21/12/2016
Christmas holidays on the snow are always amongst the most popular. In Livigno, the Little Tibet of Valtellina, at 1816 metres a.s.l., they become a nonstop succession of sport, nature, fun, good food and tradition. A huge snake of lights, stretching out for almost 10 km lights up the houses, the roads, the hotels, the shops, and other public places, and is what anyone arriving in Livigno from the Passo del Foscagno after dark will see. The lights sparkle even more than usual over Christmas, when activities organised in the village for the winter season really come alive.
The Christmas Markets will be open until Friday 23rd December in the area around the Church of Santa Maria Nascente, and are the ideal place to buy your last few presents. The traditional little wooden houses are packed with unique, artisan goods.
On Thursday 22nd December MUS, the Museum of Livigno and Trepalle, will celebrate its first anniversary by opening its doors to everyone, free of charge. Every Thursday, it will be possible to visit the museum in the evenings, too, as of 8.45p.m..
Friday, 23rd December, Father Christmas will be out and about on the roads of the village in his sleigh as of 4.30p.m. to collect the children’s letters and hand out sweets in exchange. There will also be the concert of the Livigno orchestra and choir entitled “Voci e Suoni aspettando il Natale” (Voices and Music waiting for Christmas) on the 23rd December at 9p.m. in the Church of Santa Maria Nascente.
The opening of the 3 new slides in the Aquagranda Active You Slide&Fun area, the highest sports and wellness centre in Europe, which has organised yet more fun in the area dedicated for little people and their families will be held on Wednesday, 28th December at 10a.m… Three 12m high waterslides, each of which measures 100m in length, twist around outside and back inside to the swimming-pool and are an amazing addition to the waterfalls, games and castles which were already operating last year. LED lighting will create special light effects. On Friday, 30th December at the Church of Santa Maria Nascente, the Luvinger Choir conducted by Maestro Domenico Innominato, who will be a leading figure at the Christmas Concert, which will be performed again on 5th January 2017 at the Church of Sant’Anna di Trepalle. Saturday, 31st December the year will end with the beautiful Torchlit procession of the instructors from the ski school, to see in the new year at Campo Scuola 23 in the centre of the village. This event starts at 6p.m..
On Wednesday, 4th January there will be a Concerto sotto l’Albero (Concert by the Tree) performed by Livigno orchestra and choir in Plaza Placheda as of 9p.m.. On Friday, 6th January there is the event kids love best - Bondì Ghibinet - when they get to go through the streets of the village on sleighs looking for sweets and chocolate and presents. This tradition symbolises the arrival of the three Wise Men who brought gifts to Baby Jesus. Anyone who doesn’t immediately answer Bondì Ghibinet! to greetings on 6th January has to pay by offering a small gift.
Livigno is the homeland of holidays that focus on doing sport and keeping active. Indeed, during the Christmas holidays it’s possible to have a go at some of the trendiest of the snow sports, such as fat biking, where the bikes have huge wheels which make it possible to cycle on snowy roads. In Livigno, guests can try it out on the beaten track for pedestrians, that winds around the entire village for more than 20 km. But not only, a packed weekly programme has been drawn up with outings of varying difficulty suited both to expert riders and those who are just starting out. The novelty for this season is the Fat Bike Easy Tour, a guide for 6 days, bike hire and outings lasting 2 hours a day.
The Heliski service in Livigno is for freeriders, and offers helicopter transport to reach the best slopes to ski, snowboard or telemark down. It consists in 2 or more flights accompanied by a Mountain Guide, and is preceded by a briefing to explain the programme and basic information concerning safety and conditions on the snow.
