Madonna di Campiglio Ski Resort Italy
Madonna di Campiglio ski resort sits snugly in a valley below the spectacular Brenta Dolomites in Trentino, Italy. A refined town, there are a few of the fur clad set promenading on the local streets putting the town on a par with other stylish Italian ski towns like Cortina d'Ampezzo & Courmayeur.
The resort stretches for over 18km north to south from the Val di Sole to Val Rendena & has multiple gondola lifts accessing 150km of piste trails in combination with Folgarida Marilleva and Pinzolo ski resorts.
Pros & Cons for Madonna di Campiglio Ski Resort
Pros
- Fabulous family friendly snow holiday destination.
- Snow sure, higher snowfalls than the true Dolomites.
- Pedestrian friendly village with excellent access to multiple lifts.
- Exceptionally good piste trails for all abilities on varied terrain aspects.
- Generally modern comfortable ski lifts.
- Tree skiing available.
- Beautiful views over the Brenta Dolomites.
- Fabulous range & extent of non-ski activities.
- Interesting mountain huts.
- Village in splendid surrounds.
Cons
- Day parking in the village difficult to navigate.
- Limited alpine off-piste freeride terrain.
- Accommodation in the village books out quickly.
- Several long flat traverses & old slow lifts in critical locations.
- The most expensive ski lift pass in Italy, particularly if purchased at a ticket office (buy online!).
- Some pistes are extremely busy & get skied off quickly - particularly trails from Marilleva to Madonna.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective)
- Linked with Folgarida Marilleva & Pinzolo.
- Ritzy high-end reputation (but in fact is no more so than many other ski resorts).
- Epic Pass now conditionally valid in the resort ..... may be good, may be bad!
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
Whilst the surrounding peaks may look intimidating, the reality of Madonna di Campiglio is that nearly half the ski trails are at beginner level, with the longest a healthy 8km. That's not to say there is little for advanced skiers & snowboarders. Some gloriously fast and steep trails plunge into the valley to perfectly complement the easier terrain.
Check out the ski trail map for Madonna di Campiglio below.
The ski lifts in the resort are strange mix of super-efficient gondolas getting you out of the village from multiple points plus, and then a few old incredibly old chairs in amongst them. The older chairs do allow for some delightful moments to take in the views & scope-out the limited off-piste lines.
For powder seekers, there are some lovely off-piste trees & high alpine bowls to explore for the adventurous (i.e. the Powderhounds!). The broad powder fields of the alpine area around Passo Groste are low angle enough for anyone wanting to learn to ski powder. Further down, steeper bowls & trees prevail. Backcountry possibilities in the Brenta are many & make for spectacular explorations.
Regarding lift passes, Madonna is the meat and Folgarida Marilleva & Pinzolo the sandwich in the Ski Area Campiglio Dolomiti di Brenta (Brenta Dolomites Pass) which interlinks the three resorts by ski lift, piste & pass. Cheaper local area lift passes are also available. The lift pass in high season here in the most expensive in Italy. See the Brenta Dolomites ski trail map.
For more diversity (including a glacier), the SuperSkirama Lift Pass includes the aforementioned areas, plus a host of others in the region. Skiing any more than one of these locations on the same day is problematic, so it may behove one to simply buy the more affordable local lift passes at each location!
Epic Pass holders now receive seven complimentary, unrestricted and consecutive days, in total, of skiing and riding at Skirama Dolomiti ski areas. Upon redemption of all seven days, Epic Pass holders can purchase discounted lift tickets at 50% off the window price. Now that is a great bargain.
For more information on ski lifts, terrain, maps & passes, see the Madonna di Campiglio Skiing & Snowboarding page.
Where is Madonna di Campiglio Italy?
In the Val Rendena, the lovely village of Madonna di Campiglio sits pretty with the Brenta Dolomites a jagged prominence to the east, standing as a barrier to the nearest city, Trento. Trento is 30km south-west of Madonna as the crow flies, but over 72km by road!
Gateway international airports are at Venice Marco Polo (VCE) (272km & 3½hr by road) & Milan Malpensa (MXP) (258km & over 4hr drive). Verona (VRN) & Innsbruck (INN) airports are an option for UK & European based skiers. The Powderhounds usually recommend taking the train & bus from the airports to any ski resort, but Madonna is not easy to get to, so a private transfer from Trento or Bolzano (or even an airport) may be the most efficient mode of travel if one doesn’t have a rental car.
Search & book all private transfers from airports or nearby train stations.
Travel to Madonna by train is possible, but time consuming. Two train stations have integrated gondola ski lifts to the adjacent Folgarida Marilleva ski resort. The train line starts in the city of Trento which is on the main train line between Verona & Innsbruck.
Madonna di Campiglio Accommodation
Soaking in the sun and views on a lounger at the Cinque Laghi or on Monte Spinale (spritz in hand!), then ripping back down into the beautiful town at warp factor 10 is a fun way to experience Madonna di Campiglio. And so is staying in the town itself. Once you park the car (potential saga), wandering the town is pure pleasure & a gondola up to the ski hill will not be far away - there are 5 extending from the town (and a sixth one not too distant!).
Search & book all Madonna di Campiglio ski accommodation.
However, if you can’t afford Madonna (the town, not the entertainer!), or it is fully booked out, the best alternatives are Campo Carlo Magno (above Madonna) and Pinzolo (down the Val Rendena). Pinzolo has a festival of splendid lodgings in the town and along the road toward Madonna. The 3-stage Pinzolo-Madonna Express gondola links the Pinzolo ski area to Madonna's ski area in around 15min. Next best is Folgarida and then the Val di Sole towns of Mezzana & the like. Price goes down proportionate to the distance from Madonna di Campiglio. Even though it is totally 'ski in', avoid the temptation to stay at Marilleva (enough said!).
Search & book all Folgarida ski accommodation.
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Ski Rentals, Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available in prime locations from our local partners near the ski lift bases. Receive a discount when you search & book Madonna di Campiglio Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
The Dolomiti di Brenta & Madonna di Campiglio have a mind-bending range and number of mountain guides & ski/board instructors. If wanting to explore the powder stashes on Monte Spinale or other less obvious zones but are unsure about your abilities; off-piste ski lessons & guiding can make all the difference, see our Madonna di Campiglio Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds visited Madonna di Campiglio in 2019 & had a wonderful time ripping up the amazing piste trails & soaking in the dreamy views of the Brenta Dolomites. We need to return next season and use our Epic Pass to access some of the Brenta Dolomites awesome backcountry freeride descents. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read about our last visit.
See how Madonna di Campiglio compares to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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