Is there such a thing as too much snow? The week I arrived in Champoluc, in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta, the whole village seemed to be buried. Trees resembled sticks of candyfloss, huge mounds hid cars that would take days to dig out, and the air itself was laced with a diaphanous glittery frost. Each morning a fresh set of hastily printed warning poste...

Aprica (1180 m a.s.l.) lies on the Alpine Pass of the same name, which connects the Valtellina with the Valcamonica, in the province of Brescia. This was an ancient communication route for pilgrims, soldiers and merchants that came down from the Bernina and were directed to the Po valley. Today Aprica is a both winter and summer vacation resort tha...

A paradise for skiers, the Italian Alps of South Tyrol offer a more placid pastime that’s surging anew. A host of spas are sprouting up in isolated tracts among the highlands, and though there’s hiking, biking and access to some of the Alps’ easier ski slopes, sports are a mere afterthought here. The spas draw skiers and nonskiers alike to spend da...

Goggia, Moioli, Fontana, Egonu, Quadarella, Volpi, Vio. Si può aggiungere altro? Certo: Chirichella, Brignone, Wierer, Vittozzi, Panziera, Navarria, e l'elenco potrebbe, anzi dovrebbe continuare a lungo. E' stato l'anno delle donne, l'anno in cui lo sport femminile è stato più brillante di quello maschile in tanti eventi. Così tanti da farne una te...

Courmayeur is rightly famous for its magnificent slopes, but there's more to this mountain resort than skiing. Travel writer Rachael Martin explores all this town at the foot of Italy's highest peak has to offer. Courmayeur is one of the best-known ski resorts in Valle d’Aosta, the Italian north-western region that borders Switzerland and France. I...

Mascognaz is one of the Ayas Valley’s 35 towns at 1,800 meters of altitude. It is also a wonderful albergo diffuso (a virtual hotel solution with accommodations spread in an area, instead of concentrated in a single building) that belongs to “that ancient world” of the “eternal winter that dominated summer pastures”, so beautifully described by nov...

Aosta may be Italy’s smallest region, but it’s a very, very big deal when it come to winter sports. Home to the “giants of the Alps” with large and small resorts serving Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and other major peaks, Aosta is a must-stop for once-in-a-lifetime or extra-special ski experiences. Besides all the great schussing, Aosta o...

The Apennine Mountains have been a place of passage for everyone from the Ancient Romans to Second World War soldiers. “Hiking in the Apennines is walking through living history,” says Veron McClure, founder of Italiaoutdoors. “The different ecozones and ancient routes offer a different perspective of Italy, a more authentic experience of history a...

Three months ago, Federica Brignone of Italy was on crutches after hurting her left knee in a training crash. It didn't take her long to get back up to speed. Brignone won a giant slalom for her ninth career World Cup victory Saturday, with Mikaela Shiffrin taking fourth as the American competed before a home crowd. On a windy afternoon, Brignone m...

Italy offers the possibility of places to ski even in the month of October, and this thanks to the presence of glaciers on the mountain range of the Alps that delimits the Italian territory to the north. One of these places is Cervinia which is located in Val d’Aosta. Italian Traditions will guide you on the discovery of this magnificent mountain v...