REVIEW: Cervinia Ski Resort, Italy

At the foot of the impressive Matterhorn, lies the ski resort of Breuil-Cervinia. With its manicured pistes and remarkable mountain peaks, Cervinia is a high altitude ski area where a Vin Brule or an Aperol Spritz at 11am is perfectly acceptable and a sickeningly yet decadent hot chocolate is on the menu.

First opened in 1938, the little skiing Hamlet was named simply, Breuil. Yet the astounding mountainous surrounding views and large skiing area began to attract more and more visitors leading to a name change. Cervinia. The ski area spans two countries, three valleys and allows you access to mountain tops of nearly 4,000m high! The large town is compact with a huge amount of accommodation spread over the hillsides and surrounding lanes. With a regular ski shuttle bus running through the town, skiers are able to escape the morning walk to the lifts.

However, the real beauty of the accommodation in Cervinia lies with the handful of hotels positioned just metres away from the piste. We stayed at Hotel Lyskamm, a casual affair and a delightfully chic family-run business which retains the character of a Skandi ski-resort but reflects the modern needs of today’s skier. On a half board basis, Hotel Lyskamm provides a mountain retreat with comfortable rooms and more importantly, a 30 second walk to the lift. An impressive menu of four courses is offered during dinner, and while the portions are unreasonably large, the selection is impeccable. From fresh pastas and soups to succulent meat and fish, there really is something for everyone. With views from the bar over the main piste coming into the main town, it provides a lot of entertainment for the Belle Team as we reminisce over our learning days as we sip on an Aperol Spritz.

The Matterhorn steals the show when it comes to the glorious mountainous landscape of Cervinia. The most photographed mountain the world celebrated its 150 year anniversary of its first conquest (1865) in 2015, and stands beautifully and proudly as the skier’s and Cervinia’s mascot.  Looking fantastic from all angles, we did find the best Matterhorn photograph opportunity is found in Zermatt where the mountains peak is displayed in all its glory.

The area of Cervinia provides access to neighbouring resort Valtournench which lies at 1,500meteres and also has connections to Zermatt, Switzerland. Definitely worth a visit, Zermatt is a beautiful ski resort which harbours its own mountain train – a great addition to the landscape! The beautiful panorama of the area lead us to constantly be reaching for our cameras and with attractions such as the Iglu Village and Glacier Paradise we can’t wait to go back! Who wouldn’t dream of sliding through a Glacier on a matt? Yes really!

www.cervinia.it