Via Lattea

Updated October 2026 · Sources: Vialattea (Sestrieres S.p.A.), Montgenèvre, Trenitalia, Wikipedia

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The Via Lattea (Milky Way) is a ski area on the border between Italy and France. It links the upper Susa Valley and the upper Chisone Valley, in Piedmont, with the French resort of Montgenèvre. The resorts are Sestriere, Sauze d’Oulx, Sansicario, Cesana Torinese, Claviere and Pragelato in Italy, and Montgenèvre in France. The lift company writes the name as one word: Vialattea.

Key numbers: 400 km of slopes, around 300 runs and more than 70 lifts, from about 1,400 m at Cesana to about 2,800 m on Monte Motta, above Sestriere. 80% of the area is above 1,900 m. The resorts are 80–105 km from Turin, around an hour and a half by car. The gateway is Oulx station, served by regional trains from Turin and by TGV and Frecciarossa trains from Paris and Lyon.

In winter you come here to clock up kilometres on the slopes of the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics. In summer the lifts run for only a few weeks, and the area becomes a base for hiking, cycling and high-altitude golf. Note: nearby Bardonecchia is not part of the Via Lattea.

Each resort has its own character. These places are worth a stop, even if you don’t ski.

Sestriere and its two towers

Sestriere stands at 2,035 m, making it Italy’s highest municipality, measured at the town hall. It sits on an open pass between pastures and pistes, on the Chisone Valley side, and is the busiest resort in the area. Its landmarks are two round towers, one red and one white, built from 1930 for Fiat founder Giovanni Agnelli as holiday hotels for Fiat workers.

People have skied here since 1931, when the first cable car opened. In 2006 Sestriere was one of the three Olympic villages and hosted all the men’s alpine races. In summer the plateau becomes an 18-hole golf course, opened in 1932 – according to the lift company, the highest in Europe.

Sauze d’Oulx

Sauze d’Oulx is at about 1,510 m on the Susa Valley side, above Oulx. The old village has stone houses and cobbled lanes, and in the evening it’s the liveliest place in the Via Lattea, with après-ski bars and clubs. The Sauze sector alone has over 100 km of runs, many through the trees – useful on windy or flat-light days.

Above the village, Sportinia (about 2,000 m) is a bowl with mountain huts and pistes linking Sauze to the rest of the area. The hamlet of Jouvenceaux hosted the Olympic freestyle events in 2006.

Sansicario

Sansicario, part of Cesana Torinese, has two sides. San Sicario Borgo, at about 1,575 m, is a cluster of old chalets, the oldest from the 16th century. San Sicario Alto, at about 1,700 m, is a purpose-built resort designed from 1969 by French architect Laurent Chappis, with a small funicular styled by Pininfarina.

It sits in the middle of the ski area, facing the Monti della Luna and Mont Chaberton. The Fraiteve slopes above it hosted the women’s Olympic speed races.

Cesana Torinese

At 1,354 m, Cesana is the lowest village in the Via Lattea, where the Ripa and Piccola Dora rivers meet below Mont Chaberton. It’s the hinge between the Sansicario and Claviere slopes, both reached by lifts from the village. The French border is about 10 km away, and the Via Francigena pilgrim route passes through.

In 2006 Cesana hosted the biathlon and, at Pariol, bobsleigh, luge and skeleton. The bobsleigh track cost €110 million, was used for only six years and is now being dismantled.

Claviere and the suspension bridge

Claviere sits at 1,760 m on the Italian side of the Montgenèvre Pass: the last village before France, which starts a few hundred metres away. The border, redrawn in 1947, runs right past the houses. From here lifts climb to the Monti della Luna and link on skis to Montgenèvre. In summer there’s a 9-hole golf course and several via ferratas.

Between Claviere and Cesana, in the San Gervasio gorge carved by the Piccola Dora, a suspension bridge built in 2006 stretches over 450 m, up to about 80 m above the stream. Check opening times and access rules locally.

Pragelato and the Olympic ski jumps

Pragelato is a scattered village in the upper Chisone Valley, at around 1,500–1,600 m and about 82 km from Turin. Its name comes from the Piedmontese “Pragelà”, frozen meadow. It’s the quietest resort in the area and the best for cross-country: in 2006 it hosted ski jumping, Nordic combined and cross-country skiing.

The Olympic ski jumps, built in 2004, are still there. The Pattemouche gondola was also built for the Games, linking Pragelato with Sestriere and the Banchetta pistes.

Montgenèvre

Montgenèvre is in France, in the Hautes-Alpes, at 1,860 m on the pass of the same name. It’s the only French resort in the Via Lattea: south-facing slopes and a Famille Plus label for families. Briançon is a few kilometres down the road.

Mont Chaberton

Chaberton (3,131 m) towers over Claviere and Cesana; the summit has been French since 1947. Between 1900 and 1914 the Italian army built a battery of eight gun turrets on top, then the highest fort in Europe; French artillery knocked it out on 21 June 1940. From Claviere it’s more than 1,300 m of ascent: a full day for fit hikers in settled weather.

Lago Nero

Above Bousson, a hamlet of Cesana, Lago Nero lies above 2,000 m, with a chapel on the shore and the Capanna Mautino hut just above. From Bousson (1,428 m) it’s about 700 m of ascent and two hours on an old mule track.

The piste map is easy to read: everything turns around two hubs. Monte Fraiteve (2,701 m) links Sestriere, Sauze d’Oulx and Sansicario; the Monti della Luna link Cesana, Claviere and Montgenèvre. From Sestriere, the Pattemouche gondola drops to Pragelato. The current map is on the official Vialattea website.

The ski area in numbers

• Slopes: 400 km, around 300 numbered runs; reds dominate.
• Lifts: more than 70, from cable cars to drag lifts, moving over 75,000 people an hour.
• Altitude: from about 1,400 to about 2,800 m; 80% of the area above 1,900 m.
• Snow parks: in Sauze d’Oulx and in Montgenèvre, which also has a boardercross.
• 2026/27 season: Italian side 5 December 2026 – 11 April 2027 (price-list dates, snow permitting); Montgenèvre 28 November 2026 – 17 April 2027.

Snowmaking started early here: in 1984 the Vialattea installed Italy’s first system. Wind on the Sestriere plateau and on Fraiteve can close the links, so always keep a back-up loop near your base.

Famous runs

Kandahar Banchetta “Giovanni Nasi”, Sestriere: from Monte Motta down to the hamlet of Borgata. World Cup since 1967, the 1997 World Championships, and the men’s Olympic downhill and super-G in 2006. The top is a steep, often icy wall: experts only.

Olympic Fraiteve, on the Sansicario side: the course of the 2006 women’s downhill and super-G. Long descents also run from Fraiteve down to Sauze and Sansicario. Sestriere Colle hosted the Olympic slalom and giant slalom.

Lift passes 2026/27

The official price list has three periods. Low season: 5–23 December 2026, 7–22 January and 15 March–11 April 2027. High season: 23 January–14 March 2027. Peak: 24 December 2026–6 January 2027. Online prices, adults:

• Vialattea Italy day pass: €52 low, €58.50 high, €60 peak.
• Under 16 (born on or after 1 December 2010): €49 / €55.50 / €57.
• Afternoon pass (from 1 pm): €38.50 / €44.50 / €45.50.
• 6 days: €261 / €305 / €312.

Buying online saves €2 a day compared with the ticket office. The resort’s insurance costs €3.50 a day; it’s optional, but Italian law requires third-party liability insurance to ski on pistes – check whether your travel policy covers it. Prices may change if energy costs rise.

The international pass with Montgenèvre

The Vialattea Italy day pass is not valid in Montgenèvre. To ski both sides you need the Vialattea International day pass: €69 in every period (6 days: €347). If you stay between Cesana, Claviere and Montgenèvre, the Montiluna/Monginevro pass is enough: €58.50.

Good to know: Vialattea passes of 6 to 15 consecutive days include one day in Montgenèvre and one in Bardonecchia, already loaded on the chip.

Beginners, kids and ski schools

Beginner areas are in Sansicario and Sauze d’Oulx; Sestriere has the First Steps Area with a nursery slope, snow play area and sun terrace. Montgenèvre has wide green and blue runs by the village. Every resort has ski and snowboard schools.

The lift pass is the same, but the holiday changes a lot depending on your base:

• Sestriere (2,035 m): most snow-sure, ski from the door, but a windy purpose-built pass resort. For mileage.
• Sauze d’Oulx (about 1,510 m): a real village, tree-lined runs, nightlife. Easy from Oulx station.
• Sansicario (about 1,700 m): central, quiet, apartment residences. For families and for reaching every sector.
• Cesana (1,354 m): the lowest and often cheapest, linked by lift to Sansicario and Claviere.
• Claviere (1,760 m): small, on the border, ideal for Montgenèvre and the Monti della Luna.
• Pragelato (about 1,500–1,600 m): quiet, perfect for cross-country; gondola to Sestriere for downhill.
• Montgenèvre (1,860 m): best if you arrive from France; sunny slopes, but Sestriere and Sauze are far.

Off-piste

The open slopes around Fraiteve, the Monti della Luna and Montgenèvre attract freeriders. In Italy, since 2022, anyone skiing off-piste, ski touring or snowshoeing must carry a transceiver, shovel and probe when there’s avalanche risk, with fines of €100–150. The lift company is not liable for off-piste accidents. Read the avalanche bulletin and hire a mountain guide if you don’t know the terrain.

The 2006 Olympic venues

• Sestriere Borgata (Kandahar Banchetta): men’s downhill, super-G and combined.
• Sestriere Colle: slalom and giant slalom.
• San Sicario Fraiteve: women’s downhill, super-G and combined.
• Cesana San Sicario: biathlon. Cesana Pariol: bobsleigh, luge and skeleton.
• Pragelato: ski jumping, Nordic combined and cross-country.
• Sauze d’Oulx–Jouvenceaux: freestyle.

Lifts and mountain biking

In summer only some lifts open, and only for a few weeks. In 2026 the Sportinia chairlift in Sauze ran from late June to late August; Rocce Nere, Nube d’Argento in Sestriere and the Fraiteve cable car only in August. The chairlifts carry bikes, and Sauze has downhill trails. Summer 2027 dates are not out yet.

Golf

Sestriere has an 18-hole course at 2,035 m, opened in 1932; Claviere has a 9-hole course on the border.

Hiking and high roads

Besides Lago Nero and Chaberton, the classic outing is the Assietta Road, a gravel ridge road starting near Sestriere and following the watershed between the Susa and Chisone valleys. It usually opens from July to late October; in July and August, on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm, it’s closed to motor vehicles and reserved for hikers, cyclists and riders.

• Bardonecchia: old town, Forte Bramafam and its own ski area, about 20 km from Oulx.
• Briançon (France): Vauban’s fortified town, a few kilometres past Montgenèvre.
• Fenestrelle Fortress: a huge 18th–19th-century fortress in the Chisone Valley, below Pragelato.
• Exilles and Susa: Exilles fort and the Roman town of Susa, on the way down to Turin.
• Turin: about an hour and a half by car, for a city day.

Choosing the right resort matters more than the hotel: crossing the area takes time and high links can close in wind. The best bases by type of trip:

• Skiers after mileage: Sestriere or Sansicario, at the heart of the links.
• Groups of friends and après-ski: Sauze d’Oulx, with hotels, apartments and bars in the old village.
• Families: Sansicario (residences by the slopes, beginner area), Sestriere (First Steps Area) or Montgenèvre.
• Without a car: Sauze d’Oulx, Cesana or Claviere, closest to Oulx station and served by bus. Sestriere too, but the ride is longer.
• On a budget: Cesana and Oulx, with cheaper apartments and rooms; reach the slopes by lift or bus.
• Cross-country and peace: Pragelato, with houses and hotels spread across its hamlets.
• Skiing in France too: Claviere or Montgenèvre, at the foot of the Monti della Luna.

Apartments and residences dominate. For Christmas, New Year and February half-term, book well ahead.

By car

From Turin take the A32 Fréjus motorway to Oulx. From there climb to Sauze d’Oulx, or continue to Cesana, where the road splits for Claviere/Montgenèvre and the Sestriere pass. Pragelato and Sestriere can also be reached from Pinerolo up the Chisone Valley. From France, come via Briançon and the Montgenèvre Pass, or via Modane and the Fréjus road tunnel. In winter, snow tyres or chains on board are compulsory.

By train

The station is Oulx-Cesana-Claviere-Sestriere, on the Turin–Modane line. Regional trains from Turin Porta Nuova stop here, as do TGV and Frecciarossa trains on the Paris–Lyon–Turin–Milan route. Timetables and combined tickets at Trenitalia – Vialattea Link.

By bus

Buses leave from in front of Oulx station for Sauze d’Oulx, Cesana, Claviere and Sestriere. Trenitalia’s Vialattea Link sells a single train + bus ticket; the bus leg from Oulx costs €2.30 to Sauze, €2.50 to Cesana, €3.30 to Claviere and €3.70 to Sestriere. Check winter timetables before you travel.

By air

The nearest airport is Turin Caselle, then a hire car or transfer. Milan Malpensa, Geneva and Lyon are further away; from Lyon the TGV takes you straight to Oulx.

Parking

Every resort has car parks at the lift bases, but they fill up fast on peak-season weekends. On a day trip from Turin, Sauze d’Oulx and Cesana are the closest starting points to the motorway.

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