Lying north of Turin and southeast of Lake Geneva, Gressoney ski resort encompasses three separate ski areas linked by a network of lifts and buses. Gressoney-St Jean is the largest area; while five-kilometres further is Gressoney-La-Trinite; and at the head of the valley is Stafal. The valley stretches as far as the slopes of Monte Rosa where glaciers and the Matterhorn form a stunning background.

The Gressoney villages are authentic and largely unspoilt by mass tourism and are therefore fairly laid-back, attracting families and serious skiers. Accommodation is mostly in hotels and pensions and there are fewer than 2,000 beds available in this quiet resort. Après-ski facilities include swimming and ice-skating, while the nightlife is sedate and centred on the bars in the villages.

Gressoney ski resort has 74kms of downhill slopes, the longest of which is nine kilometres; 60 per cent are geared to intermediate skiers and snowboarders. Thirteen lifts, including two cable cars, one cableway, five chairlifts (four doubles) and five draglifts have a total lift capacity of 17,000 skiers per hour.

For alternative skiing, Gressoney is also linked with Champoluc and, together with nearby Alagna (unlinked), there are 150kms of pistes - collectively known as the Monte Rosa ski area. For a day out, Turin is just over an hour away and is one of Italy's most opulent cities, well known for its lovely baroque centre of ordered, elegant streets.

The ski season at Gressoney runs from December to late April, with some areas accessible until early May, and cheaper weeks at the beginning and towards the end of the season. The most convenient way to get to Gressoney is to fly to Turin and hire a car, or take a train/bus combination to the resort.