THIS IS JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED... AND I DID TAKE IT EASY
ITHINK you are being an idiot and that is all I will say on the matter’... the parting words from my adoring wife before I leave my house to go skiing in Italy. Those that know me will assume that this is a common interaction, but for those who don’t let me explain.
Last March I had surgery on my neck where I had two discs removed for my spine and a metal plate put in their place.
So what do I do? Only sign up for a ski trip in Livigno in Italy before I go under the dreaded knife.
I deserve it, the hospitality, the dutyfree, and above all, the skiing.
My thinking is, well I’m crocked anyway, and I definitely won’t be skiing after March. So I packed my bag full of pain killers, anti-inflammatories and ignored all common sense suggestions from those that love me and headed out the door to the airport.
The thing we all find about ski holidays is that you will, more often than not, face a long transfer to your resort.
Livigno, at four hours by bus, is probably the longest transfer you will endure, but let me tell you, it is worth it.
The journey is picturesque driving past Lake Garda, hugging the mountain base before making the long climb up the Alps and across the border where you will see queues of locals crossing over to take advantage of the tax free fuel costs.
At the core of the resort is a single, mainly pedestrian street that is just over 1km long and is lined by hotels, bars, specialist shops and supermarkets, with side streets linking to the parallel by-pass road.
The buildings are small in scale and traditional in style, creating a pleasant atmosphere and there is a complimentary bus shuttle service should you wish to sample the extremely lively après ski.
It has a similar lay-out to Andorra insofar as every second shop is flogging cheap alcohol, tobacco and cosmetics.
The exception is that the wine here on offer is, exceptional.
What is also a major boon here for families is the cost of living.
You can eat out in most restaurants in the resort for less than a tenner. Excellent pizza and pasta dishes are on offer for around €7 which is somewhat incredible seeing as that probably wouldn’t get you a bowl of chips in most French alpine resorts.
The local dish is Pizzoccheri, a big bowl of pasta served with potatoes and cabbage.
My host, the effervescent Davide di Benedetto (a cross between The Milk Tray man and Michael Schumacher) claimed it was the food of the Gods, but personally I thought it tasted more like the feet of the Gods, but each to their own.
It is impossible not to fall instantly in love with the charm of the village; the locals are friendly and inviting and the après ski is somewhat relentless.
Due to the cheap prices for alcohol everyone just seems in a constant good mood.
The highlight for me was Miky’s disco bar which starts the proceedings off by insisting that you enter the club by slide.
Once inside you’ll be treated to live music and that wonderful mix of 80s and 90s cheese to keep the party going.
Bar 1816 is a craft brewery and bar on the main strip which has the quirky claim of being the highestbrewed beer in the world.
They also provide a never-ending supply of peanuts that appear to have been roasted – only you have to shell them yourselves.
The beer is excellent, although the decor itself is something straight out of a Nashville dive bar.
The real social highlight for me, however, was the traditional Italian food and wine night.
You arrive at the side of the mountain at six bells only to be picked up by a converted piste basher and hauled halfway up the mountain to a flame-lit restaurant.
There you’re treated to a charcuterie and Prosecco reception before sitting down to a three-course banquet with unlimited beer and wine.
A DJ set follows where we, inevitably, raised the roof and danced like it was 1999 all over again, bad back and all.
For those who aren’t crazy for the slopes (or the après slopes)there is also an indoor water centre called Aguagranda which has hot tubs, whirl pools, saunas and two pretty nifty water slides.
But these are all the starters for the main events.
The big question is; are the pistes any good?
Livigno is the most northern town of Lombardy and is located at 2250m above sea level making it the highest permanently inhabited town in Europe.
This high altitude makes Livigno a winter paradise with heavy snowfalls from late November until early May.
The resort sits in a valley to both sides surrounded by the Mottolino one side mirrored by Carosello and together they offer an array of runs.
All together they have 115kms of trails served by a modern lift system that includes six gondolas/ cable cars, 13 chairlifts and 11 ski lifts spread across the two mountain ranges.
This allows for a choice of 12 black, 37 red, 29 blue runs and three of the most famous snow parks in Europe.
The Carosello side offers lots of room and activities for children in the lower area including the children’s areas to race courses to the tubing run.
They also have snow carts; these are custom-built snow carts and they