It’s so nice to spend some time in the snow! I really love it and last week I was lucky enough to go on a day trip to Ponte di Legno, for an awesome day on the slopes! It’s a small village near Brescia (my hometown), in the north of Italy. In this article you will find out how we spent our day and how to plan the perfect getaway to Ponte di Legno!

Snow Paradise

Ponte di Legno is the biggest village in Valcamonica, the latest in Brescia before seeing Trento’s province. It’s the perfect place if you love skiing, as there are more than 80 km of ski slopes and 21 km for cross-country skiing: it’s actually a famous ski area since 1912. There is also a funicular to passo del Tonale.

The Journey

Early wake-up call:5 am. Definitely challenging! However, I can now say that it was worth it. After a quick breakfast, we put on our ski suits and then we were ready to go. Six friends, ready for a day on the slopes! Fortunately, I decided to wear a ski suit, even if I don’t ski, and I absolutely recommend it! It will keep you warm and dry all day long, and we all know the importance of this when the temperatures are below freezing!
It took us two hours to reach the village and finally, by 8 am, we were ready to discover the place.

Ponte di Legno, Here We Are!

Once arrived in Ponte di Legno, some of us went skiing, while me and others decided to explore the center of the village. I must say it, it was pretty charming. First of all, a creek run through the town and there were several little cute bridges; “Ponte di Legno” actually means “wooden bridge” and we spotted a few of them.

We reached the center without difficulty, having a walk in streets with an antique flavor. There were several typical shops, boutiques, restaurants and cafés: the delicatessens and the bakeries smelled really good. In fact, we started getting hungry and we decided to have a coffee and just soak up the lovely atmosphere. We reached the main square (Piazza XXVII Settembre) and we found a café. Their strudel was delicious! Furthermore, they had biodegradable cutlery and I appreciated their caring for our environment.

Once the break was over, we began to walk again and we reached the cable car. It was next to the ski slopes and it linked Ponte di Legno with passo del Tonale.

Passo del Tonale: Beautiful View

Let me say that this was probably the less pleasant part of the day, in certain ways, even though I highly recommend a visit to passo del Tonale. I’ll tell you the pros and cons, and how to have a nice experience.
First of all, we bought a round trip ticket (around EUR 6) to reach passo del Tonale, but we got a bad news. If you weren’t skiing, you couldn’t reach the top of the way, but you had to stop at an intermediate station and then you had to take a shuttle bus to go to Tonale. The problem was that there were a lot of people waiting for that shuttle bus, and we had to wait for another one, as we couldn’t get on the first one. We had to wait outdoor for about half an hour.

However, Tonale was beautiful. The snow was so white and soft! On the other hand,  there weren’t many shops or things to see. We only had a few minutes to explore it, as the journey was pretty long, and we had to come back to Ponte di Legno in order to have lunch. If you want to enjoy a stunning view, you’ll love Tonale.

Lunch Time!

It’s a fact: if you are on a mountain holiday in Italy, you’ll be able to taste delicious food. We decided to try a restaurant that offered local cuisine, and I am so glad we did it. It’s simply the best: canederli, stew, polenta, cheese,… Plenty of choice! I tasted pizzoccheri (a type of pasta, made with buckwheat flour) and Radler (beer mixed with soda), it was delicious.

Furthermore, I’d also recommend Silter, a local DOP cheese: you could have it grilled with polenta, you won’t regret it. If you are a cheese lover, there is also a Silter festival in December.
Then we had a coffee and it was time to go home. It was a flying visit, but I loved it and we really enjoyed our day on the slopes.

Some Other Ideas to Enjoy your Day on the Slopes

To sum up, this was the recap of our day on the slopes, but there are other things that you could do in Ponte di Legno. First of all, you could practice sleddog. There’s a specialized school in this village and they organize several activities, both in summer and winter. Then you could wear snowshoes and explore the surroundings, or you could drive a snowmobile. Next, if you are into ice skating, there are three ice rink this area (in Ponte di Legno, Tonale and Temù). Last but not least, if you love culture, there is an ancient castle (Castello di Castelpoggio) that you could visit.

If you want to see a quick video (less than 1 minute!) about this trip, click here ! Actually, it’s my first Youtube video, I know there’ s a lot to improve, but I have to start somewhere LOL! 

I hope that this article helps you if you’re planning a trip to Ponte di Legno and if you need advice, just write me!
See you soon,

Carol