The snow season is finally here and you are always thinking of the places where you can spend a nice weekend out of town immersed in a typical winter atmosphere? This article is right up your alley. We will find out together the many locations that can be reached throughout the peninsula that will be able to gift you a beautiful winter weekend.
Christmas is around the corner and in our minds this is the season of snow, of little villages blanketed in snow, of the smoking chimneys but also of winter sports. After almost two years of pandemic, going skiing seems like a distant memory, however, it would seem that – according to government regulations — we should be able to go skiing.
But even if skiing is nor your favourite sport or should the ski resorts still be closed why not opt for a weekend in the mountains in Italy? Who knows, perhaps one of the locations that we will go through today is just around the counter from where you live. Let us check them out!
Weekend in the mountain in the north of Italy, the Alps
If you live in the north of Italy you literally are spoiled for choice. The mountain range, among the most important in the world, that marks our northern border is filled with breathtaking places, ideal to go hiking, snowshoeing, skiing and to spend the weekend in the name of snow and tradition.
For the people of the northern east territory, the Dolomites are certainly among the best and most picturesque to visit. Among all the places to go stands out – and not only for its height of 1,224 meters above sea level – the queen of the Dolomites: Cortina d’Ampezzo. Located in the regional natural park of the Dolomites of Ampezzo, this small town offers beautiful scenery and romantic walks.
But there is more! It is also located very close to skiing towns such as Alleghe, where you can find the biggest ski area of all Veneto, in the setting of the Dolomites, from 2009 UNESCO natural heritage site. Still in this area, you cannot miss the town of Auronzo, surrounded by one of the most beautiful mountain groups, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Arabba, or Misurina, home to the homonymous alpine lake.
On the other hand, if you live in the north-western part, well you can’t miss a weekend among the mountain tops of the Valle d’Aosta. Italy’s smallest region, it has many attractions for tourists, among which are Monte Bianco and Monte Rosa, for lovers of winter sports but also with gorgeous historic town centers such as the one in the region capital Aosta, where you can find the relics of several Roman buildings.
Weekend in the mountain ma in central Italy: the Apennines
The Apennines are the backbone of our country, that long mountain ridge that goes through almost the entire peninsula and too often is taken for granted or undervalued, especially when compared to the Alps. That the Alps are able to offer heights that will leave you breathless is a fact but Apennines have a lot to offer too.
For the people of Tuscany and the surrounding areas it is a must to spend a weekend on the Alpi Apuane, in the territory of Pania della Croce, or Monte Amiata, located between Val d’Orcia, Val di Paglia and the Maremma and that constitutes a volcanic complex the last eruption of which dates back to over a hundred thousand years ago!
Weekend in the mountains in southern Italy
Should you live a little southern, no worries, you can reach Abruzzo, Italy’s richest regions in terms of fauna and flora. It is estimated that in Abruzzo are present 75% of animal and vegetal species of the entire European continent. A weekend in the mountains in this area offers a great a selection of things to do or see: from the famous and towering Gran Sasso, that with its 2,914 meters is one of the highest mountains in the Apennines, to the Maiella and the Monti Marsicani, that feature interesting location both for winter sports and for long and romantic walks.
Cover Image: vogue