There’s a lot to do at Casa dell’Ava in the winter. Here are some ideas..
- Stay at home and curl up infront of a nice fire! There are games and puzzles to keep you going
- Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Sils is the nearest village of the St Moritz ski area, and a beautiful spot in its own right between two big snow covered lakes. The streets are pretty and we’re rather fond of the coffee shops there! The sleigh rides start in the middle of town and take you up the beautiful Fex Valley (a nature reserve) where you can stop for lunch at the end in Hotel Fex or walk back in the snow along the pisted trails.
- Winter walks. The winter is a lovely time to walk here, with snowy mountains and sunshine on the south facing slopes around our village. You normally only find snow above 1000m, and all the walks we have listed are below 1000m, so they make good winter walks too – you don’t need specialist equipment. The refuges at Savogno and Codera and all the ‘crotti’ cave restaurants are also open (ring them in advance) so you can stop there for lunch and warm up infront of the fire
- Go cross-country skiing at Sils. With two beautiful snow covered lakes, cross-country skiing at Sils is a bit of a religion. You’ll find a steady stream of Swiss and Italians making their way around it and admiring the really tremendous views up the Engadine valley. Don’t worry about getting lessons, its easy. Just hire some skis and go!
- Swimming pool and ice rink. The Chiavenna sports centre has both, and the swimming pool has a childrens pool (tel: +39 0343 35068). Stop in at Crotto Quartino next door for lunch or supper afterwards
- Lake Como. Nip down to Lake Como for a lake-side pizza lunch. Varenna is one of our favouite spots (45mins from Chiavanna)
- Museums and visits to mountain villages like Soglio. Check out historic spots, like Soglio, Palazzo Vertemate, the Molino di Bottonera industrial museum
- The spa at Scuol. Despite a 1hour 40min drive, the world famous spa at Scuol in Switzerland is a good day out. It is a major spa complex and you can spend hours exploring all the different pools and rooms. Check out their website for info on their wellness and therapy centre. The pretty streets of Scuol are worth a wander, and a good way to cool off! The spa is child friendly with currents and waterfalls and bubbles in the outdoor pool. And for serious spa goers the Roman Irish baths are a separate nude! spa complex, with a ‘two hour cycle’ of baths and treatments
