Madesimo (Madesimo) - an Italian ski resort in Lombardy on the border with Switzerland has the best price-quality ratio of services, will satisfy the most varied requests of skiers and snowboarders.
Cloister of celebrities
Madesimo - what is it? A prestigious resort or a mountain village? It is lost in the vast alpine region of Valtellina.(Valtellina) - one of the five ski areas of Italy. Prestigious places in this region: Bormio (Bormio) - the most sporting resort in Italy, Livigno (Livigno) - a paradise for snowboarding, the Stelvio glacier (Stelvio) - the training site of the Italian team, - located away from Modezimo.
The mountain village with a population of only 600 people is, however, the abode of celebrities who hide here from the annoying public on short vacation days. Let them travel incognito, but the infrastructure and service are maintained at their level.
On weekends, the resort becomes crowded, because it is a place of family recreation for residents of surrounding cities. Noisy Italian families with grandparents and kids are attracted here by the quality of the ski slopes and affordable prices. On the other days of the week, Modezimo is enjoying the silence, the beauty of nature and the ideal conditions for skiing.
The resort is located in the Valle Spluga Valley, a strategic route connecting ancient Italy with the Swiss cantons, and the Passo dello Spluga Pass, the gateway to Switzerland, is 15 km from Modezimo. This region is rich in historical and cultural monuments, thermal and mineral springs, an inquisitive tourist here has something to see. An inexpensive, interesting and comfortable stay awaits guests who have come to rest in Madesimo.
What season is better to go
The resort's alpine temperate-cold climate provides an opportunity to ski 6 months a year: from late October to late April.
In winter, the height of the snow cover is from 2 m below to 4.5 m in the mountains. Even in inclement weather, snow cover remains at the level of 300-500 cm.
- Low season (autumn) begins after the first heavy snowfall in late November and lasts until December 24. Unstable snow cover is supported by snow cannons, therefore the tracks are always in excellent condition;
- High season (Christmas break): December 24 - January 8;
- Intermediate season: January 9 - February 3;
- High season (high season): February 4 - March 26;
- Low season (spring): March 27 - April 18-27.
Ski pass (Ski-pass) in the low season will cost 4-5 euros less than in the high. You can save on housing in high season if you book it in advance.
The best Russian tour operator in Italy and ski resorts in recent years is the company PAC GROUP, which will help you choose a vacation option with a wide variety of requests (online.pac.ru).
Trails, lifts, ski passes.
Mandesimo is located at an altitude of 1550 m, the vertical drop on the slopes is 1450 m. The small resort serves 58 km of pistes:
- 15 blue - length 22 km;
- 9 reds - length 29 km;
- 3 blacks - 9 km long.
The circuit scheme combines all the slopes of the resorts of Madesimo, Campodolcino (Campodolcino), Motta (Motta), which make up the ski area Valcavenna (SkiArea Valchiavenna). Download the circuit diagram in PDF format by the link.
Black tracks
Black tracks of this zone are in the top 10 best tracks in Europe; there are competitions in the special slalom - on the Mott track, and on the giant athletes measure their strength on Mount Montalto. The extreme descent of Canalone (Canalone) with an almost vertical slope of 1000 m begins at the top of the Pizzo Groppera mountain and leads to Pian di Larichi, creating a very beautiful arch.
A feature of the Valkiavenna area trails is their night illumination. The Pianello / Montalto highway is attractive at night, the illumination allows you to ride on it until 11 o’clock in the evening.
Lifts
The lifts and the cableway system are the pride of the resort. In total, the resort has 12 lifts, the throughput of each is 2-2.4 thousand people per hour. From the lowest point of the Valkjavenna Valley (1082 m), the fast Sky Express takes skiers to a height of 1720 m in a matter of minutes to the start of the ski slopes in the Mott area.
It’s important to remember that the cable car starts at half past 9 in the morning and stops at exactly 5 p.m. although sunlight gives long shadows by 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Everyone is trying to calculate the time and catch the last flight, so as not to hang in the rapidly darkening mountains. On the lit trails, romantic moonlight skiing is possible.
Lift passes - electronic tickets for using lifts - it’s easier to buy in hotels in the community. Their price depends on the season and age of the athlete.
The official website of the resort with current ski pass prices www.skiareavalchiavenna.it
How to get to the resort
- From Milan Malpensa Airport in Madesimo, shuttle buses operate in winter. Departure time and cost on request.
- Booking a transfer in advance is the most convenient way to get to Madesimo. Distance 180 km, travel time - 2-2.5 hours, an economy class car for three costs 180-200 euros;
- We recommend you to book a transfer from Bergamo airport (Aeroporto di Bergamo-Orio al Serio) at kiwitaxi.ru
- Bergamo Airport offers car rental for a week. By the way, it will be necessary in the resort, in the vicinity there is something to see: Chiavenna (Chiavenna) - a historic city, which commanders considered "the gateway to Helvetia"; Lake Como (Lago di Como) - one of the deepest and most picturesque lakes in Europe; Shplyugenpass pass (Passo dello Spluga) - the border of Switzerland. All offers for car rental in Bergamo can be viewed at auto.italy4.me;
- The most “popular” way from Milan to Madesimo: train - train - bus.
- Milan (Milano Centrale) - Colico (Colico) by train;
- Colico - Chiavenna - by train;
- Chiavenna - Madesimo - by bus. The current schedule and prices can be found on the official website of trenitalia.com
If you arrange your trip through a tour operator, all problems with the cost of the trip are simplified several times, but the cost can be much higher. We recommend planning your vacation yourself - it is much more comfortable and interesting, especially since there is enough information on the Internet and on our website.
Hotels - where to stay
When choosing a hotel in Madesimo, we present typical requirements for all ski resorts - we expect a high level of service, typical of winter time and intensive sports.
The best
Many hotels offer services to restore strength after a day of skiing - pools, saunas, fitness centers; plentiful and varied diet; comfortable sleeping rooms; equipment rental, dryers and equipment storage rooms; sale of ski passes, etc. Prices for accommodation in these hotels are the highest, but we are willing to pay for comfort. Examples of such hotels are:
- Boscone Suite Hotel 4 stars with its Ninfea health and fitness center, where you can relax after skiing, all visitors to the resort can use Roman and Turkish baths. A chic restaurant, satellite TV, balconies in rooms with mountain views are all signs of an expensive hotel;
- The 4-star Sport Hotel Alpina has a SPA center, a children's ski area, only 100 meters from the ski lift;
- Hotel Emet - located near the ski lift, comfortable rooms, a restaurant with specialties of Valtellina and Austria
Economical options
Bed and breakfasts offer a more modest range of services, buffet breakfast and dinner. Often they are decorated in the style of "chalet" - an alpine hut. Quite popular among tourists and have good reviews:
- Hotel La Meridiana - rural-style rooms with bathrooms, a wellness center with Turkish bath, massage, ski lifts nearby;
- Hotel Capriolo - location near the ski lift, there is a restaurant;
- B&B Ginepro - layout typical of mountain houses; buffet; free Wi-Fi; affordable prices;
- Albergo Soldanella - very close to the two cable cars, there is a restaurant with Italian and local cuisine.
Apartments
Apartments in Madesimo suggest self-catering rooms for rent, there is a kitchen for cooking. You can rent one, two or three bedroom apartments. Demanded by families in grown children, youth:
- La Zoca - offers a standard set of services for this type of housing;
- Boschetto - located quite far from the ski lift, bed linen will have to be rented; there is a kitchen with stove and oven;
- Andine Halldis Apartment - kitchen, bathroom, linens, free parking are among the services provided.
In the world, Italian ski resorts are very popular, due to the high quality of the slopes and low prices compared to resorts in other countries. Early booking allows you to choose the right option and save even in high season
Restaurants
On winter evenings, the village of Madesimo immersed in snow exudes delicious smells: restaurants and pizzerias open the door for hungry tourists.
The most popular restaurant here - Dogana Vegia - is located on the edge of the village, but is always full of visitors. Romantic atmosphere: fireplaces, antique serving, complemented by local specialties prepared by a first-class cook. This can only be tried in Lombardy:
- Kappelachchi pasta (kappellachi) with asparagus;
- Malfatti with mascarpone (Malfatti, Maskarpone), gnocchi (gnocchi) - dumplings - with herbs and cream cheese;
- Turkey with oranges;
- "Bresaola della Valtellina" (Bresaola della Valtellina) - salted and withered beef meat; Read an article about Bresaola.
- Sforzato, Sassella - vintage wines of Lombardy.
Winter holidays in the ski resort of Madesimo is a budget holiday option with top-level service.
