Skiing, tobogganing and more in Vipiteno between Monte Cavallo and Passo Giovo

Winter in Vipiteno, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy, starts on 28 November with the opening of the Christmas Market in the medieval streets of the old town dominated by the Torre delle Dodici (Tower of the Twelve), and gets into full swing on 5 December with the opening of the ski area of the Monte Cavallo - Rosskopf, which can be reached from the northern outskirts of the town by the homonymous cableway. Approximately 20 km of pistes suitable for everyone, including the very long downhill run to the valley, and six mountain huts are available to skiers for a break at altitude. New this season is the Funslope, a track with small jumps, waves, parabolic curves and fun elements. From the summit of Monte Cavallo, at an altitude of 1860 metres, the longest illuminated toboggan run in Italy also starts, with its 10 km of curves (almost entirely in the forest) and an altitude difference of 900 metres. Those who love nature and tranquillity, on the other hand, can enjoy the cross-country skiing trails in the nearby Val di Vizze (25 km long) or walk along the snowshoeing routes on the Rosskopf and enjoy the view of the Zillertal and Stubai Alps and the Dolomites. For skiing enthusiasts, there are two other small ski resorts that can be reached within a few minutes' drive from Sterzing, both included in the Valle Isarco ski pass and also equipped with state-of-the-art facilities: Ladurns and Racines-Giovo. The former is located in the ancient spa area of Colle Isarco and offers 18 km of slopes for experts, while the latter stretches on one of the slopes of Val Ridanna (a side valley of the Vipiteno basin) for 28 km of tracks from 1,200 to 2,150 metres high and of easy to medium difficulty. For those who choose to spend their holiday far from the lights and clamour of Christmas events, the right address may be the Gassenhof hotel in Racines, where the attraction in wellness terms is the special 'Distiller's Sauna', made out of an old distillation oven and the scene of the rite of the alpine herb-based aufguss.