Pope Benedict blesses skiing with Italian Ski Instructors.

During a recent visit to the Vatican by Italian ski instructors, Pope Benedict XVI followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, keen skier Pope John Paul II, by praising the sport of skiing.  “Skiing makes us feel small and returns us to our true dimension as creatures,” said Pope Benedict. Continue reading ‘Pope Benedict XVI blesses skiing’

Val Gardena is set to open a new funicular next month.

Val Gardena, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site at the heart of the Italian Dolomites, will open a new funicular when the resort officially opens for the season on December 4^th. Continue reading ‘New Funicular For Val Gardena’

Despite a market contraction, UK demand is increasing for Japanese ski resort Hakuba.

Despite the contraction of the UK ski market over the past few years, interest in Japanese ski resorts seems to keep increasing with the Ski Club of Great Britain announcing new packages there this winter while specialist ski tour operator W&O Travel Ski Dream is offering the previously little covered resort of Hakuba for the 2010/11 season. Continue reading ‘Despite ski market contraction in UK, demand for Japan is strong’

Workers are working quickly so that skiers at Madonna di Campiglio will enjoy a new black run this winter.

Italy’s Madonna di Campiglio has announced they’re currently building a new ski run they hope will be complete ready for winter 2010-11.

The new Nube D’Oro run in the Spinale sector will be served by the Homonym chairlift and end in front of Montagnoli mountain hut. Continue reading ‘Madonna di Campiglio to unveil a new black run next season’

Too little too late? Environmentalists covered up 295,275 square feet of the Presena Glacier this summer in Italy in a bid to slowdown the melting.

Having lost 40% of its mass in the decade leading up to 2003 due to global warming, environmental authorities at the Presena Glacier above Passo Tonale attempted to cover the glaciar’s surface with an insulating and reflective ‘blanket’ this summer in a effort to slow the rate of melting. Continue reading ‘Italy’s Presena Glacier cover up’

An enterprising project to reopen a lift at Pejo will increase vertical by 50% and provide access to runs that have been closed for 25 years.

After the original lift ceased operating a quarter of a century ago, one of the most exciting projects in Europe of the summer has been the installation of a new cable car at Pejo, in the Italian Dolomites that will dramatically increase skiable vertical. Continue reading ‘Pejo’s super dolomite cable car to reopen 25 years after it stopped operating’

Tourist Office

Madonna di Campiglio – Pinzolo – Val Rendena Azienda per il Turismo S.P.A.
Via Pradalaggo, 4
Madonna di Campiglio
Trentino
Italy
I 38084

Telephone: (465) 447501
Email: info@campiglio.to
Website: www.campiglio.to

Description

One of Italy’s most famous resorts, with a surprisingly low number of foreign visitors. It is a very pleasant town with excellent shopping and après ski. The slopes above are varied, extensive and mostly tree-lined.

Review

Madonna di Campiglio is one of the world’s classic ski centres and one of Italy’s most famous ranking with Cortina, Courmayeur and San Martino. Considering its long history in winter sports it has the benefit of an extensive and hugely enjoyable ski area with access lifts coming right down in to the town – both unusual assets compared to many of the other famous ski resorts of long standing. The resort’s altitude gives it better snowsure conditions than many traditional winter sports centres.

Recent investment has meant that almost all the key trails are served by modern lifts, and supported by snow making. As well as the lift-linked terrain joined to two other resorts, a further four are included in the area pass bringing a total of 300km (187 miles) of trails served by 100 lifts, less than a third of those surface tows – a very high percentage of chairs and cabin lifts by Europoean standards.

Madonna di Campiglio is a very chic resort staging the kind of grand balls and polo-on-ice tournaments for which St Moritz is famous. It feels good to be there because the town is pleasant to be in and the surrounding scenery of the Rendena Valley with pink Dolomitic rock above, ascending in sheer cliffs and precipices above the forest is spectacular and beautiful.

The area has a long history, but had been in a period of decline for around 150 years when skiing first began here in the 1930s, the resort really taking off by the ’50s. Most of the local population are now employed in the tourism industry. Unusually for a top European resort the vast majority of Madonna’s clientele are domestic – Italians.

keywords

Madonna di Campiglio, Trentino, Trento, Dolomites, Italy, Folgàrida – Marilléva, Skirama Adamello – Brenta