What a fantastic trip! A perfect ‘settimana bianca’ of blue skies and fresh snow in the charming village of Champoluc in Italy’s Aosta Valley.
I’ve never skied anywhere quieter than Champoluc. The runs were mine all day long. Lift queues, where they even existed, never had more than ten people. It was ridiculous compared to the Three Valleys or Verbier. I love it!
The pistes were beautifully groomed, wide, and tree-lined, making for stunning scenery. And I loved that too!
But the infrastructure? Older than me. Some of the lifts were downright decrepit, you had to grab the ski lift with your hand before it whacked into your calves, leaving you in pain as you got on the chair.
The food scene on the mountain was brilliant, as you’d expect from an Italian mountain escape. I loved Rifugio Moss, perched above the clouds, serving the best jacket potato you could ever have with local melted cheese and bacon. And you can even buy oysters at the top of the mountain in cool bars playing classic music. Fantastic.
You need three to four days max here, it’s a small resort with 180 km of ski runs. But next year, they’re planning to invest in the infrastructure, so it might be worth coming back to see the upgrades.
Wine-wise, I drank local gems from the Aosta Valley like Petit Arvine and Pinot Gris, plus some beauties from Piedmont and Friuli. The Pinot Grigios had outstanding texture, and the Nebbiolo from Piedmont, especially Barbaresco, was elegant and slightly lighter in style.
On the first night, I found Eno-Therapy, a great wine bar in town and picked up a bottle of Trento DOC, which had been aged for 30 months in a snow-filled cellar by Nevecrino traditional method). While I was there I grabbed a delicious white Burgundy, Pierre Morey Aligoté, a total gem.
And, of course, I ate my body weight in cheese. Fondue with potatoes at Breithorn Brasserie, homemade pasta with wild boar ragù at Adlers Nest … the Piedmontese food here is absolute heaven.
So check out Champoluc for an Italian skiing and culinary extravaganza!
I’ve never skied anywhere quieter than Champoluc.
