Roccaraso

East of Rome in the region of Abruzzo, lies the mountain range of the Apennines. This range is home to a number of small areas collectively titled Roccaraso, which was moulded into a ski resort in the 1950's and has been something of a national secret ever since. This place doesn’t show up in your average travel brochure and due to this you won’t find many foreigners here. In fact, during the week you might find it very quiet on the slopes, but at the weekend, expect a deluge of Romans and Neapolitans sporting the most lurid all-in-one ski suits and long lift queues.

There is nothing really challenging here, especially if the lack of altitude results in a lack of snow. However, the pistes are well maintained and anyone who does find themselves in a lift queue can at least have fun mocking skiers in an array of sad outfits.