Trails and routes for snowshoeing
Livigno offers countless opportunities for skiing. They range from snow-covered slopes to cross-country skiing circuits, beginners’ and children’s areas and a number of snowparks. And for those who don’t ski, or just want to take a break between one descent and the next? No worries: there’s an alternative to skiing that you can do at any time, without any special equipment and it’s completely free: walking. Yes, even in winter and yes, even in the snow. Here’s how and more importantly where.
Walking in Livigno: where to do it and where to go
A stroll through the town centre and its shops
The most popular walk in Livigno starts just outside the Carpe Diem hotel in the pedestrian area of the town centre. Here, in high season, hundreds people walk past shop windows, stopping at perfumeries, boutiques and other stores where prices are lower than in the rest of Italy (thanks to the duty-free zone) and also for gourmet-style tasty snacks and meals in the bars and restaurants overlooking the main street. The shopping precinct in the centre of Livigno starts at via Fontana, a traffic-free zone, that stretches towards the Church of Santa Maria and almost reaches the town hall square. From there it becomes via Sant’Antoni and then via Plan, where you will also find the hotel, until you reach the fork in the road near the Livigno Cooperative. Via Ostaria lies to the left towards the Livigno Museum, which is well worth a visit, and to the right via dala Gesa takes you to the parish church already mentioned, and the adjacent playground.
Altogether, the walk through the centre is over one kilometre long, with many attractions along the way.
A walk along Lake Livigno
For those seeking a quieter, more alpine setting, you can leave the bustling streets of the town centre behind you and explore one of Livigno’s most captivating locations, its lake. This reservoir lies at the entrance to the valley coming from Switzerland through the Munt la Schera tunnel. A dirt track runs alongside the right-hand edge of the lake, leading to the Ponte delle Capre (Goats’ Bridge) and the Val Alpisella refreshment rest area, where the trail to the springs, the source of the River Adda, begins. The Livigno lakeside is also open in winter, as well as in summer, and offers a chance to take an easy walk in the snow without getting tired. The walk along the lake is in fact entirely flat and well-beaten. You start at the Livigno Dairy, where the free bus also stops, and arrive at the bottom after just over two kilometres. The frozen lake and snow-covered surroundings are truly a sight worth seeing.
From the town centre to San Rocco on the winter cycle path
Another winter walking route in Livigno is the long cycle and pedestrian path, which in summer allows you to cycle, run or walk across the entire valley. In winter, the path is kept clear of snow, so that it can be used for strolls when the sun is at its best. A walk of about an hour takes you from the town centre to the San Rocco area, immersed in the quiet of the snowy landscape with no noisy traffic to disturb you. There are also a number of attractions worth remembering: the children’s playground in the Mottolino area, which is even more fun for them in the snow; the Livigno snowfarm, where winter snow is stored for the summer; and several scenic spots with wonderful views, complete with benches for a rest or even a winter picnic.
Walking on packed snow: Livigno’s winter trails
Finally, for those who prefer to walk in the snow but without snowshoes, Livigno offers beaten tracks which cross the valley that are ideal for a family outing. You can even pull bobsleighs and sledges and race them at full speed on the downhill stretches. Livigno has two winter trails: one runs along the slopes of the mountainside down to the town centre, passing in front of the entrances for the ski lifts and then climbing back up to San Rocco to reach the entrance for the Carosello 3000 cable car; the other runs alongside Via Pedrana, skirting the cross-country ski track, the snow farm and the cross-country ski school for long stretches, until it joins the cycle path again at the height of the Santa Maria church.
Join us for a stay at the Carpe Diem hotel in Livigno and discover the magic of alpine nature in winter: book your stay now
