Lombardy · Sondrio
Madesimo
A ski village at 1,550 meters at the head of Valle Spluga, with lifts to 2,880 meters and the Canalone off-piste descent.
1550m
Elevation
128 km / 80 mi
Nearest hub (Monza)
507
Population
Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
Best time to visit
Why come
Madesimo sits at 1,550 meters at the head of Valle Spluga, near the Splügen Pass on the Swiss border, the most northerly commune in Lombardia. The ski domain runs from the village up to 2,880 meters on the Pizzo Groppera, 30 runs across the Valle dello Spluga and the high Motta plateau, with the Canalone, a steep off-piste descent down a natural couloir, rated one of the most challenging slopes in the Alps. The village connects to Campodolcino, six kilometers down the valley, by a funicular that climbs to the Motta high station at 1,723 meters. Most of the resident population, 507, works in winter tourism. Summer brings hikers to the Lagos d'Emet and the high passes toward Switzerland, where the air is clean enough that the Pizzo Stella is visible from the village square on most days.
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Gallery
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Known for
Comprensorio sciistico Madesimo
Ski domain from 1,550 to 2,880 meters across 30 runs, served by the funicular link to Motta and the lifts on Pizzo Groppera.
Canalone Stretto
Off-piste descent through a natural couloir on Pizzo Groppera, one of the most challenging marked free-ride lines in the Alps.
Cascata del Groppera
Waterfall on the upper Liro near the village, fed by glacier meltwater from the Pizzo Groppera massif.
Laghi d'Emet
High-altitude lake basin at 2,200 meters above the village, reached by a 2-hour summer hike with refuges nearby.
When to visit
Best months · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
December through March is the season Madesimo was built for. Lifts open in early December, snow falls reliably above 1,500 meters, and the funicular from Campodolcino runs daily through to mid-April in good years. June through September is the alpine summer: the trails to the Laghi d'Emet and the passes toward Switzerland clear by mid-June, and at 1,550 meters even August afternoons stay below 22 degrees. April, May, October, and November are the off-seasons, when the lifts close, most hotels lock up, and the village empties to its 507 residents. The shoulder months are when the cattle move up to the high pastures and the local cheesemakers reopen their dairies.
How to get there
From Monza, Madesimo is roughly 128 km by road. Allow about 110–154 minutes depending on traffic and route choice (autostrada vs scenic).
Drive time to the nearest gateway airports
- Milan2h 47m
- Verona3h 55m
- Turin4h 6m
Elevation 1550 m
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