Art cities, ski resorts, Christmas markets, quaint little villages, spa towns: Italian tourism has all manner of treats to offer even in the winter, attracting millions of travellers from around the world every year
There’s no question about it: Italy is one of the top tourist destinations in the whole world. But mass tourism is not merely reserved for the summer months: the land of La Dolce Vita is also ready and waiting to welcome tourists over the winter. The figures from the last winter season speak for themselves: 25 million incoming visitors and just under 72.2 million overnight stays. More and more foreigners find themselves captivated by the country’s ski resorts and enchanting little villages, with a new record number of tourists from other countries being expected this year.
Truly unmissable winter destinations
Ski resorts are undoubtedly top of the list of most desirable holiday destinations. These include Cortina d’Ampezzo, Livigno, Bormio, Courmayeur and Bardonecchia. Locations with something to offer lovers of all winter sports, such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, snowshoeing and many more. But that’s not all, because the mountains are not the exclusive preserve of sports enthusiasts: there are countless activities to be enjoyed in these little gems set in the highest peaks of the Italian Alps. Pride of place goes to their wonderful cuisine, which is capable of surprising both gastronauts seeking hearty traditional flavours and those with a more sophisticated palate in search of delicacy.
There are all sorts of experiences to enjoy with True Italian Experience: a cultural hub that offers visitors the opportunity to travel in authentic Italian style, organising trips that take into account not only a healthy respect for the environment and local traditions, but also the needs and wishes of the travellers themselves.
For those looking to immerse themselves in all the Christmassy magic of Italy, True Italian Experience offers comprehensive solutions, convenient travel and elegant flavours sure to give anyone a taste of the warmth of the Italian holiday season. And always with a focus on sustainability, in part thanks to its main partner, Trenitalia.
Winter Experience: excellent deals from the Passenger Hub
The most popular holiday destinations are increasingly easy to reach by train. This is confirmed by the Passenger Hub of the FS Group – made up of Trenitalia, Busitalia, Ferrovie del Sud Est and FS Treni Turistici Italiani – which in recent days presented its Winter Experience 2023 in Milan.
New links to ski resorts and tourist destinations in the mountains, more travel solutions seamlessly integrated with train, bus and air connections, and tailor-made promotions for families and young people: these are just some of the new features of the winter offer from the FS Group’s Passenger Hub which, as of Sunday 10 December, covers Italy and Europe with new services and door-to-door multimodal connections to encourage collective transport.
For mountain lovers, Trenitalia now offers new services running from Friday to Sunday for Oulx and Bardonecchia from Naples, Rome, Florence, Bologna and Milan.
Two new Frecciarossa trains a day will also serve Trento, Rovereto and Bolzano with departures from Rome, Florence and Bologna, making a total of 12 Freccia trains per day, plus two new Frecciarossa trains from running from Milan at weekends. Up to 32 trains a day will link Turin and Bardonecchia, 18 trains will whisk visitors up to the slopes of Limone from Tende station, and up to 32 regional trains will run between Turin and Oulx. Skiers can also reach the peaks of the Dolomites with Alleghe Link, a regional intermodal service that includes buses from Belluno to Agordo, Alleghe, Caprile and Arabba.
Cortina Link, Trenitalia Regional and Dolomiti Bus allow travellers to reach Cortina d’Ampezzo with a single ticket, arriving into Calalzo station by train before continuing on to the town centre by bus. FrecciaLink trains round off the offer by providing weekend access to some of Italy’s best-loved mountain destinations: Aosta, Cortina D’Ampezzo, Courmayeur, Madonna Di Campiglio, Val Gardena, Val Di Fassa and Val Di Fiemme.
Two direct IntercityNotte connections will once again be running over the weekend serving San Candido and the other major tourist destinations in Trentino-Alto Adige, on the Rome-Bolzano line which will also be extended to the stations of Bressanone, Fortezza, Brunico and Dobbiaco. With Intercity Giorno – also running over the weekend – the train from Genoa to Turin will continue its journey to serve the stations of Bussoleno, Sestriere and Bardonecchia.
Travellers from Milan can now hop aboard a Eurocity for an easy way to reach Switzerland, too, with all its characteristic Christmas markets in Zurich, Berne, Basel, Montreux, Lausanne and Geneva.
Treni Turistici Italiani: Cortina-bound “Espresso Cadore”
For a journey of pure relaxation and luxury, as of 15 December, the new ‘Espresso Cadore’ from the newly-established FS company Treni Turisti Italiani will be connecting Rome with Cortina d’Ampezzo. The company’s very first overnight train will offer passengers exceptional levels of comfort: they can choose from single or double sleeper cabins, with dinner and breakfast included in the cost of the ticket, as well as 4- and 6-person couchettes which can even be booked for exclusive use, with special discounts for organised groups. Travellers can also opt to be waited on with a luxurious dinner in the dining car, which is accessible by reservation, along with an all-night bar. Luggage and sports equipment will all travel on a securely supervised baggage car and will be ready for collection at each station upon arrival.
For travellers who have purchased a place in the sleeper car, the ticket includes the seamless transfer of their luggage from the train to the dedicated bus at Calalzo station.
