Snow cities in Italy: a magical touch to your trip

Luciana Soares November, 2020

Have you ever imagined adding a magical touch to your trip? It is possible to know snowy cities in Italy at the best time of the year!

Imagine bonding the architectural, cultural and gastronomic treasures of Italy with a pleasant stroll, amazing sports or moments of fun in the snow?

If we have increased your curiosity to know more about this attraction in “The Boot”, continue reading this article. We will talk about six snowy cities in Italy and give you good tips for your tour.

6 snow cities in Italy

In 2018 a blizzard covered cities that had not seen snow for many years, such as Rome, which had not received the frozen flakes with intensity since 2012 and Naples (since 1956). Lucky were those strolling there at that moment: the surprise was great, and the records, delightful!

Yet, if you plan to visit Italy’s most popular cities and hope to find an opportunity to see and enjoy the snow, it is possible to do so without much effort.

That is because the main destinations are only an hour or two from some of the snowy cities in Italy.

See below some of them

Main snow cities in italy ❄️

1. Turin

If you dream of discovering what to do in Turin and the surroundings, “little Paris” holds more charms than we often see in travel reports and records.

For the ones with good travel planning, Turin can also be one of the snowiest cities in Italy to visit. Besides the snow covering the streets in white (as it did in 2017, when the snow covered the city creating fairytale-worthy records 20 days before the beginning of winter), this region of Piedmont is popularly known for its vast ski slopes, adding up to 1,500 kilometers!

If you are interested in winter sports, our suggestions are the stations of Sauze d’Oulx, and Sestriere, both close to Turin.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Sestriere, near Turin, one of the snowy cities to visit in Italy. Image: vialattea.it

2. Cortina d’Ampezzo

Have you ever imagined joining an unforgettable trip through a snowy region and one of the most charming postcards in Italy – the Dolomites, mountains that due to their beauty were classified as Unesco heritage?

The Dolomites are so beautiful that have become a UNESCO heritage site.

Cortina d’Ampezzo is a mandatory stop for those who want to see snowy cities in Italy and already have a guaranteed passage through Venice. It is because it is possible to reach Cortina d´Ampezzo from Venice by car in about 2 hours or by train to Calalzo di Cadore (in this case, you need to take a bus that takes you to the mountains).

Once in the city, get ready for a fantastic experience: for sports enthusiasts, the Dolomite Ski Area has 668 ski slopes for all tastes.

Image: italia.it

For those who want to experience the winter climate, the village of Cortina d’Ampezzo enriches the fairytale atmosphere: typical houses, stone buildings, churches and castles in the surroundings.

It is easy to understand why Cortina d’Ampezzo is successful with all these attractions, isn’t it?

3. Monte Livata

Have you decided to visit Rome? How about driving for one hour and a half to a natural park with snow tracks surrounded by a forest?

This is what you find on Monte Livata, located near some snowy cities in Lazio, Italy. The ski park in the region  (Monna dell’Orso) offers daily activities for beginners and intermediates, children or adults.

4. Piani di Bobbio

Are you traveling with children or on a romantic itinerary and want to stay out of great adventures? Piani di Bobbio may be the ideal option for you! This is because the slopes at this ski resort are wider and smoother, perfect for beginners in snow sports.

Located in Barzio, it can be considered one of the snowiest cities in Italy. The station is about an hour away from Milan by car. It even works for a day trip.

The ski school, which offers ski or snowboard lessons for beginners is among the suggested activities in the ski park. 

Piani di Bobbio. Image: Wikimedia Commons

5. Abetone

Do you think that Tuscany region is summed only by beautiful hills and wineries? You will be surprised! Less than 100 km (62 miles) away from Florence is Abetone, another snowy city in Italy.

The city offers ski slopes for beginners and professionals. Campi Scuola still gives that little boost for those who are going to venture into winter sports for the first time. To give you an idea, the ski or snowboard class for two costs € 46.

A car rental is the best option to go to Abetone from Florence.

6. Ponte di Legno

To conclude our list of snowy cities in Italy, we must mention Ponte di Legno located in the region of the Alps.

On the page of the Touring Club Organization of Italy, we find a description that lives up to the fame of Ponte di Legno as one of the first Italian getaways for snow sports lovers. The profile describes the city as “a destination for ski pioneers since the early 20th century”. 

The Adamello Ski complex currently has 111 km (69 miles) of interconnected ski slopes, with the most diverse difficulty levels. Do you know what that means? Fun for the whole family!

Another great advantage of the region is that besides enjoying the snow and the activities related to it, it is also possible to explore the city and the other highlight activity of the region: the gastronomy, especially cheese.

When does it snow in Italy?

After seeing so many snowy cities in Italy, you may be wondering: when does it snow in Italy? When is the best time to plan this type of trip?

We help you with the answers!

Located in the Northern Hemisphere, the winter in Italy takes place from December to March.

Follow the country’s weather forecasts and weather reports to find out where it snows in Italy in the season. OnTheSnow for instance, it is possible to follow the bulletins of snowy cities in Italy and to plan the travel itinerary according to the forecasts.

Plan your trip to snow cities in Italy!

Is it time to make your trip to snowy cities in Italy come true? Count on Cieli di Toscana to help you plan everything with expertise and knowledge!

Our team of specialists in Italy can help you plan a tailor-made trip with all the services you desire.

Fully personalized itineraries, access to useful information and suggestions of the best of each city: places to visit, the most beautiful roads to reach your destination, the most convenient parking lots, the best restaurants, stores and experiences.

These are just some of the benefits of having our team to organize your trip.

There is even more! Arriving at your destination, you and your family will not be “alone” in Italy. Our local team fluent in English will be available to make your experience even more complete and peaceful.

Do you want to know what Cieli’s customers say about their experiences in Italy? Check the testimonials below out:

“Finding Cieli di Toscana was like finding the Genie of the Magical Lamp and having all our wishes fulfilled. The impeccable dedication and guidance from our dear travel consultant, we were able to design a super exclusive itinerary in Emilia Romagna and Tuscany, pleasing and surprising everyone in my family. Thank you for the unforgettable moments full of love and union in family! Grazie mille! See you soon.” ( Constantin & Trajano families)

“We are a Brazilian couple. September 2018 was a special month for us. We were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and my wife’s 50th birthday. That is why we decided to take a romantic trip through Italy, and we could not have found anyone better than Cieli di Toscana to organize our trip.

Since the first contact I realized that everything would happen as we wanted. Every detail made a difference. Everything brought us a real sense of happiness and satisfaction with Cieli di Toscana.” (Frederico Queiroz)

How about starting to plan your dream-trip now? Get in touch with us and we will design together the best itinerary for you!

Luciana Soares is a journalist passionate about traveling. She works at Cieli di Toscana and has lived in Florence. She knows and loves the beauties of the region.