Turin has some of the best ski-resorts in Italy where it hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic games. The good news is they are less than 1 h drive away from the city! In this post I will give away the local tips on the best resorts to stay at, from the cheapest to the most exclusive, as well as the most delicious Italian Alpine food to try to enjoy to the fullest your stay on the Italian Alps.

Why visit Turin in the Winter?

Turin is a perfect destination if you want to explore some of the best Italian ski resorts and combine the trip with a bit of city-life. The Alps are very close, they are only 106 kms and less than 1 hour away so flying to Turin and driving to the ski resorts is really convenient.

Turin hosted the 2006 Winter Olympic games which took place mainly in the Via Lattea ski resort.  In addition to Via Lattea, Turin is also very close to the popular ski-resort of Courmayeur and to the outstanding resort of Cervinia where you can ski while admiring the beautiful Matterhorn mountain and take the ski-lift up to Zermatt (Switzerland). The best period to for skiing in Turin is December-February.

Where to go skiing in Turin?

If you want to go skiing in the same location in which the 2006 Winter Olympic games took place then you should go to either Vialattea or to Bardonecchia. Both of them are at the border between Italy and France, this is why most of the names of the skiing villages may sound French to you.

The Via Lattea includes the following towns:  Claviere, San Sicario, Sauze d’Oulx, Pragelato and Sestriere. You can take the skipass for the full resort and move around all the different villages while skiing. Truly amazing.

Bardonecchia includes mainly Jafferau, Les Arnaud, Melezet and Campo Smith. Also in this case you can opt for the skipass that allows you to visit all the different locations at once. You can do the entire trip all in one day. For families and beginners Campo Smith is probably the best location.

How to get to the ski-resorts nearby Turin?

Both Via Lattea and Bardoencchia are 1:00-1:15 drive away from Turin.  If you have a car I would suggest to visit Via Lattea as the villages are at a higher altitude and in my opinion the landscape and city architecture is more beautiful. If you need to rely on public transportation Bardonecchia is the easiest to get to as the train from Turin will take you there directly.

Where to go skiing in Aosta?

If you have been already in the Via Lattea/Bardonecchia area and you would like to try something different then I suggest to drive towards Aosta and visit the following ski resorts: Courmayeur, Pila, La Thuile and Cervinia. These are all very valid ski-resorts but are bit further out as it will take you 1:30 hours drive from Turin. You can also take the train from Turin to Aosta and then take the bus up to the resorts.

Local tip: if you have some spare time you should check out the Pre-St Didier spa which overlooks the mountains covered in snow. Truly worth it.

What is the cheapest ski- resort ?

If you are on a budget, the cheapest location would be “Monti Della Luna” where the daily ski-pass costs around 26 Euros for the full day. This resort is part of Via Lattea, however this one doesn’t give you the chance to ski around the other villages and the number of slopes is limited. Still it can be a good option to keep in mind for a day.

What is the most exclusive ski-resort?

The most exclusive resort is by far Courmayeur which is located just on the highest mountain in Europe, the Mont Blanc. As you can imagine this offers an incredible scenery and it is often chosen by Italian VIPs as a location to spend their holidays.

 I recommend Courmayeur only for expert skiers as the slopes are not the easiest and it has great off-pist options. If you are just learning there are much better places to start.

Where do I recommend to go skiing? Here are my local tips

My favorite village is Sauze D’oulx (Salice d’Ulzio) in the Via Lattea ski resort. The village is really charming due to its tiny chalets and the fact that the city-center is reserved to pedestrian makes the whole experience much better. For families with kids and beginners Sauze is one of the best resorts to ski. For more professional skiers like myself you can easily ski from Sauze all the way to Setriere and back throughout the same day.

If you are planning to stay for few days I suggest drive up to Claviere and take the ski-pass that allows you to do both Claviere and Montegenvre, it is worth it!

Local tip: Best place to eat on the slope is “Ciao Pais” in Sauze d’Oulx due to its high quality local food, including game meat.

What to eat when skiing in Italy?

The nice perk of skiing in Italy is that you can enjoy exceptional food and drinks also on the slopes. To warm you down I recommend trying:

• Typical Food: the warm Polenta with game ragout (normally deer or boar depending on the season). Polenta it is a typical winter dish from the north of Italy, it is truly delicious and worth trying. The fact of tasting it with fresh local game meat takes the Polenta to a whole other level.
• Typical hot beverage: try the Bombardino, it is a drink very popular on the slopes made of eggnog and Brandy, served with whipped cream on top. It is quite tasteful and the Brandy will give you a nice warming feeling. As it contains alcohol make sure you drink this at the end of the skiing day.