Resort information for Cervinia

Cervinia is an old climbing village developed into a winter resort in a rather haphazard way. It has the biggest, highest, most snow-sure area of easy, well groomed pistes we’ve come across. Italy's highest pistes, and some of its longest, are also found in this resort. Cervinia has no consistent style of architecture, and it’s an uncomfortable hotchpotch, neither pleasing to the eye nor as offensive as the worst of the French purpose-built resorts. The centre is pleasant, compact and traffic-free.

Nearly all the runs are accessible to average intermediates. The mountain is one of the highest in Europe and, despite getting a lot of afternoon sun, can usually be relied on to have good snow conditions. If the weather is bad, the top lifts often close because of high winds – and even the lower slopes may suffer poor visibility because of the lack of trees. Queues are not a big problem, although there can, of course, be queues for many lower lifts when upper lifts are shut due to wind. This is not a resort for experts, but then there’s the easiest of Zermatt’s slopes just over the Swiss border, and linked by lift and piste.

There are some good mountain restaurants in Cervinia if you know where to go. Staying near the village centre, at the foot of the nursery slopes, has always been best for après-ski purposes. Cervinia’s 50 or so restaurants allow plenty of choice. Plenty of Brits come here looking for action but find there isn’t much to do except tour the bars, although the discos liven up at weekends.