If it's February, we're skiing in Europe! This year we decided to leverage our Epic Passes and spend the month skiing Madonna di Campiglio in Italy and Crans Montana in Switzerland. So, off we went to Milan and then a lovely ride to the Brenta Dolomites through small towns, past rushing rivers, and along the side of Lago di Garda, the largest lake in Italy. Our driver wanted to stop for an espresso in a small, quaint town along the way, so we found ourselves in a cozy cafe halfway through our ride, which meant we could also enjoy some Italian pastries before even arriving at our destination!
Madonna di Campiglio is part of Skirama Dolomiti, an area where one pass gets you access to eight resorts,150 lifts, and 380km of slopes...pretty awesome! The area around Madonna di Campiglio actually gives you access to 156 km of interconnected runs across three areas, including Pinzolo and Folgarida-Marilleva. We passed through Pinzolo on our way to Madonna di Campiglio, but we never made it over there to check out the town, although we did take the gondola over to ski Pinzolo, which had some of our favorite runs (and the greatest views while dining)...and the absolutely worst name for a ski trail ever: Clump. What were they thinking? If we were there longer we definitely would have spent a day in Pinzolo, which looked adorable.
Although it was nearly dark by the time we arrived at Cerana Relax Hotel, the hotel has an amazing rooftop adults-only Sky Spa, so we parked ourselves in the outdoor infinity whirlpool and watched the snowcats groom the trails for the next day when we'd hit the slopes.
Our hotel was right beside the ski trails, which meant every day we took a few steps and started out on the Spinale direttissima, which was named the best black run in the world according to skiresort.info.
Yes, there are some parts of this run that are super steep (70% incline) but the views are spectacular! There really aren't any other mountains that look like the Dolomites, with their sharp jagged finger-like shapes jutting into the blue sky. Every day was visually stunning with blue skies and sunshine, although some snow would have been nice. Still, you can't beat the views or the weather in the Dolomites.
In the time we were there we hit just about every single trail, and while we enjoyed them, we didn't find them especially challenging. What we did find challenging was navigating around all the kids! We happened to find ourselves there when families were on vacation and there were lots of ski school classes going on, so we tried to stay as high and far away as possible!
Often that meant taking a break at the bars and restaurants on the mountain, which had great food and Bombardino! This Italian winter drink is typically made from 3/4 hot traditional Italian egg liquor (ex. Vov or Zabov) and 1/4 rum or brandy. Some whipped cream and shaved chocolate on top, and this quickly became a huge favorite of ours!
The food at our hotel was spectacular (and we even got to do a grappa tasting from Distilleria Marzadro and discovered Zirmol, a pine grappa that sounds...less than appetizing... but was our favorite), but we also ventured into town for après ski and some wonderful local meals. Meat is a staple here in northeastern Italy, and we had plenty! Forget the American interpretation of Italian food like pasta and tomato sauce. Expect rabbit, deer, beef tartare, lamb...we definitely got our protein.
A few favorite spots included a special birthday dinner at la Cantina del Suisse, which also has a wonderful outdoor cafe in the piazza for some beers after skiing, Ristorante Antico Focolare for Italian, La Tana for meat (lots of it here), and the laid back Osteria & Friends, where everyone sits at large picnic tables in a small, casual atmosphere. Of course, we also enjoyed some delicious pizza! A definite do-not-miss is the hot chocolate from Ciocomiti Casa del Cioccolato and Roccati Cioccolato. Both are located in the Piazza Righi in the center of town and serve other-worldly creamy, thick hot chocolate that is like drinking pudding. Chocolate heaven.
We loved our time in Madonna di Campiglio...our hotel, the spa, the friendliest people, and amazing food were perfect even if the mountain was a little tame for us. So while we enjoyed our little corner of Italy, when it was time to leave and take the train to Crans Montana, Switzerland, we were looking forward to some new terrain in the Alps!
A train back to Milan and two more trains through Switzerland, and we made it to Crans Montana! These are actually two towns situated on a sun drenched plateau of the Rhone Valley--Crans and Montana--that are right beside one another and walking distance so you get two experiences for the price of one! And they are so much fun to get to because you have to take a funicular up the side of a mountain from the town of Sierre, rising beside gorgeous vineyards with the Alps growing around you until you reach Montana. Quite a dramatic way to arrive (which makes it worth lugging your skis and boot bags and luggage from the train station to the funicular station)!
The town of Montana isn't large but it has everything you need, including an outdoor ice rink in the center and plenty of outdoor dining. Crans is more upscale, with luxury shopping and more dining. We rarely go anywhere twice to eat when traveling, but when we found Burger Lounge in Crans for lunch on our first day, we knew we'd be back. Joe actually declared it was the best burger he's ever had, probably due to the mound of Raclette cheese melting off the sides! If Madonna di Campiglio was all about the beef, Crans Montana is all about the cheese! Raclette is everywhere, from the small mountainside restaurants to in-town dining. There were even people watching the World Cup races on the side of the mountain with portable Raclette broilers so they could enjoy some while watching the skiers! In all our time in Switzerland, we've never tried it, the smell alone is pretty pungent.
But this time we decided we had to give it a shot and...wow. We are converts. Although it smells like sweaty feet (to one of us at least) it tastes like the most amazing, comforting, delicious thing ever. There's not much nutrition here, it's just a glob of melted Raclette cheese, a few pickled onions and pickles, and baby potatoes. But, still, this was a culinary revelation and we ended up having it as often as possible!
We also had to try Swiss Rosti, the national dish, which is basically grated potato that is pan-friend into a thick pancake with stuff on top, everything from an egg to bacon and other meats. We tried this for lunch on the mountain at Cabane des Violettes, a lunch spot in a rustic stone mountain cabin with communal picnic tables and a stellar view. On a clear day you can even see the Matterhorn. It's worth having one lunch at Cabane des Violettes for the experience alone, but give the local rosti a try too! It goes great with a cold weizenbier.
We were in Crans Montana during the Audi FIS World Cup so we had the opportunity to watch the downhill and super-G events from start to finish, from the Swiss Army setting up the course and the practice runs to the racers crossing the finish line. The Friday night before the races we attended the opening ceremonies on the ice rink. We watched as the racers got their numbers, and then joined everyone for a live concert. It was pretty cool seeing world class skiers, hearing the sound of their skis cutting through the snow, and watching the fans go crazy when Swiss skiers took 5 of the 6 places on the weekend podiums. Boy do they love Marco Odermatt! But the races were only part of the fun, because there was so much going on at the finish line village and by the ice rink, it was one big party. There was an air show every day with Swiss Air Force planes spiraling and forming crazy formations and buzzing across the valley. There were also fun bands with awesome Austrian songs we knew and could sing along with, great dance bands, giveaways, and lots of local specialties to eat.
We even got to see them introduce the mascot for the 2027 World Cup Races...a hat! And the little Swiss schoolboy who came up with the idea got a huge ovation at the opening ceremonies...for a hat! Actually, it's a beanie named Tsapé, which means "cap" in local dialect.
The entire weekend, they made it easy for everyone to have fun by selling small ski boot shot glasses you could wear around your neck and refill for only 5€! A bargain! We couldn't resist - yes we got a few refills! Such a great time. We have become big FIS World Cup junkies and have decided that we will definitely attend future FIS World Cup races in Europe. If you can ever attend a big race weekend like this, do it! The races are awesome and it's a party!
The mountain was definitely more challenging than Madonna di Campiglio, and the conditions were great, so we loved that! Our favorite was taking the cable car way up to Plaine Morte (translation: dead plain), a glacier with a super long, fun trail and staggering views. We even got some good snowfall during our time there, so that was welcome even if it meant not being able to see where you were going.
Aperol practically owned après ski at Cry d'Er on the mountain, with giveaways and promotions and a saxophone-playing musician accompanying the DJ on the expansive patio. We knew the party was in full swing when the bartender jumped up on the bar and proceeded to pour shots into the mouths of revelers who had lined up for a taste. There was lots of dancing on bars and tabletops and singalongs. Did we participate? Yeah! And it was a great way to end the day.
The town of Crans had a few things going on, too, one of which was the lantern path, a lovely winding wooded path that was lit up by lanterns and had live music and a little bar in a cabin along the way. It was a really nice way to spend a leisurely evening and the views of the mountain and the town of Montana were beautiful.
We had some great meals in Crans Montana, but a huge surprise was a Valentine's Day dinner at...an Argentinian restaurant! Chez Chico was incredible and we will definitely be having Argentinian food again soon! We also enjoyed L'Amadeus, a small bar/restaurant that specializes in, of all things, multiple variations of Chicken Cordon Bleu. And, of course, Gerber for Raclette that kept on coming until we cried uncle.
On our final morning we caught an early funicular down the mountain to catch our train to Zurich. The sun was rising behind the Alps and it was the perfect way to say goodbye to these amazing mountains until next year. We will be counting the days! Although Madonna di Campiglio and Crans Montana were two very different experiences--from the towns to the ski mountains--they provided two unique and memorable ski trips within just a few hours of one another. If you're an Epic Pass holder, both of these resorts are on the pass and they are definitely worth checking out.
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Enjoy a taste of our travels with drink recipes on Instagram - Worldwide.Cocktails.
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