Olympic slopes with Piedmont wine cellar

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1

   Stand at the Finish Line Dénériaz Crossed to Win Olympic Gold

   adventure Free

   On February 12, 2006, a Frenchman named Antoine Dénériaz crossed the finish line of the Kandahar Banchetta piste at Sestriere and stunned the ski world. He beat the defending World Cup champion Michael Walchhofer by 0.72 seconds — the biggest winning margin in Olympic men's downhill in 42 years. He was not the favorite. He smashed a 3.299km, 914-meter-vertical course at a maximum gradient of 58.5% and nobody saw it coming. Walk or ski to the finish area below the slope at the base of the Kandahar Banchetta piste — it's clearly marked, directly accessible from the main village. The start gate is at 2,800m; you're standing at 1,886m on Olympic ground. If you're skiing, the Kandahar Banchetta black run is open to the public — you can ski the exact line.

   BACKUP: Even in poor visibility, the slope base is at the edge of the village. The Kandahar name appears on signs throughout the resort.

   Log Memory
2. 2

   Climb the Stairless Tower That Fiat Built in 1936

   history Free

   Giovanni Agnelli — the man who built Fiat, who essentially built modern Turin — witnessed skiing for the first time in Norway in 1928. By 1934 he had turned an empty alpine col into Europe's first purpose-built ski resort. Then he called in Vittorio Bonadè Bottino — the same engineer who designed Fiat's famous Lingotto factory and its extraordinary rooftop test track — and told him to build hotels. Bonadè Bottino built two cylindrical towers with no stairs. None. Instead, a continuous spiral ramp winds from ground floor to roof around a central shaft. The Grand Hotel Duchi d'Aosta (the white cylindrical tower at Piazza Fraiteve, GPS: 44.9550, 6.8790) was completed in 1936 and housed Olympic athletes during the 2006 Winter Games. Walk to the tower — look for the horizontal bands of windows that wrap around the cylinder and trace the hidden ramp behind them.

   BACKUP: The red tower (La Torre) across the square is the companion building — same architect, same era, same ramp logic. Both towers are visible and photographable from the piazza at no cost.

   Log Memory
3. 3

   Taste the 40-Glass Wine List That Gambero Rosso Found at 2,035 Metres

   wine Price: low

   At 2,035 metres above sea level — above the snowline, inside one of the Alps' highest resort villages — there is a wine bar with 40 labels available by the glass at Cépages Vineria e Cucina (Piazza Fraiteve 2/H, Sestriere). Gambero Rosso, Italy's definitive food guide, named it one of the eight best restaurants in Sestriere. You're drinking Nebbiolo — the grape that makes Barolo and Barbaresco, grown 90 minutes south on fog-covered hillsides at 250 metres — while sitting in the snow at 2,035 metres. The same Piedmont region. 1,600 metres of altitude, one glass of wine, two completely different worlds. Pull up a stool after skiing. Ask for the Nebbiolo or Barbera d'Asti by the glass. Tell the staff you want something from a small Langhe producer. Call ahead: 349 3596406.

   BACKUP: If Cépages is closed (they operate ski season only, December–April), the Principi di Piemonte hotel bar at Via Sauze di Cesana 3 serves Barolo by the glass fireside — a sommelier-curated list starting at €34 per bottle.

   Log Memory
4. 4

   Order the Fondue They Make with Barolo Instead of White Wine

   Optional

   wine Price: moderate

   Classic fondue uses white wine. Swiss, Savoyard, done. But Piedmont, which produces one of Italy's most expensive reds, looked at that tradition and decided to use Barolo instead. The result — Barolo wine fondue — is the mountain hut dish that only exists because this corner of the Alps sits directly above the greatest Nebbiolo-growing land on earth. A bottle of Barolo that costs €25 in the village gets poured into a fondue pot with Toma cheese (the local mountain variety). At mountain refuges Da Casse or Raggio di Sole on the Sestriere slopes (accessible by ski or gondola at lunchtime), or L'Antica Spelonca in a hamlet minutes from the village, order 'fonduta al Barolo' or 'fondue al vino rosso.' Pair it with polenta concia (buttered, cheesy polenta). Expect to pay €18–€28 per person for the full mountain lunch.

   BACKUP: The Principi di Piemonte hotel restaurant offers a Piedmontese menu at dinner with Barolo pairings. Mains €10–€45, wine from €34 per bottle. Dinner seatings at 19:00 or 20:30.

   Log Memory

Insider Tips

• The Principi di Piemonte hotel has the best wine list in town - worth the splurge

• Order Nebbiolo d'Alba as a more affordable warm-up before Barolo

• Ask about the 2006 Olympics history - many staff worked the games