Madonna di Campiglio reaches the heights of Italian luxury

The mountain resort of Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomite Mountains is experiencing a wave of restoration, renovation and creativity. Family-owned hotels, shops, mountain restaurants and other businesses vie with one another to offer the best in luxury accommodation, dining and  shopping. Amazing views and beautifully groomed slopes ensure a sense of top quality winter activities. And the ski-lift company keeps the slopes immaculately groomed. It is also following a comprehensive programme to replace exposed ski lifts with covered chairs and cosy cabin lifts.

Luxury accommodation in Madonna di Campiglio

The choice of accommodation in this lovely mountain resort varies from spacious self-catering apartments to five-star hotels in varying locations. The Majestic offers a centre of town base and the Spinale Club at the bottom of the Spinale cabin lift is ski-in and ski-out. Best located for the stunning views of the Brenta Dolomites that form a crescent around the resort is the Hotel Lorenzetti. Recent additions to this fabulous hotel are two stunning suites on the top floor overlooking the mountains. Each suite offers two bedrooms, two bathrooms, sitting room, free-standing bath and a private sauna. Plus, all those extras that ensure the perfect stay. A free shuttle bus service takes hotel guests to all the ski lifts in Madonna di Campiglio. Several hotels here offer this service.

Shopping is a popular pastime here and the Lorenzetti family are also the proud owners of  two of the most luxurious shops in the town centre. High fashion clothes and accessories are beautifully displayed in Lorenzetti Luxury while Lorenzetti Sport offers the best in skiing and hiking apparel and equipment. There are two small, modern shopping malls here that also feature shops selling top quality fashionable wear, sportswear and sports gear.

A wonderful shopping experience awaits at the Ballardini delicatessen. Shelves stacked with chocolate of every flavour imaginable, cabinets displaying the best hams and cheeses the region, Trentino, has to offer. Other typical products include honey and olive oil. An assortment of souvenirs mingle with household goods on the lower floor. And their extensive wine shop includes Trentino wines and a wide range of grappa which you can taste before buying. Intricate wood carvings, works of art and a chocolate shop as well as artisan markets all enhance the retail experience here. But, of course, most visitors in this resort come here to ski and shopping is for bad weather days and dark evenings. The shops do stay open until well into the evening so plenty of time to do both.

The ski slopes of Madonna di Campiglio

A good variety of tree-lined blues, reds and blacks thread their way down the majestic slopes of the  Italian Dolomites. These slopes are accessible to all thanks to a good network of ski lifts and a ski school that caters for skiers with reduced mobility. Good snow-making facilities ensure 95% cover of the ski area should there be a lack of natural snow.

Madonna di Campiglio is part of the Ski Area which links it to three other resorts, Pinzolo, Folgarida and Marilleva via ski runs and ski lifts as well as ski buses and public buses.  In total 150 kilometres of pistes. Madonna di Campiglio has four distinct ski areas defined by the four main peaks, Cinque Laghi, Pradalago, Spinale and Grosté. The latter is above the tree-line and includes the Ursus Snowpark. The other three ski areas are smaller and all different in character and well-served by mountain restaurants, especially Madonna di Campiglio. 

Excellent mountain restaurants in Madonna di Campiglio

Mountain restaurants on the slopes of the ski area offer a good variety of cuisine. Many of them offer both the grab and go self-service style of eating as well as gourmet dining. The cosy and traditional at Rifugio Viviani is a favourite here with a spacious self-service at the back and a cosy restaurant overlooking the slopes of Pradalago at the front. Every week sees a change of menu here with delicious variations on pasta dishes but hearty, traditional dishes are a constant here.

Chalet Fiat at the top of Spinale and Stoppani at the top of Grosté both feature excellent gourmet restaurants with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Inside, elegant tables bear pristine while tablecloths dressed with sparkling glasses and glistening cutlery. Adjacent cabin lifts to both venues will whisk the over-indulgent straight down to the town. Stopanni also features an outdoor spa.

Sophisticated après ski

The most popular place for après ski is the Suisse Bar in the town centre. Skiers gather outside the pretty chalet building as smartly dressed waiters scurry back  and forth carrying trays laden with drinks. The bright orange of the ever-popular Aperol spritz clashes with the sun-yellow of the Bombardino. For those who prefer to take their drinks underground there is also the Franz Josef Stube Bar just along the road. And for those skiers who prefer not to walk into town there are also bars at the bottom of the Spinale and Grosté cabin lifts.

Winter activities in Madonna di Campiglio

There is a natural lake in the centre of town that freezes over and becomes an ice rink in the winter. It is also used as a test drive area for Audi cars and the finals of the Winter Marathon, a  veteran car mountain race that takes place here in January. Other events held here include the Hapsburg Carnival featuring a costume ball in February and the World Rookie Finals on the Ursus Snowpark in March. Other activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoe trekking, husky sledding and a dedicated toboggan track. For something very different visitors can experience a well-being walk through the woods to learn about the properties of the different plants, breath in the scent laden-air and bathe in the snow (not compulsory). There are also opportunities to go hiking under a full moon or ascend one of the peaks to watch sunrise or sunset. These activities are on offer with the 5 on 7 ski pass that includes 5 days’ skiing and alternative activities on the other 2 days.

Madonna di Campiglio encapsulates everything necessary for a splendid week on the slopes of the stunning Brenta Dolomites a range of mountains in the Italian Dolomites that form a spine across the region of Trentino.

Getting there

Verona, Milan and Venice are all linked by good public transport services to Madonna di Campiglio links via trains and buses. Travel on public transport in Trentino is free with Trentino Guest Card available from hotels that subscribe to this service. At weekends during the winter the Fly Ski Shuttle offers a direct service from Verona, Milan, Venice, Bergamo. Bolzano and Treviso airports to Madonna di Campiglio. This company also organises private transfers every day of the year.

Valery Collins

Valery Collins is a travel writer from south-west England, UK. Her passion for travel covers everything from luxury safaris to sylish ski goggles. A keen photographer Valery uses her own images to ullustrate her writing and social media posts.