Do you like to ski? Do you like gigantic resort getaways? Do you like Italian food? Well then, I’ve got a winter vacation idea for you! It’s called The Madonna di Campiglio, and it’s the biggest ski resort in Italy. It has more runs, better access to those runs and the widest range of accommodation of any ski resort getaway in the country. And quite possibly ANY country.
One amazing thing about this resort is, they’ve set up a lift network that’s almost a transit system. Instead of making you figure out which lift will take you to the top of which run, this system uses one gondola as a central conveyance, from which you can access virtually all the runs you want to try. You take the gondola from your hotel(!!) to connect with this central one, then get out at your stop, get on to the gondola that ultimately takes you to the top of your run, and off you go.
This is a fantastic thing for skiers who want to hit different runs throughout the day, but also want to avoid spending hours wandering around the bottom of the mountain, figuring out how to get up to each of them. With the size of this place, that would make for a very long day!
Okay, let’s look at the accommodations. Categorically, they offer hotels, inns, cabins, condos, chalets or apartments depending on your needs and budget. You could choose to stay within the area of the original village, or move to the uniquely developed outlying areas.
As the resort has grown, clusters of accommodations have been developed to correspond with the different classes of runs and where they’re located. If you’re a beginner and plan to spend your time on the easier runs, they’re on this side of the mountain, so you can choose from the accommodations in that same area. If you’re more advanced and want easy access to the more challenging runs over there, then you’ll choose from the establishments set up near those runs. And all these areas have their own gondola service that takes you to the main system! Again, no unwanted hiking.
Most of these hotels offer modern amenities and all the luxuries you could hope for in the best resort getaways. But, within the different ‘zones’, some are better known than others. For easy access to the expert runs, the best rated hotels in that area are The Majestic, Hotel Milano, Hotel Cristallo, the Oberosler and the Savoia Palace. If you want convenient access to the easy runs, your best hotel choices are said to be Bertelli, Hotel Laura, Miramonti, Ariston, La Baita, Alpina and Campiglio Bellavista. Both areas also have numerous condos, chalets and apartments as mentioned earlier.
Of course, no good ski resort would overlook the apres ski activities. Some of the places that should not be missed are La Stalla, the Bar Suisse, La Cantina del Suisse and Franz Josef’s Stube. There are also 3 discos to choose from, or alternate between if you still have the energy.
If skiing isn’t for you, you can also go snowboarding, mountain climbing or tobogganing in areas designated for those activities. You could also take a scenic tour of the area, they’re organized regularly. One of the best known natural landmarks is the Brenta Massif, featuring rock outcroppings of outrageous colors and castle-like formations of limestone. There’s also the Nardis, a 300 foot waterfall. These tours of Madonna di Campiglio are also available during the summer…
