Livigno, a snow and duty-free paradise
2 minutes
Do you love landscapes where you can ski freely? This is for you. Do you love shopping? Prepare your wallets and a large suitcase: you are in duty-free heaven where everything is exempt from taxes, like VAT, and you can shop while saving money.
For you, are mountains synonymous with good food? Between restaurants, dairies and typical bars, Livigno is a paradise for mountain food and wine.
Winter sports are fine, but do you love trekking and outdoor fun? Well, here all age groups will be spoilt for choice.
In the northernmost and largest municipality of Lombardy and, in a valley surrounded by harmonious mountains, you will feel like you are on top of the world.
Crazy for skiing
In Livigno, there is skiing to suit all tastes, with 115-kilometre-long slopes and several changes in incline.
Depending on one's level of experience, one can therefore plough blue, red or black slopes or go for the Mottolino Snow Park, considered among the best in Europe. It regularly hosts international events, as well as European Cup competitions in freestyle skiing, snowboarding and slopestyle, one of the disciplines of freestyle skiing considered extreme.
During the winter months, the snowmaking system ensures perfect skiing conditions at all times, even if a few rays of warmer sunshine arrive.
A pearl nestled between the Stelvio and the Engadine
The resort is located in the Val di Livigno, with the slopes laid out along the hillsides. Over the years, its name has made headlines for its ski resort, so much so that it has become one of Europe's most renowned winter resorts.
When fine weather arrives, it is surrounded by greenery, and walks, like more challenging hikes, will be a panacea for body and mind.
Shopping can also be experienced under the open sky with a picture-postcard backdrop. Here the boutiques are exclusive, but there is no shortage of shops dedicated to tradition.
Skiing: where, how and when
In addition to alpine skiing, with routes from 1800 to 2900 metres, with various difficulty levels, there is no shortage of surprises in the valley. There are 30 kilometres of sunny trails for cross-country skiers: the Sgambeda Granfondo Nordic Ski Marathon in classic technique is the setting for the International Marathon. Popular with freestylers and snowboarders, every year it hosts the Free Heel Fest, the international festival of Telemark, one of the most fascinating and difficult variants of alpine skiing.
Other snow sports to practise in the area include snowshoeing, ski mountaineering, climbing icefalls, snowmobiling and dog sledding.
Fun fact
One of the names by which Livigno is known is “Little Tibet”, and there is a reason for this: its temperatures are freezing in winter, and one should not underestimate them.
