Italy · Piemonte · Mountains and hiking
two thousand metres on the pass between Val Chisone and Val di Susa, at the heart of the Via Lattea
Sestriere sits at 2035 metres, on the saddle that divides the Val Chisone from the Val di Susa, and was born in the nineteen thirties out of Giovanni Agnelli's vision. It is the heart of the Via Lattea, one of the largest ski areas in Europe, but it is not only a winter place: in summer there are the paths, the panoramic roads and the highest golf course in Europe.
Sleeping
Two options a short distance apart: the modern area in the village and the campsite in the hamlet of Borgata.
a really pleasant place, and the choice for staying in the middle of Sestriere, with the village services and the lifts within reach. The pitch has electricity, while the water point and the waste drain are outside the area and free to use. The price is fair for what it offers, and booking online takes away the worry of finding a place in high season.
Via del Colle 5, Borgata Sestriere
in the hamlet of Borgata, with a modern service block and Finnish saunas, a bar with a terrace, e-bike hire, a playground and video surveillance. Pets welcome at no extra charge. A free shuttle runs to the lifts, and those of Borgata are five minutes on foot. The centre of Sestriere is a good fifteen minutes on foot, or the shuttle.
Getting around
Seeing
A resort designed on paper: what you look at is the architecture of the thirties and what lies around it, from the highest golf course in Europe to the panoramic summit. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
Church · free entry · 44.95609, 6.87853
a small church of the nineteen thirties, built at Giovanni Agnelli's wish in memory of his son Edoardo, who died young. Sant'Edoardo is the patron saint of Sestriere and this is one of the first religious buildings of the resort. Sober architecture, in keeping with the rationalism of the time, and a panoramic position above the mountains around.
Monument · free entry · 44.95596, 6.87711
two twin residential buildings with an unmistakable cylindrical shape, and next to them the hotel that carries the same rationalist design of the thirties. They are the skyline of Sestriere and the mark of the vision that created it. You look at them from outside, because they remain homes and a hotel: the geometric forms and the reinforced concrete were, in the thirties, the avant-garde.
Park · paid entry · 44.95599, 6.88108
eighteen holes at two thousand metres, one of the highest courses in Europe, open from June to September. Even for those who do not play it is worth it for the landscape: walking paths cross the fairways and the club house stays open to visitors for a coffee with a view.
Viewpoint · paid entry · 44.97652, 6.85928
the panoramic summit above the pass, reached by the chairlifts that leave from the centre. From up there you see the full circle of the Cottian Alps and you understand how the Via Lattea holds together, with the pistes running down one side towards Sauze d'Oulx and the other towards Sestriere.
When
the alpine skiing World Cup comes back to Sestriere in some seasons, on the Olympic Kandahar Giovanni Alberto Agnelli piste. It is not a fixed stage: the last time was in February 2025, with two women's giant slaloms and a slalom, and the calendars of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 seasons do not include it. Before setting off it is worth checking the FIS calendar.
Remember
Sestriere · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
The most typical dish, to cook again at home.
Looking
6 shots from our visit. Tap one to see it large.