Alagna Valsesia

Alagna Valsesia sits at 1,212m at the head of the Valsesia in Italy's Piedmont region, in the shadow of Monte Rosa, the second-highest massif in the Alps. This is one of the great historic mountain centres of Italy: the first expeditions onto Monte Rosa set off from here in the early 1800s, and that mountaineering spirit still runs through the place today. The setting is extraordinary. Monte Rosa's south face rises more than 2,500m of rock, ice, and glacier straight above the rooftops, and the village sits within the Alta Valsesia Nature Park and the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark. Alagna itself is a Walser village, settled in the 13th century by a Germanic people who crossed from Switzerland, and their distinctive traditions still shape its streets and culture.

Alagna is part of the Monterosa Ski domain, and with the Monte Rosa lift pass you have 180km of pistes across three linked valleys: Alagna, Gressoney, and Champoluc. Each has its own character. Alagna's home slopes are steep and high, with no beginner runs and a 1,759m vertical drop back to the village, one of the biggest in the Alps. Champoluc and Gressoney bring the gentler greens and long, rolling blues that suit beginners and cruising intermediates, with reds and high-alpine terrain linking the three together. Confident skiers can travel valley-to-valley in a day on the "Three Valleys" tour, hopping between sectors on a well-connected chain of gondolas and cable cars, and the high altitude keeps snow reliable from early December through mid-April.

Above the pistes, Alagna is one of the most celebrated freeride destinations anywhere, with glaciated descents, couloirs, and runs dropping thousands of vertical metres from the high lifts back towards the valley, drawing expert skiers and ski tourers from across Europe. Back down in the village, the pace is slow and the pleasures are simple: restaurants serving traditional cooking built on mountain cheeses, cured meats, and polenta, paired with the excellent local red wines. There's plenty to fill a rest day too, from the Walser ethnographic museum and guided walks through the ancient hamlets to ice skating in the village, snowshoeing into the nature park, and an afternoon unwinding in one of Alagna's wellness centres.