peaks. Dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-starred Anna Stuben restaurant is an extra pampering touch.

6. Cervinia

Best for late-season skiing
When the sun’s out, Cervinia is a treat — and never more so than in April. Most resorts will have turned to slush, but you’ll still be skiing frosty, grippy pistes up to 11,400ft (even higher if you cross into Switzerland). Book Hotel Grivola for quick access to the snow and bring a gallon of sunscreen: the spring rays are ferocious.

7. Gressoney

Best for experts
For confident, agile skiers, the groomed slopes of Gressoney are just a bad-weather backup; the headline is heli-skiing on the Monte Rosa massif. Book the Chalet du Lys for quick access to the helicopter pickup points and expect to pay from €360 (£303) per person for a guided day.

8. Cortina d’Ampezzo

Best for la dolce vita
Due to host Alpine skiing and snowboarding at the 2026 Olympics and Paralympics, Cortina d’Ampezzo is getting new lifts and luxury hotels. First past the post is the Hotel de Len, which opened in 2022. Its waxed-wood, pine-scented rooms offer soothing sanctuary between spectacular, intermediate-friendly skiing and shopping trips on the Corso Italia.

9. Sauze d’Oulx

Best for social skiers
Sauze d’Oulx is awash with buzzing bars and top-notch intermediate pistes. At the Edelweiss hotel, you’re sure to enjoy both. Book via Neilson’s and the hotel offers competent skiers two coaching sessions with qualified instructors. You’ll get an insider’s guide to the slopes as well as a readymade squad of ski buddies to take to Sauze’s beloved Assietta bar when the lifts shut.

10. Corvara

Best for gastronauts
Easygoing slopes, gobsmacking scenery and rich ingredients from the mountains and sea make Alta Badia a clear choice for a long ski lunch. And a bonus is the quality of the local Südtirol wines, as you’ll discover on 'Sommelier on the slopes' tours scheduled for winter. Book the piste-side Sporthotel Panorama for a quick route to the snow.