A valley north of Sondrio in Lombardy running up towards the Bernina massif and the Swiss border, with the Snow Eagle cable car climbing from Chiesa in Valmalenco to the ski area above.

The skiing is quiet and mostly intermediate with good snow reliability, and the setting beneath the Bernina peaks and the Scerscen glaciers is more dramatic than the size of the area suggests. It has a strong following among Milanese who come up for weekends.

The valley is known for its serpentine stone, quarried here for centuries and used for the pietra ollare cooking pots that appear in local kitchens.

Valtellina food and wine are the real reason to stay for dinner, and Sondrio in the valley is an easy base with a railway station.