14/12/2015
The Christmas atmosphere in Livigno is still deeply felt thanks to the typical alpine tradition of Christmas markets. A village of wooden houses situated near the square of the Church of Santa Maria, at the entrance of the pedestrian area, is open during the whole Advent time, till the 24th December and there you can buy jewels, luck charms for the new year, essences and magic herbs, wooden items like Christmas decorations but also tools and furnishings. Do not miss the traditional “Pezzotti” from Valtellina, and wooden statues for the nativity scene.
As for the gastronomic part, roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, apple fritters and typical Valtellina desserts like Bisciola, are directly served directly from Santa Claus. In addition to the markets, there are several initiatives that can be found in attractive corners of Livigno with music and carols, hot chocolate, mulled wine, crepes, hot pancakes and surprises for children. And for New Year's Eve, Livigno lights up thanks to the traditional torchlight on skis, performed by ski instructors and guests, where the old year is "burned" and people welcome the new one. On the peaks, the new year is celebrated with dinners and parties in huts, accessible by snowmobile, and also in numberless après ski.
And the day of the Epiphany in Livigno, people will greet you by saying: "Bondi Ghibinet", while children will walk the streets with sleds in search of sweets and treats. It is a common practice throughout the Valtellina to symbolize the arrival of the Three Wise Men who brought gifts to the Christ Child, and probably the word “Ghibinet” is a mangling of the German word "Gaben-Nacht", which means "the night of the gifts“. Who doesn’t anwser immediately "Bondì Ghibinet!" at the greeting of 6 January, should “pay” by offering a small gift.
Thanks to the snow guns, that cover the 80% of the slopes of Livigno, the kilometers of slopes and tracks opened to the public is constantly increasing. To date, 48 of the 115 km of slopes are open, served by 23 lifts, and 6 km of cross-country track. Further updates are possible in the coming days.
And after a day on skis, what is better than a swim or pure relax in the Wellness&Relax area at Aquagranda Active You, the highest sports center in Europe? This center is made up by four areas: the Sport&Fitness with sports pool of 25 meters, the baby pool for children, a gym with Technogym equipment, and fitness rooms for classes, the area Slide&Fun with water slides, the Wellness & Relax are with steambaths and saunas, and even the area Healt&Beauty that provides several services as osteopath, physiotherapist, hairdresser, beauty center. Aquagranda Active You is open daily from 10.00 am to 22.00 pm (for more info: http: //www.aquagrandalivigno.com/).
