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Italy

Italy is located in southern Europe and bordered to the north by the Alpine boundary of France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia.  Rome is the capital city and the currency is the Euro.  Italian is the official language, although French and German are spoken in some areas and there are regional Italian dialects.   Rome is the capital city and other large cities in Italy include Milan, Naples, Bologna, Turin, Florence, Genoa, Pisa, and Venice.  Italy is also home to Vatican City and the Republic of San Moreno.  The city of Turin in northwest Italy hosted the Winter Olympics in 2006. 

Italy is renowned for fabulous skiing and boarding, as well as its palaces, palazzo, churches, cuisine, olive oil, wine, pasta, gelato, luxury cars, motorcycles, and high fashion.  Italy is home to many of the world’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The two major mountain ranges in Italy are the Dolomites, which separate Italy from Austria in the north and join with the Italian Alps to the west.  The Apennine mountain chain runs from north to south and is known as Italy’s backbone.  The resorts of the Alps and Dolomites tend to be more popular, but the Apennine range also offers skiing at resorts such as Roccaraso and Rivisondoli, which are accessible from Rome, Naples and Pescara.  The highest peak in the Apennine range is Como Grande at 2912m.

The Dolomites are situated in the northeast of the country and famous for summer and winter outdoor activities.  The highest peak of the Dolomites is Marmolada at 3342m.  Popular resorts include Courmayeur, Sestriere, Val Gardena, Cervinia, Livigno and Madonna di Campiglio.  The airport at Turin is convenient for reaching the skiing in the Dolomites.  The ‘Dolomiti Superski’ network offers a dozen resorts for skiers, including the popular Cortina d’Ampezzo.  The Superski pass also includes the circular ski route, the Sella Ronda and hundreds of lifts.

Most of the ski areas of Italy are well set up for snowboarders with extensive snow parks including pipes, rails, kickers and jumps, and much more.  Night skiing is also available in many areas.  

For non-skiers there are plenty of other activities, such as tobogganing, snow shoeing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing – and, of course, great shopping.