For the foreign tourist skiing in Apennines, at first looks a bit strange idea. No always frozen Alpine Glaciers areas, no appealing Dolomite peaks, jet the mountain range hides some pearls among the
Italian ski resorts, known only to the local people.
One of them is mountain Corno alle Scalle ( 1 945 m ) in the community
Lizzano in Belvedere, near
Pistoia.
The downhill runs on this mountain and the neighbour resort Cimone served as a trainee ground for the famous Italian athlete
Alberto Tomba. The slopes form as a kind of huge natural amphitheatre which stretches from
Corno alle Scale to
Lake Scaffaiolo, the runs are rather short, but very demanding, most of the red ones have black parts, good for perfectioning the downhill skills.
But the ski resorts is suitable for skiers of all levels, most of the runs feature the artificial snow support, and the lifts are prepared to serve up to 10 000 persons per hour.
There is also the snowpark with separate ski lift, the ski school and the special area for children –
Baby Park with bouncers opened at the end of the weeks.
For
cross-country skiing are two rings: one of 4 km, accessible by chairlift “The Huts” and one for beginners, close to the refuge “Cavone". Beside the fresh mountain air, and the presence of the National Park also the convenient location attracts the visitors.
The ski resort Corno alle Scale is located between
Bologne ( 70 km distance ) and Florence ( 85 km ) and can be reached by the coach or the railway, which goes to the train station Porretta Terme, from where the local bus departures to Lizzano in Belvedere (ATC line 776).
The three ski resorts Corno alle Scale, Abetone and Cimone form the big ski carousel in the Apennines and may offer a good alternative for spending the winter holidays against the overcrowded Alpine resorts.