Skiing in Abruzzo:

The Mountains Behind the Villages

Abruzzo holds some of the highest and least crowded ski terrain in the Apennines, closer to Rome and Naples than most travellers realise. This isn't alpine skiing, and it isn't trying to be: the slopes here sit above beech forest rather than glacier, the villages below them are the same stone borghi you'd visit in any other season, and a day on snow is usually the start of the evening rather than the whole reason for the trip.

This guide covers the four ski areas worth knowing well, plus a shorter look at Abruzzo's smaller, more local slopes for anyone building a longer winter stay around them.

The Four Ski Areas Worth Knowing

Roccaraso and Rivisondoli (Alto Sangro)

  • Altitude: 1,309–2,142 m
  • Pistes: 90.5 km on the immediate Alto Sangro network (37 km blue, 32.6 km red, 20.9 km black), commonly marketed as over 110 km once the linked Aremogna slopes are included
  • Lifts: 23
  • Distance: roughly two hours from Rome, Naples or Pescara by car
  • Best for: every level, longer ski days, the region's most complete infrastructure



This is the largest ski area in the central Apennines, and it feels like it: enough terrain and enough snowmaking to hold a full day regardless of conditions elsewhere. Roccaraso and Rivisondoli, the two villages the slopes sit above, keep a genuine mountain-town atmosphere rather than a purpose-built resort feel, which fits a stay that treats the mountain as one part of the visit rather than all of it.

Rocca di Cambio (Campo Felice)

  • Altitude: 1,411–1,916 m
  • Pistes: 30.9 km (8.7 km blue, 13.7 km red, 8.5 km black)
  • Lifts: 15
  • Distance: the closest of the four to Rome, a straightforward day trip
  • Best for: families, beginners, a first morning on snow



Campo Felice is the practical choice for anyone based in or arriving from Rome: valley-level beginner slopes, a snow park, and tubing runs for children sit alongside enough intermediate terrain to keep the rest of the group interested. It's a solid regional area rather than a headline destination, and that's exactly its appeal for a straightforward day out.

Plan Your Ski Days in Abruzzo

Roccaraso's slopes in the morning, a quiet village evening afterwards. We'll help you shape a winter stay that fits the way you like to travel.

Plan my trip

Scanno (Monte Rotondo e Passo Godi)

  • Altitude: 1,225–1,860 m at Monte Rotondo; Passo Godi sits a little higher, around 1,630–1,780 m, with cross-country trails alongside its limited downhill runs
  • Pistes: modest, around 8 km of downhill terrain plus roughly 30 km of cross-country tracks across the two zones
  • Lifts: 4
  • Distance: about 15 minutes from Scanno village
  • Best for: cross-country skiing, gentle beginner runs, pairing a short ski morning with a full day in the village


Scanno is the area where the mountain is clearly secondary to the place. The terrain is easy rather than technical, the setting inside the Sagittario valley is genuinely quiet, and the baroque village below does more of the work than the slopes do. Worth noting: lift operation here has been inconsistent in recent seasons, so confirm what's actually running before planning a day around downhill skiing specifically; the cross-country trails are the more dependable draw.

Majella: Passolanciano and Majelletta

  • Altitude: 1,300–1,995 m across the two connected but separately run areas
  • Pistes: around 13 km combined (5 km easy, 7.1 km intermediate, 0.8 km difficult)
  • Lifts: 8 combined
  • Distance: the closest of the four to the Adriatic coast, in Chieti and Pescara provinces
  • Best for: intermediate skiers, a day trip paired with the coast or the Majella villages



This is the one place in Abruzzo where the Adriatic is visible from the slopes, a genuinely unusual pairing of mountain and sea on a clear day. Passolanciano and Majelletta aren't lift-connected to each other, so treat them as two small, adjoining areas rather than one large one, both sit inside Majella National Park and both are a natural stop for anyone splitting a winter trip between the mountains and the coast.

Smaller and More Local Slopes

Beyond the four areas above, Abruzzo has a long tail of smaller ski zones, worth knowing exist even if they rarely justify a trip on their own:

  • Ovindoli (Monte Magnola), 21.6 km of pistes and 12 lifts, a mid-sized, all-level area near the Fucino plain
  • Pescasseroli, a small area (8.5 km, 5 lifts) inside Abruzzo National Park, a natural pairing with the park's wildlife-watching trails
  • Campo Imperatore (Gran Sasso), small in piste terms (8.6 km) but the highest-altitude skiing in Abruzzo, set on the same high plateau covered in
  • Prati di Tivo and Prato Selva, smaller, better-value areas on the Teramo side of Gran Sasso, closer to the northern coast
  • Campo di Giove, the smallest of the western Majella areas, quiet, with some catskiing terrain

Skiing as Part of a Slower Winter

None of this is written as a ranking of Italy's best ski resorts, because that isn't really what Abruzzo is offering. What it offers is real, uncrowded skiing attached to villages that are worth an evening regardless of the snow: a morning at Roccaraso followed by dinner in Pescocostanzo, a short cross-country outing at Passo Godi before an afternoon walking Scanno's lakeside streets. That pairing, snow in the morning and a village in the evening, is the shape borGO builds a winter stay around.

Everything You Need to Know to Plan Your Ski Trip in Abruzzo

  • What is the best ski area in Abruzzo?

    It depends on the priority. Roccaraso and Rivisondoli (Alto Sangro) offer the largest terrain and suit every level. Campo Felice, near Rocca di Cambio, is the easiest day trip from Rome. Scanno suits a quieter visit built around the village. Majelletta is the only area with sea views from the slopes.

  • How far is Roccaraso from Rome?

    Roughly two hours by car, similar to the driving time from Naples or Pescara.

  • Is Abruzzo good for beginner skiers?

    Yes. Campo Felice, Ovindoli and Scanno all have significant beginner-friendly terrain, and several areas run dedicated snow parks or tubing runs for children.

  • Is skiing in Abruzzo cheaper than in the Alps?

    Generally yes. Day passes across Abruzzo's ski areas typically run well below Alpine prices, and the region overall is set up for a shorter, simpler ski day rather than a full-scale resort holiday.