Marilleva, Italy: Two Resorts Of Equal Pleasure

By Author: Boštjan Hozjan
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The Marilleva ski resort should actually be called Marilleva ski resorts (plural). This is because there are two parts to Marilleva: Marilleva 900 and Marilleva 1400. The latter rests higher at an altitude of 1400 meters in the Val di Sole. If you were to draw a line 250 km from Milan and 70 km from Trento and 170 km from Verona, you could plot the resort's location on the map in northeast Italy.

From Marilleva 1400, you'll have more ski access than the lower Marilleva 900 resort. The Madonna di Campiglio and Folgardia cableways are close by in the upper Marilleva. Because of its access to other ski areas, there's over 260 km of available slopes with over 100 lifts. If you're an avid skier or snowboarder, you'll have more options up here too. There are snow parks, board parks and slopes for beginners all the way to advanced skiers. The extra wide slopes, some higher above the tree line, are great for beginners and intermediates. The experts in the group will have quite the challenge ahead of them with Orti Marilleva, an often-bumpy black run.

Marilleva's other half lies 500 meters lower down the valley at 900 meters. ...
... The River Noce runs through and is famous in its own right: it was home to the world canoeing championships a few years back. From Marilleva 900, you'll have more than skiing as this part of the resort is held for people who like other forms of sport and recreation too.

You'll have many off-trail excursions and hikes from this point with the Stelvio National Park, Val di Rabbi and Val di Pejo. The newer sports center can provide individuals or teams a training ground away from home. Plus, the cross-country skiing (A 6 km trail starting along the rive Noce down to the 'pont delle Caore' and then to the Pellizzano area with 4 km of small ups and downs, ending full-circle back at the start.) and outdoor ice-skating rink keep the winter blues at bay. In the summer, the sports area adjacent to the Alpine Riding Centre has everything from tennis, volleyball, handball and archery to mini-golf. Both the 900 and 1400 resorts have their games to keep all visitors occupied for at least a week or two.

There are essentially five different ski pass options for Marilleva Italian ski resort. The prices are a bit lower as to remain competitive. The ski pass selection starts with these three: FM, the FM+1 and the FM+2-the FM stands for the Folgarida Marilleva. The FM ski pass gives you access to the Marilleva ski area only. The FM+1 and FM+2 passes give you access to either one or two days at Madonna di Campiglio. Depending on how long you stay and when you'll ski (morning, noon or evening), you'll pay anywhere from 25 Euro to 400 Euro.

The other two ski passes are the SK and the SS ski pass. The Skirama (SK) ski pass or the SuperSkirama (SS) ski passes are the best options. The SK pass is good for Marilleva with one day in each of the Madonna, Tonale, Pinzolo, Peio, Paganella and Lavarone ski areas. The SS ski pass is the best for those staying for a long while as you'll have unlimited access to Marilleva, Madonna, Tonale, Pinzolo, Paanella, Lavarone and Monte Bondone ski areas.

The SK and SS ski passes range from 195 Euro to over 510 Euro depending on low or high season. The low season roughly starts December 6 to the 21st; from January 7th to the 25th; and from March 10th to April 6th. The high season in Marilleva begins around December 22nd to January 6th and from January 26th to March 9th. If you time it right, you can have a ski holiday in one of Italy's best resorts for under 500 Euro.

The Marilleva ski season lasts from December through March. Marilleva's altitude ranges from 700 meters to over 3600 (in the area). Marilleva itself is limiting in the number of colorful runs you may have been used to in other Italian ski resorts. Here, there are nine blues, six reds and 2 blacks with over 30 km of cross-country trails. The highest lift here reaches 2179 meters with a maximum vertical of 1279 meters. There are 25 lifts that take riders to over 30 different slopes.

Snowboarders are very welcome as there's plenty of room for them in the snow park. This park houses several 'natural' half pipes and one man-made half pipe. In the whole integrated ski areas throughout this section of the Dolomites, snowboarders will have enough parks and slopes to keep improving. In Marilleva, there are over 10,000 beds and more hotels, resorts, chalets, cabins and apartments to either take you away from home or treat you as if you were royalty.