With the Matterhorn looming above, you'll think you're in Switzerland, but Breuil-Cervinia--offering both something more and something less than you'll get elsewhere in the Alps--is definitely Italy. Most of Breuil-Cervinia's slopes are broad, wide open, and not too steep--ideal conditions for ...

Despite its remote location—a three-hour drive from Venice via steep and winding mountain roads—Cortina d' Ampezzo is Italy's most fashionable luxury resort. The ski area itself is spread over three mountains with more than 50 lifts. The town of Cortina sits in a valley at less than 4,000 ...

On the Italian side of Mont Blanc is Italy's premier resort. With lifts running as high as 11,000 feet, one can always find skiable snow, and there is a wide choice of runs, although most are best suited for strong intermediates. Courmayeur is split into two major sections, the biggest stretching ...

While Cervinia and Courmayeur are big, and getting bigger every season, Madonna Di Campiglio, situated on the shores of a scenic lake, has managed to retain the charm of a small alpine ski village. Four local ski resorts encircle the town, and it's quite possible to circumnavigate the entire area ...

"Above all, do not fall. If you fall, you will die." With that bit of confidence-building advice, Jean-Marc Crampe, a ponytailed ski guide, leaped off a cornice and into a 60-degree couloir. The night before, in the hotel bar, after one too many rounds of grappa, I had persuaded him that I was ...