Milan has been interesting and vibrant at least since it was the capital of the western half of the Roman Empire. It was one of the most glorious of the Italian Comuni during the Middle Ages. It housed one of Italy’s most spectacular courts during the Renaissance. And so on. Leonardo da Vinci came from Florence looking for work and ended up staying a long time and achieving quite a lot, like many others have done since. Having always been in the thick of things, Milan is gifted with an impressive part of Italy’s heritage: it is a great city of art.

Have a look at the imposing marble Duomo, at our churches, palaces and museums. You will also be delighted by contemporary art and architecture. Countless works of art are waiting for you, and nearly all of them are within walking distance.

While you visit, let the atmosphere of Italy’s most modern and advanced city seep in. You will be captured by the elegance and style; by the energy and the international flair. An incredible shopping experience for all tastes and pockets, in a place where design and fashion have made their home.

First of all, few cities can claim such priceless art and historical heritage. This is a unique city with magical, spectacular scenery. It is not just beautiful. It is a real miracle of creative genius. The city is built on mud, sand and the slime of a difficult, inhospitable landscape.

During centuries of feudalism and barbarism, the city symbolized democracy and civilization.

However, what surprises about the city, now as in the past, is its impressive building structure. It’s a city built entirely on water. For centuries, the Venetians slowly and stubbornly insisted on recovering even the smallest bit of land from the water.

From the very start, building the city was a real engineering miracle.  This is above all due not only to the skill and intelligence of its builders but also to the nature of the place itself.

The variety of its mountain surroundings mean that in winter it is possible to ski over countless kilometers of runs, up to an altitude of 2600 meters and with different degrees of difficulty. What’s more, you can set out from the center of the town and return there without ever removing your skis.

Madonna di Campiglio is famous for its high life, but just a short way out of town you will find a round of lakes, valleys, streams, malghe (alpine shepherds’ huts) and refuges.

The fifty thousand hectares of the Adamello-Brenta Natural Park, together with four hundred and fifty km of mountain paths offer incredible opportunities for those wishing to walk or mountain bike through the cool fir woods and enchanting larch forests.

Nowhere is more picturesque than chic Cortina. Furthermore, this is the most upmarket of Italian resorts. Dramatic pink-tinged peaks rise sheerly from the top of the slopes. They also give picture-postcard views from wherever you are.

Cortina’s slopes are perfect for its regular upmarket visitors from Rome and Milan. Many of them have second homes here and enjoy the strolling, shopping, people-watching and lunching as much as the odd leisurely excursion on to the slopes.

For beginners and leisurely intermediates, the splendid beginner slopes are ideal. They are long, easy and above all, well-groomed.

However, for keen slope-bashers, Cortina’s fragmented areas may not be great. However, access to the Sella Ronda and other Dolomiti Super-ski resorts is good compensation. We recommend you do that by car.

For experts, there are few tough runs, and the best of those are liable to poor snow conditions and closure because they face south.
The winter sports offering in Cortina includes the FREE DOLOMITES – certainly unlimited fun for adrenaline junkies:

• perfect slopes for all levels and techniques
• the most vertical black slope in the entire Dolomiti Superski area for those who want to put their skiing to the ultimate test
• a brand new snowpark for freestyle skiers
• the most beautiful ski-touring routes in the Dolomites
• breathtaking off-piste skiing
• trend sports such as snow-kiting, ice-driving, heli-skiing, ice-climbing, winter Vie Ferrate and much more

However, for fans of the Slow Life philosophy, SLOW DOLOMITES – Nature that moves you

• interesting cross-country trails
• magical snowshoe excursions in the fabled forests of the Ampezzo Dolomites Nature Park
• Slow-Ski, the latest ski trend for Nature-lovers on dedicated slopes in the Faloria ski area, equipped with relaxation areas and benches where skiers can take a break and enjoy the Dolomite panorama.

What’s Great

• Magnificent Dolomite scenery because they are perhaps the most dramatic of any winter resort
• Marvelous beginner slopes and good long cruising runs, ideal for nervous intermediates
• Access to the vast area. Dolomite Super ski pass covers it
• Attractive, although rather towny, resort, with lots of upmarket shops
• Good off-slope facilities
• Remarkably uncrowded slopes

What brings people to Breuil Cervinia (as the resort now styles itself) in winter in the 20th century? It’s altitude. Altitude’s what brought climbers to the original village of Breuil in the 19th century. For climbers, it was a launch pad for assaults on the nearby Matterhorn (Monte Cervino).

This resort an unusual combination: slopes that are gentle and extensive, sunny and snow sure.

It’s great for cruisers who like to cover the miles on flattering slopes with no worries about unexpected challenges. There is nowhere like it. However, experts should steer clear. They’ll find the slopes of Cervinia tame. In addition to that, the link with Zermatt is disappointing because it doesn’t access Zermatt’s best slopes.

What’s Great

• Extensive mountain with miles of long, consistently gentle runs, usually with excellent snow
• High, sunny and snow-sure slopes amid impressive scenery
• Link with Zermatt in Switzerland provides some spectacular views and good lunches