With the exception of Cortina and possibly Cervinia, Italian ski resorts have a reputation in the UK of being slightly inferior to the premier league of France, Switzerland and Austria. Even Cervinia, glamorous though it is, has a sense of being Zermatt’s poor relation. Haphazard lift systems, bad transportation and a lack of English operators going to Italy have all contributed to this. I have skied there once, in Sestriere, a concrete jungle built by Agnelli in the 60s; it did nothing to make me want to head back with my children. Last year though my husband went on a family-free long weekend to Arabba, in the heart of the Dolomites. He came back with tales of a hidden valley, an ancient cable car over First World War caves, a deserted run that went on for miles and ended with a horse drawn lift across the valley floor. I looked into it. His hidden valley did exist. It was on the edge of the Sella Ronda. It was next door to San Cassiano, a photogenic looking village that up-market operator, Powder Byrne, had in its programme. We booked for the first week of the Easter holidays.

Italy has two separate mountain ranges. The Eastern Alps mass across the top left of the boot – bordering Switzerland and France. You reach them either via Milan, Turin or Geneva. To the top right are the Dolomites. You fly to Venice. Our package ran Sunday to Sunday so we went a day early and had 24 hours in the watery capital of the North. This was a top plan. Both British Airways and British Midland fly to Venice and the extra stopover didn’t impact on the cost of our flights. For wow factor on four generally unimpressed kids, the water taxi transfer to the centre of Venice is hard to beat. Our small family-run hotel was 5 minutes from St Mark’s Square and we had an unforgettable overnight stay. Wading across St Mark’s (it was pouring!), watching a wizened old man blowing brightly coloured glass animals, a vaporetto down the Grand Canal with a gelato are memories that will stay with our children for ever. My Bellini in Harry’s Bar was a more grown up highlight.

The following afternoon we headed back to the airport to meet the transfer coach. We had left all our skiing kit with the airport left luggage which was efficient and inexpensive. (If at all possible, don’t try and lug huge cases of boots and jackets round Venice!)

Our winding, sick-inducing transfer was a good three and a half hours as the pass above Cortina was closed due to heavy snow and we didn’t arrive in San Cassiano until after 7. A small hamlet, it had a pretty church, a square with a couple of bars and the charming Rosa Alpina – a family-run 4 star hotel.

Our interconnecting double rooms were as lovely as any I have stayed in. Good size, light antique pine, big bathrooms and, for us, a south facing terrace. We had all our skis fitted, the children checked out the pool, and I clocked the squishy overstuffed white

armchairs around it – perfect for a post-skiing swim supervision with a book. The children fell exhausted into bed with milk and biscuits and Rob and I went down for a pizza. The Rosa Alpina is one of those luxury boutique hotels that combine all the amenities of a grand skiing hotel while feeling like a cosy family run albergo.

 

It has a two Michelin starred restaurant and a modern unstuffy grill/pizzeria. There is a roaring fire and an intimate bar and a surprisingly good pianist. Hugo, the owner, is welcoming old friends – there is a large number of repeat bookings – and in the morning is holding the latest addition to the Pizzinini clan: 8 month Jakob.

 

The following morning the children head off to their respective groups. Jimmy (aged 3) has private ski lessons and is then taken to the PB crèche. We join the guiding group. Lead by laid back Will (aged 22, he calls me Mrs Turner which makes me feel like my mother), we are confidently taken to the best snow, the fastest runs, the prettiest restaurants. The Sella massif (a collection of connected villages and 1,220 kms of piste on a single lift pass) is stunningly lovely. Famed for the pinky colour of the rock face in the sunlight, the peaks rise up like a row of jagged teeth. The conical spires of the village churches can be seen through the pine trees that clad the lower slopes. Made up predominantly of blues, reds and the odd black, this is perfect skiing for beginners to good intermediates.

There is off piste to be found but it is not the place for miles of challenging blacks or steep mogul fields. That is not to say it is a gentle family valley – you can time yourself on the Val Gardena World Cup downhill and don’t miss out doing the Sella Ronda itself if you are feeling energetic one day. A 41km round trip it takes in all four main villages. Eminently do-able in a day, we were back in our valley for a late (long) lunch. The number of mountain ‘refuges’ is another huge selling point. Simple, delicious wooden platters of dried meats, fresh pasta and of course the ubiquitous pizza – you will find friendly table service with glasses of prosecco and carafes of wine at half the price of the self service of France.

On our last day we were taken to Rob’s hidden valley. It had had star billing from my husband but as I skied through the deserted valley (reached by a perpendicular WW1 lift), vertiginous rock face and frozen waterfalls on either side, it exceeded expectations. And yes, there were horses at the bottom waiting to tow us across the valley floor. <!--[endif]-->

This is an extraordinary place. It feels like skiing of a different generation, with all the mod-cons of the 21st century. We were incredibly spoilt at both the Rosa Alpina and by Powder Byrne. If you want to ski hard while your children are taught brilliantly,

it is in my view unbeatable. However, if you are doing it in a more credit-crunched style, it can be superbly good value too. The cost of the ski pass/ski hire (even with euro parity) is comparatively cheap; mountain food is excellent. Tuition is more old-school that in France. Don’t expect endless snow parks filled with inflatable penguins or Mickey with bells on for little ones to ski past. The ski school approach here is to learn the basics without too many gimmicks. That said, the standard of English is generally excellent; classes are small and well run. The villages of Arabba and Corvara are served by a number of UK tour operators. Charming, fun, excellent skiing, beautiful scenery – the Italians just know how to live life extremely well. The Turner family travelled to the Rosa Alpina with Powder Byrne (rosaalpina.it / powderbyrne.com).

Costs £8662 for a family of four over Easter 2010 incl flights and t/fs.