Where to ski in Tuscany

All resorts and ski resorts in Tuscany

Would you like to organize a skiing holiday and ski in Tuscany?

When many think of Tuscany, they think of art cities such as Florence and Siena, medieval villages such as San Gimignano and the rolling hills of Chianti. This is the ideal place to discover the beauties of the Italian Renaissance. The sea of Tuscany is equally prestigious, as the region has a magnificent coast on the Tyrrhenian Sea, with magnificent seaside resorts scattered between Versilia and Maremma, as well as numerous islands, such as the island of Elba, with a crystal clear sea.

Surely Tuscany is less known for its mountains which are often not valued as they deserve. However, for those who live in central Italy, the Tuscan mountains are often the easiest place to reach, among those where you can try your hand at winter sports on the snow.

Winter paints the peaks of Tuscany white, making them excellent destinations for sports tourism. When the snow begins to fall on the mountains and the ski lifts open, there is really only one slogan: skiing. After all, skiing is one of the most practiced winter sports, and in Tuscany there are resorts and ski areas for all tastes, from Abetone to Monte Amiata. Skiing, snowboarding, hiking and climbing: if snow and winter sports are your thing, there is plenty to explore and do in Tuscany.

Where to go skiing in Tuscany?

If you are a skier, you can choose from 7 main ski resorts distributed in the region from north to south: from Lunigiana, passing through Garfagnana, stopping to admire the scenery of the Pistoia Apennines, until you reach Monte Amiata which overlooks Val d ‘Orcia and Grosseto Maremma.

Zum Zeri – Passo Due Santi

The small ski area of Zum Zeri is located in Lunigiana, in the province of Massa Carrara, on the border between Tuscany, Liguria and Emilia Romagna. The area extends between the wooded slopes between Monti Spiaggi and Monte Fabei at an altitude of 1600 meters above sea level, from where you can glimpse the Ligurian Sea. But don’t worry, even in these places they are equipped with artificial snow cannons.

Here there are two facilities for a total of 8 kilometers of slopes, almost all of intermediate difficulty, blue and red. There are also two short but demanding black runs. It is the right place for families who want to ski in Tuscany, but for those who want to make skiing a little more fun, there is a recently opened snow park.

In the restaurant of the refuge you can taste the dishes of the local tradition, in particular the lamb, and the menu includes ravioli, testaroli and a rich appetizer based on cheeses and cured meats, in addition to the inevitable desserts.

Careggine

We continue the tour of the ski resorts of Tuscany with the Garfagnana ski area which includes 3 distinct ski areas: Careggine, Casone di Profecchia and Passo delle Radici.

Careggine, on the slopes of Monte Sambra, facing the artificial lake of Vagli, in the heart of the Garfagnana, is the ideal destination for skiing in Tuscany and getting to know one of the wildest areas of the region. Located on the eastern side of the Apuan Alps, its vast plateau is surrounded by some of the most beautiful peaks of this mountain range.

The area is popular all year round and for the winter there is a good ski area. The Careggine ski area has three lifts that serve a fair number of slopes for alpine skiing that wind along two stretches, one in the Formica area and the other in the Monte la Cima area. In all there are over 5 kilometers of groomed trails.

Casone di Profecchia

Casone di Profecchia, in the municipality of Castiglione di Garfagnana, is a small ski resort nestled between the peaks of the Apuan Alps and the Tuscan Apennines. The management of the structure is entrusted to the hotel restaurant Il Casone, which was built in 1845 by Francesco IV, Duke of Modena and Reggio, on the site of an ancient post station for changing horses.

This location is also suitable for those who want to start skiing. It has wide slopes, a ski school, artificial snow and, last but not least, it is not particularly crowded. Here there are 3 lifts that serve for downhill skiing, the school camp, sledges and a bobsleigh track. If desired, there is also the possibility of going on excursions on foot and/or with snowshoes.

Not only alpine skiing, in the area there are also 3 trails dedicated to cross-country skiing, approved by the Italian Winter Sports Federation (F.I.S.I.), which wind through the woods for a total of 15 kilometres. The slopes are joined by another 30 km of cross-country trails which from Casone di Profecchia lead to Passo delle Radici, from which, always with skis on, you can reach Piandelagotti in Emilia Romagna. At Casone there is also a facility for grass skiing, the summer version of alpine skiing. In conclusion, Casone di Profecchia is a valid ski resort in Tuscany suitable for all tastes.

Passo delle Radici

Passo delle Radici is a pass in the Apennines that separates Tuscany from Emilia Romagna. Located in the municipality of Castiglione di Garfagnana, at an altitude of 1527 metres, it is the highest inhabited pass in the Apennines.

Until 2010 it was open to alpine skiing, but now those facilities are closed. On the other hand, several trails for cross-country skiing, mountaineering and snowshoeing start from Passo delle Radici. A new cross-country track has recently been built with various rings that have different levels of difficulty and a length that varies from a kilometer and a half up to 5 km. With skis on your feet you can also reach the Piandelagotti Frassinoro “Bosco Reale” area, which has more than 40 kilometers of cross-country ski trails of varying difficulty.

Abetone

Abetone is certainly the first place that comes to mind when it comes to skiing in Tuscany. The Abetone ski area in the province of Pistoia is one of the best and most famous areas in the entire Apennines. This truly is a historic destination for winter tourism.

The focal point of this beautiful area is the cable car that goes up from the village to Monte Gomito. From here descend three long and difficult slopes dedicated to the great champion of the past, Zeno Colò, who was born in these parts. The Abetone area boasts 17 lifts that allow you to ski on 50 kilometers of slopes.

The area extends over 4 adjacent valleys connected by lifts: the Val di Luce, the Valle dello Scoltenna, the Valle del Sestaione and the Val di Lima. Abetone often hosts European Cup ski races and has also hosted the World Cup. All this demonstrates the prestige and beauty of the slopes that can be found in these places.

The area is also home to a cross-country skiing center and has also become quite popular for freeride skiing in recent years. All off-piste lovers in central Italy gather here immediately after a snowfall.

Cutigliano – Doganaccia

Cutigliano (678 meters above sea level) is a small town in the province of Pistoia. In the village you can take a cable car to reach the Doganaccia, where there is the homonymous ski resort which allows you to ski up to the top of the Croce Arcana.

The maximum skiable height is 1,789 meters. The Doganaccia ski resort is very close to the borders between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, as is another nearby ski resort, Corno alle Scale. In the future, there will be a connection between the two facilities which will make it possible to move from one area to another directly on skis.

The district has about ten kilometers of alpine ski slopes divided into blue, red and black depending on the difficulty. There are also two cross-country skiing rings, one of 7 km and one of 3 km, and further cross-country ski trails are planned for ski mountaineering in the Croce Arcana area along Monte Croce. At high altitude there are also interesting ski mountaineering routes up to Monte Cornaccio, as well as various freeski routes that descend into the woods up to the departure point of the cable car.

Doganaccia is also an excellent area for children and those who want to learn to ski: here there are ski schools, as well as slopes and snow parks especially suitable for families with children.

Monte Amiata

We close the review on the ski resorts of Tuscany by moving to the south of the region. Monte Amiata is undoubtedly one of the most important ski mountains in Tuscany, also due to the extension of its area. This mountain is an extinct volcano (fortunately!) covered by the largest beech forest in Europe.

Here there are 8 lifts in the area (2 chair lifts and 6 ski lifts) and 12 km of slopes (available with the Amiata ski pass), which have an overall difference in altitude of about 500 meters, from 1750 to 1230 meters above sea level .

From the top you can enjoy a magnificent panorama of the Tuscan Maremma and the Val d’Orcia. But that’s not all, from here you can also look towards the Tyrrhenian Sea.

On Monte Amiata in winter you can do everything: downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing. A snow park has also recently opened.