Italy's mountainous landscape makes it ideal for skiing. There are plenty of top class resorts, including the famous Cortina d'Ampezzo, Madonna di Campiglio and Courmayeur resorts.

The Italian ski resorts are scattered across the mountainous areas of the Alps and the Dolomites; however, there are also ski resorts in the Appennine in Tuscany, and in the area of Rome. Skiing in Italy is generally a bit less expensive than the neighbouring France, Switzerland and Austria. Italien ski resorts are also known for their family-friendly atmosphere, delicious food and uncrowded slopes which means less queuing for lifts.

The Dolomites ski area in the north east of Italy offers hundreds of kilometers of terrain between 1500 and 3200 meters altitude. The Dolomite Superski area has 1220 kilometers of ski slopes and 450 lift systems. There are 12 ski resorts in this area including the well known Cortina d'Ampezzo and the popular Val Gardena. Among other ski resorts in this area are Kronplatz, Alta Badia, Val di Fassa and Arabba.

The other major ski area in the Dolomites is the Skiarama Dolomite, with 360 kilometers of slopes and 140 lifts. This area consists of eight resorts including the well known Madonna di Campiglio with its 150 kilometers of pistes connected by 24 lifts. Among the other resorts in this area are Pinzolo, Folgarida-Mailleva and Pejo.

The Milky Way ski area in the Italian Alps comprises 400 kilometers of pistes and 140 ski slopes connected by 93 lifts. The main ski resorts here include Cesana, with direct access to 39 individual lifts and plenty of skiing above 2500 meters, Claviere, Bardonecchia and Sauze d'Oulx, one of the larger, more popular resorts in the area.

The largest organized ski resort in the Appennine is Abetone with 80 kilometers of ski slopes which runs into four valleys. The Gran Sasso, east of Rome, is home to the Campo Felice ski resort, with 16 lifts. In Calabria, the Sila Massif offers 35 km of cross-country skiing trails and 2 downhill slopes.