exlusive Luxury Winter Ground of history, culture, nature and… Skiing and snows activities are popular and spoken here as well as Italian. Magnificent commonplace activities in Italy and, thanks to castles, pine forests and wooden chalets shelter the mountainous geography with 1200 km of in the shadows of high peaks including some of Alpes, the country offers plenty of good winter Europe's mightiest mountains: Gran Paradiso, activities resorts., where a large proportion of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Italians, in addition to their month-long Rosa. Courmayeur is one of Italy's best and summer holiday, will take a 'settimana bianca' most glamorous ski resorts; offering masses of (white week) and spend a week skiing and downhill skiing, ice-skating, cross-country making snow related activities in the winter. skiing, cable-cars, chairlifts and helicopters. In the north-west, 70 km Other good destinations in west of Turin, that has been this area include Breuil- the base for the 2006 Winter Cervinia, the spa town St Olympics, very close to the Vincent, Pila and Cogne. border with France, lies the Over to the north-east of the Via Lattea (Milky Way), a Italy are winter sports exclusive, the Dolomites (Dolomiti), an modern and charming area in extensive mountain range the Italian and French Alps. offering countless It comprises five Italian resorts of Claviere possibilities for winter sports and summer (1760m), Sansicario (1700m), Sauze holidays. 12 different skiing areas are linked d'Oulx (1.509m), Pragelato (1518m) together to form the 'Dolomiti Superski' and Sestriere (2.035m) and additionally the network. Resorts in this area include the French resort Montgenèvre (1850m), altogether popular Madonna di Campiglio and Cortina there are 400km of skiable pistes, a paradise d'Ampezzo, one of the most well-known ski for ski lovers. resorts in Italy. Further north lies the Valle d'Aosta, a large area The Dolomites, with their famous peaks, with a distinct identity of its own, with old well including the Marmolada (3342 m) which merits preserved tradition and culture, where French is the title of “Queen of the Dolomites”, took their rightful place among the most beautiful out, having drinks, dancing, and generally mountains in the world, obtaining the socializing after skiing it is very popular and the prestigious recognition from UNESCO of Natural ski resort atmosphere collect an extensive World Heritage Site. international VIP guest list in these areas, Traditions and cultural patrimony, especially old where the wide gastronomy offer a prestigious artisan works (woodcarving, choice from selected pottery maker, stonecarving, dishes and wines to etc) are still well preserved traditional specialities, and allow you to discover all just one of the element of the shine and the glamour of unique and fascinating the past. events where you can Meanwhile, the concept of meet sport personalities Après-ski (after skiing) going and former ski champions. …ground of champions Italy gave birth to some of the most important ski and winter sport champion in the world, as Gustav Thoeni 5 olimpic gold medals, he was the dominant skier in the technical events (slalom and giant slalom) in the early 1970s, Piero Gros that won a total of 12 World Cup races, 7 in giant slalom and 5 in slalom. He had 35 World Cup podiums (top 3) and 98 top ten finishes, he won the gold medal at XII Olympic Games of Innsbruck in 1976, he also been the youngest winner of a World Championships race at the age of 18. Alberto Tomba that won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, and nine World Cup season titles; four in slalom, four in giant slalom, and one overall title; Deborah Compagnoni, considered the best female skier ever of Italy, won three gold medals at the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics; Isolde Kostner also won two Gold Medal in Super-G at the Alpine Ski World Championships (1996 and 1997), and in 2001 and 2002 she won the World Cup for Downhill. P. Gros G. Thoeni A. Tomba D. Compagnoni I. Kostner enjoy your luxury holiday in some of the most exclusive locations BREUIL - CERVINIa the paradise of all year skiers Breuil Cervinia in the region rascard, a grenier, a mill.... These are all typical of the Valle d’Aosta Italy, on sights of this side of the Valley, where the the border of Switzerland, in historical monuments blend in with the scenery the heart of the Western to become one with the landscape, in an Alps, is the home of the excellent integration between the men work Matterhorn (Cervino) and the nature. With over 200 years of Dating back to the reign of the Royal House of history, Cervinia ( Breuil the patois name for Savoy, the imposing fortifications set among Cervinia which means the land of much water) the majesty of the mountains, help lend a fairy- has beckoned skiers and mountain lovers, from tale air to the surroundings, all over the world. There is a pride in the Cervinia offers an incredible amount of skiing of traditional dishes that have all types. The delight in skiing over 450 been passed down through kilometers of ski slopes between Cervinia, the ages, among which, Valtounenche and Zermat makes any type of fontina (typical alps skiing absolutely the best. Whether you cheese), the “lardo” (lard), downhill, snowboard, nordic alpine skiing, the “spalla di sanato” (a heliski there is a slope for everyone. special cut of pork), “castagne” (chestnuts) and In 1936 the first cable car was built and then the “polenta” (rigorously “grassa”, that is “fat” - from there Cervinia has been a constant enriched with butter and cheese) dominate the innovation, endeavoring to keep the highest scene. efficency and standards in the ski world. The followers of Baccus could taste the well- The village of Cervinia sits at 2050 meters, with known wines Petit Noir, Gamay, Müller skiing levels up to 4000 meters to the Klien Thurgau, appreciated by famous writers and Matterhorn lift on the Switzerland border. object of a florid trade since the Middle Ages. Skiing is 10 months a year, with seasons from “Caffè alla valdostana” (aostan valley coffee), the end of October to the beginning of May and used for its digestive function, is a boiling then again from the end of June to the middle mixture of coffee, grappa, red wine, lemon skin of September, so it is easy to find not just the and spices: this is then served in the typical cup Italian Blue National Ski team but also Wordl called “grolla” (also known as “cup of Cup teams for training on the famous glacier friendship”), especially carved in wood, with a Plateau Rosa. series of spouts from where it is drunk The Valley is famous for its culture and history altogether. so you can find a Roman bridge, a medieval castle, an ancient church and, further on, a "Heureux celui qui sur ces monts put longtemps se reposer. Heureux celui qui les revoit s'il a dû les quitter." Lord Byron Sestriere the pearl of the Milky Way The Milky Way ski area castles to which even the most passionate in Italy plays host to some skiers may want to dedicate some time. of the most popular In 1897 some mountain people from Sauze European ski resorts and is d’Oulx witnessed a red-faced man with a long well known for its fabulous white beard descending from the slopes, with range of skiing and long long wooden skis attached to his feet. “El diau, hours of sunshine. The ski el diau!” “The devil! The devil!” Actually he was area extends to some 400kms of varied pistes a Swiss engineer, Adolf Kind, and the wooden and the resorts featured here straddle the skis were the first seen in Italy and the French–Italian border, not far from Turin, the inhabitants should have described him as a first Italian capital and hometown of FIAT, the saint, given the fortune which skiing has Italian worldwide famous car brand. brought to the area. Many of the resorts have been fast tracked into Less than one century later, Piero Gros, one of the 21st Century in terms of technology having the former World Cup alpine ski racer was born played host to a number of the events at FIS at Sauze d'Oulx, sharing golden medal result in World Championships in 1997, and the IPC Italy only with his friend and rival Gustav World Championships in 2011. The 2006 Winter Thöni and with Alberto Tomba. Olympics, snowboarders are also well catered Simple but refined, strong or delicate alpine for in the Milky Way with a fantastic new tastes are part of the local gastronomic snowboard fun park available in Sestriere as tradition, many of which have been given the well as other exciting winter activities as night mark of quality: salami, cheese (Murianengo, ski, heli-ski, snowmobile and dog sled, snow Toma del Piemonte, Raschera, Reblochon del bike and husky sledding, raquettes and Moncenisio), mushrooms, apples, the potatoes ballooning, and the most vibrant après ski of Cesana, perfectly combined with selected scenes of Sauze d’Oulx that has retained its old famous labels wines and liqueurs as Avaná, world charm, through to the more subdued Barbera, Dolcetto Becouet, Ice Wine and peaceful tones of Sansicario. Sestriere is a Genepy (liqueur made with cosmopolitan and lively alpine village, with herbs from the mountains many overseas visitors that create an of Cesana). And of course international and exclusive atmosphere. you cannot leave without The Val di Susa, once formed the pilgrim way to sampling the delicious and from France along the Francigena Road, chocolate, like the famous and later was taken by armies invading Italy.