The Best Italian Ski Resorts for Christmas

Italy trades vertical for scenery, food and value, and at Christmas that is a better trade than it sounds. The Dolomites in late December are the most beautiful mountains in this guide.

Cervinia is the snow-sure exception at 2,050 metres with glacier lifts above it; Cortina and Val Gardena are lower and more weather-dependent, and correspondingly better places to be when it is snowing.

The ranking

Ordered by Christmas Snow Score.

  1. Cervinia

    Italy

    At 2,050m with glacier lifts and a link into Zermatt, the most snow-sure resort in Italy.

    Village 2,050m · top 3,500m

    81

    / 100

    Very snow-sure

  2. Madonna di Campiglio

    Italy

    Madonna di Campiglio is a Italian ski resort where our partner Skiworld runs chalets. We have not finished researching it: there is no Christmas Snow Score here yet because its altitude figures are unverified, and the description below will grow.

    Village 1,553m · top 2,600m

    42

    / 100

    Weather-dependent

  3. Corvara and Colfosco

    Italy

    Corvara and Colfosco is a Italian ski resort where our partner Skiworld runs chalets. We have not finished researching it: there is no Christmas Snow Score here yet because its altitude figures are unverified, and the description below will grow.

    Village 1,568m · top 2,550m

    41

    / 100

    Weather-dependent

  4. Cortina d'Ampezzo

    Italy

    The most beautiful setting in the Alps, and an elegant Italian town that happens to have skiing.

    Village 1,224m · top 2,930m

    38

    / 100

    Weather-dependent

  5. La Villa

    Italy

    La Villa is a Italian ski resort where our partner Skiworld runs chalets. We have not finished researching it: there is no Christmas Snow Score here yet because its altitude figures are unverified, and the description below will grow.

    Village 1,315m · top 2,550m

    32

    / 100

    Weather-dependent

  6. San Cassiano

    Italy

    San Cassiano is a Italian ski resort where our partner Skiworld runs chalets. We have not finished researching it: there is no Christmas Snow Score here yet because its altitude figures are unverified, and the description below will grow.

    Village 1,315m · top 2,550m

    32

    / 100

    Weather-dependent

Not yet ranked

We cover these resorts but have not finished verifying the data this ranking uses, so they are left out rather than given a number we cannot stand behind.

The Christmas Snow Score compares resorts on altitude, terrain, snowmaking and past December openings. It describes how reliable a resort tends to be, not what the snow will do this year — Alpine conditions vary every season and nobody can guarantee them.