Torino: Easy Access To The Milky Way -
This major city in northern Italy is the capital of the Piedmont region. It is known for its 18th-century castle, impressive museums, grand palaces, and delicious chocolate. Torino is also the international gateway to many ski resorts in the Italian Alps.
The Milky Way is an extensive ski area in the picturesque Piedmont region, which borders both France and Italy. It is made up of six resorts: Sestriere, Sauze d'Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana, Claviere, and Montgenevre.
Together they offer a ski area covering 400 kilometres, with 140 slopes reaching heights of 2800 metres altitude. The area is known for its long wide open runs and sunny skies.
The attractive village of Claviere is Italy's oldest ski resort. Its charming town is complimented by pretty tree-lined runs. The quiet, relaxed centre is somewhat limited in nightlife, but its bars and restaurants are family-friendly and offer good food and drinks at a reasonable price. Claviere's 35 local runs are best suited to beginners and intermediates and reach a height of 2303 metres altitude.
In contrast to Claviere's peaceful centre, Sauze d'Oulx is one of the bigger Milky Way resorts and is nicknamed the ‘Benidorm of the Alps'. British skiers flock to Sauze for its lively après ski scene, featuring plenty of British-style pubs with happy hours and serving full English breakfasts. There are also a couple of clubs with late-night dancing and theme nights. Sauze's local ski area is best suited to intermediates and is especially popular with snowboarders for its wide open pistes and snowpark.
The purpose-built village of Sestriere hosted the 1997 Alpine World Championships and was the site for a number of venues of the 2006 Turin Olympic Games. This high-altitude resort sits at 2035 metres and offers good, reliable snow cover. The local ski area is supported by modern lifts and offers something for all levels, but is particularly popular with advanced skiers for its steep challenging steep runs and thrilling off-piste. The resort itself offers plenty of bars, restaurants and hotels at a reasonable price.
Montgenevre is the only French resort in the Milky Way. This small resort at 1860 metres offers reliable snowfall. The local ski area is particularly well suited to beginners and intermediates and draws a number of French weekenders for its inexpensive ski passes. This small town offers plenty of ski-in/ski-out accommodation, but has relatively quiet nightlife, mostly based around good restaurants and friendly bars.
Sansicario is a modern three-tier resort with a monorail connecting all levels. Its local ski area offers 40 kilometres of runs for all levels and is particularly popular with families for its beginner slopes and funpark. The town centre features a pedestrian shopping area, traditional restaurants, cinema, disco, and piano bar. The resort of Cesana is in the centre of the Milky Way at 1350 metres altitude. Skiers and boarders can take the new eight-seater lift up to Sansicario in just eight minutes.
All resorts of the Milky Way are within two hours of Torino Airport. Other nearby resorts include: Bardonecchia, Bielmonte, Pragelato, San Colombano, and St Gree du Viola.
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