Abruzzo in winter: the snow-capped heart of the Mediterranean
Surprising as it may sound, a heart of snow beats at the center of the Italian peninsula, among the highest peaks of the Apennines. It's Abruzzo, a region that in the winter months shows its visitors an unconventional side, made of colours and atmospheres that recall warmth and intimacy, but also of white panoramas where the gaze wanders as far as the eye can see.
It's in Abruzzo, among the peaks of Gran Sasso and Majella and the group massifs of Laga and Sirente-Velino, across the unspoiled nature of national parks, that we can find the biggest ski resorts in the Apennines, featuring hundreds of kilometers of ski runs, covered in a thick layer of snow that often lasts well into spring.
400 km of Alpine ski slopes, 300 km of Nordic ski runs, 16 ski schools, 21 ski resorts and 115 ski lifts: an amazing high-altitude universe, where well-equipped and state-of-the-art facilities develop among countless tiny and welcoming mountain villages, and modernity meets the flavours and the rituals of a century-old tradition.
The striking variety of landscapes and environments in Abruzzo makes a wide range of winter sports possible, from downhill skiing on the tallest peaks to cross-country skiing on the plateaus such as Campo Imperatore, also known as the "little Tibet". More unconventional sports can be practiced as well, including snowboarding, dog-sledging, ski-touring, trekking, snowshoe hiking and mountaneering, both for expert skiers and for beginners, who can take lessons from quaified instructors.
We should mention the Alto Sangro ski district, the biggest ski resort in central-southern Italy, including Roccaraso, with its elegant boutiques and sports facilities, and Rivisondoli, with its old popular tradition of the Nativity tableau. Tre Nevi District is also worth mentioning, which together with Campo Imperatore includes Ovindoli and Campo Felice, whose ski resorts have already opened their ski lifts.
Fascinating settings steeped in history yeld to the practice of winter sports, such as cross-country in the ancient woods of Pescocostanzo, offering a memorable spectacle. Splendid itineraries open up off the beaten track, on Campo Imperatore plateau or by lake Campotosto, or among the beech groves in the Chiarano Valley, across a landscape that conjures up the Great North, but still is in the warm Mediterranean sunlight.
Despite the cold, the atmosphere is cosy and relaxing thanks to the lovely thousands-year-old mountain villages and rocky small towns scattered all over the region, which enshrine a real wealth of art treasures: castles, mansions, museums and churches. A huge heritage that reveals the age-old traditions driving the life of these locations, and that is best expressed through crafts, food and wine, and a tight events calendar. It is here that applied arts flourish, with an excellent production of gold jewellery, pillow lace, wrought iron, copper, wood and leather objects and pottery, to mention just a few, where manufacturing is imprinted with the ability of generations of artisans.
After having fun on the snow however the best is yet to come, with the delicious recipes of mountain Abruzzo, deriving from an age-old tradition rooted in the skilled use of typical local products, with the unmistakable flavours of the agropastoral practices.
Unspoiled landscapes, strong local identities, together with the proverbial hospitality of the inhabitants of the region and the modernity of its ski resorts, make Abruzzo the ideal destination for a unique and unforgettable winter holiday experience, that can be best planned and shared thanks to the free app "Ski Abruzzo", available both for Apple and Android platforms.
Visit www.visitabruzzo.co.uk for more information.
If you're in London, you can find out more by visiting Destinations: The Holiday & Travel Show 2013 in London, from January 31st to February 3rd.
If you're not sure where the Apennines are, they're a couple of hours from Stansted :-
8)
Anyone skied here? Could you ski in the morning, swim in the Med in the afternoon and kick back Italian-style in the evening???