Italy is the ideal country for a skiing holiday this Winter and charming Champoluc is a wonderful little resort that will have you returning year after year.

I find that the French and Swiss resorts can be ferociously busy at this time of year and it can begin to feel that you are on a skiing treadmill, with little time to enjoy yourself on a gentle run or enjoy the wonderful Winter scenery. Italy offers a more enjoyable skiing experience all round: the slopes are quieter, especially during the week as Italians themselves rarely ski outside of the weekend, and the amazing food and hospitality that you will find in Italy is without equal in Europe.

If you are a beginner or intermediate skiier then I would highly recommend the ski resort of Champoluc situated within the Monterosa ski area. Monterosa, also known as ’The Three Valleys’, has been a hidden gem although the fantastic facilities on offer have seen the area grow in popularity in recent years.

Champoluc is an intimate village, yet one which others both great skiing and apres-ski facilities. For details on accommodation within the area see Italy Ski.

The resort has 12 red runs and 3 blue runs but it is especially geared towards the less experienced skiier with tuition available to take you onto the next level with the minimum of worry. There are ten ski lifts operating in Champoluc able to accommodate over 21,000 skiiers an hour. Snowboarding is also practised at Champoluc, along with heli-boarding for the more adventurous winter sports fanatic.

You will find Champoluc easy to reach, there are four airports within two hours of the resort and there is a wide variety of accommodation to suit all budgets as can be seen on the Skiline website. The locals are incredibly friendly and helpful and I guarantee that, like me, once you have first savoured the delights that skiing at Champoluc can offer you will come back time and time again!

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My trip to Italy is something that will forever remain etched in my mind. More than anything, because of the number of “adventures” I had on this trip…Missing flights, trains, boats…I experienced it all.

So there I was with my friend in Venice at St Marks Square, or the Piazza San Marco as referred to by them. We had to get back to the train station to take a train to Milan. However, we were so busy “ogling” at the handsome Venetian Polizia that we ended up missing our train! And to top it all, it was the last train to Milan. With no bookings in Venice, nor any back up plans we were pretty much at our wits end. However, we quickly made a decision that since we couldn’t go to Milan we would take the next available train to any city that would be closer to it. This way, we would reach Milan faster.

We decided to board a train that was going to Verona, a place popular for being the actual setting for Romeo and Juliet. On the train, we met a nice family who told us that we would not get any hotel by the time we would reach because it would be too late. That was the point where panic struck us. Here we were, in a foreign country with no knowledge of Italian and to add icing to the cake, it was cold! Seeing our distress, this very wonderful American family told us to get down in Vicenza. This was where they were staying too. From the phone itself, they called a hotel and booked rooms for us. We couldn’t thank them enough, they were actually like god sent angels. They even saw us till our hotel.

The great part was the town of Vicenza itself. We spent the whole of the next day taking in the wonderful sights of the city. It is such a beautiful place.

So yes, we did have a misadventure. We missed our train, got late in reaching Milan, ended up spending more money, but it did lead us to this scenic place. If not for all the events, I would never gone there in my life. And of course, till today we are in touch with that wonderful family. We made new friends and saw a new place. All is well that ends well!

Noela’s surprise engagement party: I think I know what we should sort out. Who would be up for a surprise trip and putting up a bit of money on some ski hotels I think that it would be very fitting as a member of our travel group!

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So if you are interested in travelling to new and exciting places that may be slightly off the beaten track of the normal traveller then watch this space and hopefully we can inspire you a little bit to do some travelling of your own.

So what trips are on the books? Well I can tell you that I have just booked a trip through Italy ski, and am looking forward to updating you with everything I discover as soon as I get back! There will be loads of posts from other contributors in the meantime. So all that is left to say is welcome and enjoy!

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