There are many reasons to spend your winter holidays in Madonna di Campiglio, a ski resort in Northern Italy:
- It is fabulously beautiful;
- Large selection of ski slopes and winter sports;
- The service is thought out to the smallest detail;
- In this favorite vacation spot of the Italian and European beau monde you can meet the right people and renew old connections.
Resting here is not cheap, but the money spent is not a pity.
When to come
Tourists travel to Madonna di Campiglio both in summer and in winter. This Italian ski resort is located in the autonomous region of Trentino (Trentino-Alto Adige), in a valley near the ridge of the Dolomiti di Brenta (Dolomiti di Brenta). Being the western spur of the Dolomites, this region is famous for the extraordinary beauty of the mountain peaks composed of dolomite rock.
In the daytime, the stone is covered with a delicate white veil, and in the hours of dawn and sunset it plays with all shades of pinkish color. Bizarre mountain peaks, lakes, waterfalls, alpine meadows - this luxury of nature makes up the Adamello Brenta Nature Reserve, which has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Peak tourist activity occurs in the winter.
Seasons
The ski season lasts from December 23 to April 14. Although they begin to ride here in November. A town with a population of 1 thousand people receives up to 300 thousand tourists in the winter. However, the winter season has its ups and downs.
Low season
Low season: December 6 - January 29. In December and January, the temperature fluctuates near the zero mark, at the top it is minus, but there is little snow, you have to add snow cannons. The lower sections of the tracks where the snow melts are often closed, so the length of the tracks is not maximum. Accordingly, the number of vacationers is less than in high season. Prices are lower, but not by much: Madonna di Campiglio relies on the quality of service, and not on the number of tourists.
Low season: March 7 - April 14. There is still enough snow at this time, but the sun warms in the spring. Sitting on the sun loungers located in the ski areas, you can really get sunbathed. So sunblock and sunglasses at this time will not hurt. The minus of the season is unstable weather: low clouds, fogs, precipitation in the form of wet snow or rain indicate the end of the ski season.
Christmas and New Year
During the Christmas holidays - from December 24 to January 8 - the highest prices of the winter season.
The weather is mostly sunny with little wind, great for skiing. The season opens with a parade of retro cars; in January, the Ferrari team visits the resort and demonstrates their skills in racing at the local ice rink - the exotic Wrooom spectacle can only be seen in Madonna di Campiglio.
High season
High season: January 30 - March 6. The snow is of excellent quality and enough, all tracks are open, the resort works with full dedication.
In the second half of February, the Habsburg Carnival is held here - an echo of visits to the resort of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary Franz Joseph and Princess Sissy at the end of the 19th century. The torchlight procession, ballroom costumes, and Strauss waltzes are unforgettable for both adults and children. In 2017, the carnival will be held from February 27 to March 3. The holiday program includes the participation of all "courtiers" led by the "emperor" in the "Imperial Descent" along the bends of Groste or Spinal. Everyone is invited to the final ball.
- Official page of the festival: www.campigliodolomiti.it
Tips When To Come
For those who do not care about the “issue price,” the best time to visit is the high season. Fans of good tracks, indifferent to secular entertainment, will suit the middle of the low season. For those who just want to ride in a beautiful, well-equipped area and at the same time save some money, it is better to come before the start of the season (December 5-21) or before it closes (May 30 - April 10).
Scheme of tracks and lifts
The secular nature of the resort of Madonna di Campiglio does not prevent him from remaining one of the most equipped ski resorts in the Alps. Trails, lifts, communication between ski areas - everything is thought out to the smallest detail. The resort sports service is top notch.
- Download the circuit diagram in PDF format by the link.
Characterization of ski areas
The city itself is located at an altitude of 1550 meters and has four ski areas:
- Spinale - located at an altitude of 2100 m, the difference is 550 meters.
- Groste - with a difference of 950 m;
- Pradalago - elevation difference of 550 m;
- Cinque Laghi (Five Lakes), at an altitude of 2200 m - descent due to a vertical drop of 600 m.
Blue tracks
14 blue slopes account for 43% of all slopes of the resort with a total length of 30-40 km. EThese slopes for tourists who are unsteady on skiing are a real paradise. The slopes are gentle, in many places with a negative slope, you can get maximum pleasure from skiing with minimal skills. Such tracks are especially popular among beginners:
- Spinale Diretta and Fortini on the Spinale slope;
- F.I.S. in the area of Mount Panculogo;
- Zeledria, Fiocco di Neve) in the Pradalago zone;
- 5 Laghi - in the region of 5 lakes;
- Graffer - a fancifully winding gentle slope from Passo Groste Pass to the bottom is 9 km.
Blue trails are also called family trails, as they are quite safe for family members with different skill levels.
Snowboard park
For snowboarding, these routes are inconvenient, there are "traction" - sections that have to be overcome on foot. But on the Groste pass is one of the best alpine snow parks - Ursus Snow Park, where you can get the basics of snowboarding or practice stunts on ski jumps and figures of all kinds and levels. With a 4.5-star rating, it is the site of world championships in this sport.
Red tracks
Red slopes - for "advanced" skiers make up 41% of the runs: they are abrupt, dangerous places have barriers. In general, these are wide, well-run-in ones; some consider them too simple for red marking. The most popular of them:
- FIS 3-Tre - the red route known at the resort, begins in the Five Lakes zone; 3-Tre - “3 days of Trento” - the name of the stage of the world slalom championship.
- Rifugio Pancugolo - also from the Cinque Laghi zone on the southern slopes of the resort;
- Corna Rossa and Cima Groste - begin on the sunny peak of Groste with a picturesque panorama of the Dolomiti di Brenta massif;
- Poza Vecia - from the descent of the Spinal;
- Monte Vigo - most of the descents from this top are red tracks.
The tracks on the slopes intersect, and the skier has the opportunity to choose the level of descent that he can handle.
Black tracks
For professionals in Madonna di Campiglio, only 16% of all runs are suitablebut they are quite adrenaline:
- Canalone Miramonti in the Five Lakes zone is the queen of black slopes. It hosts competitions in slalom 3 Tre, it is the only track in the resort that has night lighting. The slope of the track from 25 to 66 degrees is one of the most difficult slopes in the world.
- Amazzonia, track number 6, "killer" - located in the Five Lakes zone.
- Variante Marchi is a very short black descent from the Spinal.
- Spinale Direttissima - a long, straight and steep descent from this peak ends right in the city.
For well-trained skiers, the resort can get bored quickly due to the small number of black slopes.
Lifts
Lift system: 10 tow ropes, 15 chairlifts, 6 gondolas and cabs ensure uninterrupted delivery to any ski area with virtually no lines even in high season. The lifts themselves are located within the city 100-200 meters from the hotels, so there is no need to walk around the city in ski equipment. Skibus of remote hotels take tourists to the stations.
Today Madonna di Campiglio is connected by a ski lift system to neighboring ski resorts. Any point of the resort area of Madonna di Campiglio, Pinzolo (Pinzolo), Folgarida (Folgarida), Marilleva (Marilleva) is now accessible for tourists without the help of vehicles. The length of tracks of varying difficulty in the combined zone is 350 km.
Ski pass prices in 2017
To use ski areas and ski lifts you need to purchase a subscription, the price of which depends on the season, age of the tourist and ski area.
- An adult one-day ski pass (Skipass) costs 42 euros in low season and 49 in high;
- skiing for six days will cost 204-240 euros, respectively.
- Skirama costs € 224-263, it provides access to all resorts in the Adamello-Brenta National Park;
- Lift passes for pensioners for 6 days are 166-179, and for children - 92-99.5 euros.
- Some hotels in the low season provide their customers with a 6-day ski pass as a gift when booking.
Skis and boots can be rented directly at the resort, it will cost from 100 to 150 euros per week - for a prestigious resort it is quite inexpensive.
You can always check the current prices on the official website of the resort www.campigliodolomiti.it, and download in PSD format from this link.
How to get there
Getting ready to rest in advance, you can choose a cheaper flight to Italy and save on flight. Landing places near Madonna di Campiglio are the airports of Verona, Venice, Milan. Be sure to spend a few days in one of these cities, see the sights.
From Verona
From Verona (160 km) to Madonna di Campiglio can be reached by regular bus (25 euros one way, 39 - there and back). Buses run only on weekends (Saturday - Sunday). On weekdays, get by taxi (275 euros per car). You can get to the nearest train station to the resort of Trento by train (40 euros), and from there by local bus (3.5-4 euros). You can check the timetable on the official bus website www.ttesercizio.it, and buy train tickets on trenitalia.com
Transfer from Verona costs 258 euros, we recommend booking at least a week in advance here. Here is an instruction on how to get from Verona Airport to the city center.
From Milan
The road from Milan is more authentic - 220 kilometers, regular buses run regularly - 3.5-4 hours on the way. Can be reached by train to Trento. But it’s most convenient to book an online transfer with Flyski Shuttle. Their conditions: from 35 euros one way per person with a 25% discount when traveling back, although offers are not available on all dates.
From venice
Venice is located farthest from the resort. From Marco Polo airport you need to get to the suburbs of Venice - the Mestre district (10-15 minutes), from where buses to www.flixbus.ru go several times a day to Trento. Travel time is about 3 hours. Ticket price - from 19.5 to 27.5 euros.
You can consider such an option as car rental: in Bergamo in winter, renting a car for a week costs from 220 euros. Only in the resort area of Madonna does Campiglio in winter have virtually nowhere to ride.
Hotels
Those who would like to ride on all the tracks and save money on accommodation should choose the Pinzolo resort: housing is cheaper, and the tracks - red and black - are better. Brentapark has everything you need for a snowboard.
Madonna or Campiglio, especially in high season - a place of aristocratic parties, and hotels - there are about 100 of them in the resort - are expensive. You do not have to save on living.
The prestigious Bertelli, Cerana Relax Hotel, Dahu, Cristallo, Ideal hotels are aimed at high-income visitors.
Popular hotels with three stars:
- Rosengarten - located in the center of the resort near the Five Lakes ski lift - zones with a predominance of red and black slopes. There is a restaurant, sauna, half board with breakfast and dinner;
- Chalet - a miniature hotel with a warm family atmosphere;
- Bonapace - at the Spinale ski lift, with a swimming pool and equipment rental;
- Montana - a cozy clean hotel in the center.
All hotels of this level offer a half-boarding house: plentiful breakfasts and dinner.
A budget option for living is an apartment with a kitchen and the possibility of self-cooking, they are suitable for families.
- You can rent apartments for several people in Campo Carlo Magno on the northern outskirts of Madonna near the ski lifts Groste and Fortini and every evening go down directly to the place of accommodation.
- POSTA Apartments are located in the center of Madonna, where there are more opportunities for shopping and entertainment.
Restaurants
Most hotels provide tourists with breakfast and dinner with the most delicious Italian cuisine. In addition, in a town with a population of 1 thousand people there are 69 restaurants, where lunch costs 30-35 euros.
There are about 20 self-service restaurants in the ski areas. The main difficulty: the staff speaks only Italian, so there is a reason before heading to Madonna di Campiglio to learn the names of popular Italian dishes.
Specialties such as Spressa delle Giudicarie, a locally made cheese, are known in the Trento district; Carne Salada alla - specially smoked meat ham. The resort's branded drinks are: grappa - purely Italian-made brandy with a strength of 45-50 degrees, Gewürztraminer - spicy white wine. They can be taken with you as a souvenir or as a souvenir.
Madonna di Campiglio - a resort where everything - nature, sports facilities, houses, food, people - works to leave the most delightful memories with the visitor.
