Madesimo is a small, traditional ski village high in the far north of Italy. Lombardy is better known for its lakes than its skiing, but Madesimo is the exception, tucked into the Val Chiavenna, an alpine valley that runs up from the top of Lake Como to the Swiss border. It sits at around 1,550m, and the place has a real sense of character, with stone-and-slate houses, a quiet village feel, and a cooking style that blends Italian mountain food with influences from just over the border in Switzerland. Many of the hotels, in both Madesimo and Campodolcino down the valley, sit right by the slopes or the funicular up to them, so ski-in, ski-out access is common.

The skiing rises from the village to the summit of Pizzo Groppera at almost 3,000m, a vertical drop of well over a kilometre and among the biggest in the Italian Alps. It's a mountain that rewards intermediates most of all, with long, rolling red runs like the Vanoni and Interpista to cruise and gentler blues and nursery areas lower down for beginners to build up on. Strong skiers have the pull of the Canalone, a famous black descent that falls close to a kilometre off the top of Groppera. The lower runs thread down through larch forest, while the higher slopes open out above the treeline. High altitude, plenty of snowmaking, and slopes that face both north and south keep the snow in good shape through a long season, from late November into April.

There's plenty here beyond the skiing. On the snow, you can head out snowshoeing through the woods by day or on a guided night walk, go sledging, or try a snowmobile tour up towards the Spluga Pass, and there's cross-country skiing and a village ice rink too. Off the mountain, the valley rewards a look around. Chiavenna, the handsome old town below the resort, is known for its crotti (natural rock cellars) where local cheeses, cured meats, and wine have been stored and served for generations, and it's a fine place to try Valtellina cooking. Just below the village, the twin Acquafraggia waterfalls, which Leonardo da Vinci admired on his travels through the valley, make an easy and memorable stop. Between the skiing, the food, and the valley's history, Madesimo makes for a well-rounded trip.

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