An Olympic ski holiday.
From Monday to Friday the pistes were quiet but on Saturday, the queues for the lifts were massive and the pistes mad busy! I did notice that the lifts opened early on Saturday, so if you want a good last day of skiing, I suggest that you head out by 8:15 and get as far away as you can.
We stayed in the Olympic Village apartments which are simple but clean and well equipped. They could do with a lick of paint but for the money we were happy. The apartments have access to a small indoor swimming pool, mini market, bar and restaurant/pizzeria. For access to the slopes, you can climb up a snowy bank and gently ski down to the first lift, or if you are a total novice trek up the road which can work up a sweat. In fact when I did this two years ago, I admitted defeat and paid something like 30 euros to hire a ski locker right on the slopes, however this is only really necessary for winging, weedy girls!
The ski hire shop in town is really friendly and they always know the best places to eat each season. Two years ago they pointed us in the direction of Il Centro, which has become our favourite restaurant serving great pizza and good steak options. It’s a friendly restaurant and worth having a chat to the chef to see whether he has prepared the huge potato and cheese gnocchi type dish which is a regional speciality – yummy! One night it was my son’s birthday and they baked a Nutella tart for him with a candle, and the whole restaurant sang Happy Birthday. He said it was ‘best birthday ever Mummy’.
Another place to eat is Pinkies on the square which serves good pizza most of the day, it has a good atmosphere and seem popular for après ski. Near Pinkies there is a deli on the square, and a butcher just across the road, both great if you are self-catering.
The little supermarket on the main street has most things, but is quite small. However they have fresh pasta and mozzarella on their deli counter. Staying in an apartment in Sestriere is not hard work with good value pizza restaurants, and a good supply of little shops. However if you want hotel accommodation, then the Hotel Du Col has always gone down well with my ski class peers who have enjoyed the food and the atmosphere of this hotel situated very close to the pistes. If you want the full works in this beautiful area, the Club Med have opened a property in Pragelato.
I picked up details of summer activities there too, it’s popular for golf (Europe’s highest 18 hole course), mountain biking, walking and even watching stages of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
