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Italy

Italy's popularity as a winter sports destination started because it was cheap compared with its alpine competitors. It has some enduring attractions such as its food and wine, the jolly atmosphere and the splendid scenery - especially in the Dolomites. Many resorts now have powerful, modern lift systems and hugh smowmaking systems.

In general Italians don't take their skiing or boarding too seriously. A late start, long lunch and early finish is the norm - leaving the slopes delightfully quiet for the rest of us. Mmany resorts only become busy at weekends. Thsi pattern is especially noticable at the chic resorts such as Cortina, Courmayeur and Madonna di Compiglio and resort which have not yet found international fame such as the Monterosa region.

Almost evewhere mountain restaurants are welcoming places, encouraging leisurely lunching. Pasta - even in the most modest estabilishment - is delicious. Eating and drinking on the mountain is still cheaper then in other alpine resorts, whatever the euro is doing to harmonise prices.

One thing that Italian resorts do have to tend with is erratic snowfalls. Wile the snow in the northern Alps tends to come from the west, Italy's tends to come from storms arriving from the south, so it can have great snow conditions when other countries are suffering and vice versa. Italian resorts have extensive snowmaking facilities and our observation is that they tend to use it more affectively then other Alpine countries.
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