Italy: Why a ski trip offers the best value for money
Rome: Of the key Alpine ski destinations, Italy offers the best value for money. Here, an espresso can cost €1.50 (£1.30) a shot, and a piste-side plate of pasta €10-15 (£9-13), items that are often 70-100% dearer in the A-list ski areas of France. And a peak-week, February half-term holiday in a three-star hotel can come in less than €1,745 (£1,500) per person half board, including flights and transfers. And that’s not taking some back-of-beyond resort as a point of comparison, either: all these prices are available in or around Canazei in Val di Fassa, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. On its doorstep, more than 300 miles of perfectly groomed pistes spin off the central Sella Ronda circuit; explore the area’s outer limits and that total hits 745 miles.
Alagna is served by only a handful of lifts, but ski enthusiasts love it all the same — not least for being home to some of the best heli-skiing in the Alps.
But it’s not the value that will spark your passion for the Italian Alps. It’s the look and taste of them, especially if you gravitate towards the Aosta Valley and the Dolomites, two of Italy’s most spectacular areas for both skiing and gastronomy. The former wriggles eastwards beneath the central Alpine Ridge, serving up some of Europe’s most hair-raising landscapes. The fearsome southern face of Monte Cervino (the Matterhorn’s Italian name) is one, so sheer and towering it seems certain to topple as you cower beneath it in Cervinia.
Over in the Dolomites, meanwhile, primordial coral reefs have been left high and dry by retreating oceans to become flat-topped, sheer-sided citadels of rock. You can’t, as a general rule, ski down them; the pistes unfurl across the pastures below. But they provide a mesmerising backdrop to the area and its gastronomic scene. Along with the rich larder of ingredients from the Alps, the Adriatic and the Po Valley, wines from this sunny, southeastern corner of the Alps are also exceptionally varied and surprisingly good: try a glass of twice-fermented Trentodoc Spumante fizz to get the gist. And this season, the region gets direct flights from Stansted, with Sky Alps into Bolzano.
Italy, though, tends to be sunnier and drier than France, Switzerland and Austria. Occasionally, runs of winter storms can provide dramatic exceptions to this rule. But for the most part, don’t come here for knee-deep snow. You will, however, get some of the world’s best snow-making systems, capable of covering hundreds of miles of pistes in good-quality powder.
In a couple of seasons’ time — February 2026 — the Winter Olympics are coming to Italy, with Cortina d’Ampezzo set to be one of the hosts. Once the world gets a taste of its Dolomite scenery and thrilling Olympia Delle Tofane downhill course, it’s bound to come running. So book now: those low-ish prices may not survive the charge.
Three more to try top italian ski spots:
- Canazei
Best for: intermediate skiers: Some of the Dolomiti Superski’s best intermediate pistes await above Canazei, on the wide Belvedere sector. Mid-season, before spring thaws take hold, it’s the perfect place to warm up your ski legs before spinning off round the Sella Ronda in search of pastures new. Below, the three-star Hotel Italia is five minutes’ walk from lifts, ski hire and nightlife. Seven nights in Canazei starts from £992 per person, half board, including flights from London and transfers.
- Cervinia Best for: early- and late-season trips: No wonder Cervinia’s season runs from October until May: its ski area, shared with the resort of Zermatt, rises to a snowsure 3,820m. Plan several cross-border trips: the new Glacier Ride II gondola, which links the area’s two top stations, has made the return journey from Switzerland quicker than ever. Book the Valtur Resort, with its own spa, to insure yourself against the occasional snowstorm. Seven nights in Cervinia starts from £1,128 per person, half board, including flights from London and transfers.
- Alagna
Best for: heli-skiing: Huddling beneath the Monte Rosa Massif, Alagna is served by only a handful of lifts, but ski enthusiasts love it all the same — not least for being home to some of the best heli-skiing in the Alps. Book a package from James Orr Heliski, which provides a local guide on top of two heli-drops; you’ll get plenty of guided skiing even if the weather keeps the choppers grounded. Heliski offers a four-night trip to Alagna from £2,250 per person, B&B, including transfers.