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Viewed from the top of the 2,255-metre-high Stelvio piste, the town of Bormio far below looks like a Christmas cake, with pine trees and church spires poking out of a snow-filled scene. The two are connected by a run which, with a vertical drop of 1,010 metres and gradients reaching 60%, is one of the most technically demanding and physically gruelling descents on the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) Ski World Cup circuit. The men’s downhill and super-G events are held here regularly, including this December.
Luckily for someone who has never been, and will never be, a natural-born skier, I’m not here to tackle this beast of a piste. My bird’s-eye view of the town is instead part of an enjoyably energetic snowshoe hike with guide Luca in the Stelvio national park, Italy’s largest at more than 500 square miles (1,300 sq km).
Across the park, and centred around picturesque Bormio (population 4,100) are 27 miles of pistes with black, red and blue runs. Besides skiing there are thermal spring spas, activities from fat snow biking to snowshoe hiking, great gastronomy and medieval architecture, all enjoyed each year by thousands of Italians but few international visitors (other than cyclists tackling the Stelvio Pass, at 2,758 metres the highest road pass in Italy, and unsurprisingly part of 12 past Giro d’Italias).
It’s an under-the-radar status that is sure to change when the Lombardy town becomes the location of all the men’s downhill races for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. For now, with not a soul in sight, the only sound to be heard is the drip of icicles melting into a nearly stream, and the only tracks to be seen are those of foxes, ibex and, occasionally, wolves.
Adding our ungainly ciaspole (snowshoe) prints to those of the local wildlife, Bormio-born Luca’s knowledge of the mountains becomes clear as he guides me over 60cm-deep snow banks, inducing a state of meditative wellbeing as we climb. After three invigorating hours it also induces a need for food – and Luca doesn’t disappoint, leading us to Stella Alpina, one of the many convivial mountain huts in the region, where we tuck into a hearty lunch of tagliolini with venison ragu, malfatti (spinach gnocchi) and local cheeses.
Back at Agriturismo San Gallo, our base on the outskirts of Bormio, the outdoor hot tub and garden sauna ease aching limbs and prepare me for the next day’s more gentle activity – a magical walk through snowy woodlands along Il Percorso dei Fiocchi (the Snowflake Trail). It’s one of the many activities offered in and around Bormio’s near neighbour Santa Caterina di Valfurva. The charming town has a surprisingly broad range of restaurants – including the uber-modern Ginger Bistrot, where we try sciatt (deep-fried cheese balls) and pizzoccheri (tagliatelle made with buckwheat and wheat flour). The food scene both here and in Bormio is a big draw for the Milanese, many of whom have second houses in the area, and I’m beginning to see why.
Set in the upper Valtellina Alps, Bormio is a three-hour drive from Milan, passing Lake Como before heading into the Valtellina Valley. Here, 70 wineries produce intense Nebbiolo from 850 hectares of steeply sloping vine terraces, all cultivated and harvested by hand in a viniculture tradition that goes back more than 1,000 years. I learn more about this heritage during a visit to Nino Negri, a leading Valtellina winery housed in an elegant 15th-century palazzo, where an excellent cellar tour offers insights into wine production in such challenging mountainous terrain.
But perhaps the most surprising thing I discover is Bormio’s thermal spa heritage – one written about by Leonardo da Vinci in the Codex Atlanticus after his visit in 1493. Thermal springs feed three very different spas. In town, the family-friendly Bormio Terme has a series of pools that are great for après-ski relaxation, but out of town two larger spas are worth more time.
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The most spectacular of the two, the QC Terme Bagni Nuovi, is a glorious art nouveau spa similar to Gellért Bath in Budapest. Its dizzying range of treatment rooms and indoor and outdoor pools include a sauna with a huge picture window overlooking a snowy garden. But it’s outdone for atmosphere by the QC Terme Bagni Vecchi, on the slopes of Monte Reit, a seven-minute drive from town. Among its many features are stone Roman baths and tunnels, a steam cave excavated in 1825, a panoramic fir-wood sauna, salt grotto, and an infinity pool that overlooks the San Martino church, with a backdrop of mountains and the lights of Bormio twinkling in the distance.
Back in town, wandering the cobbled streets, I find evidence of a strongly rooted year-round community with businesses that cater as much to local people’s daily needs as to tourist demands. A salumeria, hardware shop, greengrocer and cobbler are neighbours to gift shops and smart boutiques in alleyways and around the main square, Piazza del Kuerc, dominated by its baroque church. Sites like the Combo Bridge, 14th-century Sassello church and the soaring civic tower add to the appeal. But perhaps Bormio’s real charm lies in the fact that none of the ski infrastructure associated with resort towns is present here, even though the piste runs into its centre. Bormio feels ancient, timeless and, at least until next year, far from the ski-mad crowds.
Yolanda was a guest of the Bormio Tourism Association and stayed at Agriturismo San Gallo, with double rooms from £110 a night. Train travel from London is on Eurostar to Paris, then high-speed TGV Lyria to Milan and a regional train to Tirano. A bus links the town with Bormio