Beautiful Tuscany, land of ancient cities, wine hills and beaches of the Tyrrhenian Sea, is rarely mentioned as an area of ski tourism. This stereotype, however, is unfair, Tuscany has mountains, and there are “many” – to the north and east this region is separated from neighboring Emilia-Romagna by the high ridge of the Apennines. It leaves the Tyrrhenian Sea in the north in the resort area of Versilia, crosses from east to west the entire Italian “boot” and reaches the Adriatic coast south of Rimini. Tuscany has ski resorts, some of which rival the best Alpine destinations. Ski slopes in Tuscany can be found in the upper Garfagnana region in the northwestern part of the Tuscan Apennines near Pisa, Lucca and the seaside resorts of Versilia and even on the slopes of the extinct volcano Amiata in the southern Tuscan coastal Maremma.
But the main place of winter holidays in the mountains of Tuscany and all of central Italy remains Abetone, a famous ski resort with excellent modern slopes and a wide range of winter activities. Every year in Abetone is held the stage of the Women’s European Cup in Alpine skiing and the Cup of the International Ski Federation. Amid the beautiful scenery of the Pistoia Appenine Mountains are the ski slopes and the forty modern ski lifts in Abetone offer elevations up to 1,900 meters. The downhill ski slopes are about 70 kilometers long (20 kilometers of slopes with snow cannons), with varying degrees of difficulty, in different landscapes: the steep slopes of Monte Gomito (Zeno slope), pine forests (Regina, Selletta), alpine meadows (Val di Luce), cliffs (Coppi and Pulicchio). In addition to the skiing in Abetone there are 50 kilometers of trails for cross-country skiing. At an altitude of 1930 meters is the highest station of the local ski lifts – Monte Gomito, from where in the sunny weather there are great views – from Corsica in the south-west to the distant snow peaks of the Alps in the north. In addition to the ski slopes, Abetone is famous for excellent hotels and spas, fitness rooms, restaurants, skating rinks, and other winter activities.
Where to Stay in Abetone
The new four-star Val Di Luce Spa Resort 4* is a modern design hotel that opened in 2010. It is a 10-minute drive from Abetone, 100 meters from the elevators leading to the Val di Luce ski area. Hotel Val Di Luce 4* has a luxury wellness center: indoor pool, alpine sauna, steam baths, cryochamber, “hot stones”, deep tissue massage, horizontal shower “Evian”. Some rooms have a fireplace. There’s also a bar and traditional Tuscan restaurant, ski storage and a ski school – booking.com
The Abetone e Piramidi 4* resort is located in the center of Abetone, just 200 meters from the ski elevators. Rooms at the Abetone e Piramidi 4* have wooden floors and a flat-screen TV, and some have a hydromassage shower. A continental breakfast with snacks and sweets is served each morning. The hotel is 800 meters from the ski elevators on Monte Gomito, the highest mountain in Abetone – booking.com