Bormio

Bormio (Lombard: Bormi Romansh: Buorm) is a town and comune located in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. It has a population of 4,200. In addition to modern skiing facilities, the town is noted for the presence of several hot springs that have been tapped to provide hot spring water to spa baths at Bagni Vecchi, Bagni Nuovi and Terme di Bormio. Geography Bormio lies at the top of the Valtellina valley formed by the Adda River. It is linked to other valleys via four passes: South Tyrol via the Stelvio Pass Val Müstair via the Umbrail Pass Livigno via the Foscagno Pass Ponte di Legno via the Gavia Pass History Due to its thermal baths, Bormio has long been a tourist attraction. Members of the Roman aristocracy travelled to Bormio in order to enjoy warm baths in the mountainous scenery. Most of these thermal baths are still in use today. The town is centred on the historic Piazza Cavour and Via Roma, a historic main trading point on the route from Venice to Switzerland. Bormio retains its unique medieval town centre, attracting many tourists, mainly Italian, from Milan and other cities. Alpine skiing The village hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships twice, in 1985 and 2005. There are 50 kilometres (31 miles) of marked ski runs, the longest run of which is 6 kilometres (4 miles), served by 14 lifts and several ski schools. Bormio is a regular stop on the World Cup circuit, usually with a men's downhill in late December. The Pista Stelvio, named after Stelvio Pass, is one of the most challenging downhill courses in the world. It is second-longest course on the World Cup circuit, behind only the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland. For the December 2010 World Cup race, the Stelvio had a vertical drop of 1,010 metres (3,314 feet) on a course length of 3.27 km (2.03 mi); the winning time was just under two minutes. Alpine Ski Maps.com - winter map - Bormio Points of interest Giardino Botanico Alpino "Rezia" Notable people The Olympic skiing brothers Erminio, Giacinto and Stefano Sertorelli were born in Bormio. The best coach of the Italian national ski team from 1970-1976, Oreste Peccedi, was born and still lives in the famous 'flower house' in Bormio. The Italian ski mountaineers Francesca Martinelli and Roberta Pedranzini were born in Bormio. The 6 times world champion runner Marco De Gasperi was born in Bormio. The Italo-Australian ski holiday planner, Tania Peccedi (daughter of Oreste Peccedi) of www.skiitaly.com.au, was born and raised in Bormio. International relations Twin towns – Sister cities Bormio is twinned with: Alpe d'Huez, France, since 2005. Qakh, Azerbaijan, since 2014. References External links Bormio online Bormio.it Bormio3.it Collection of videos of skiing in Bormio Sci Club Bormio Official Site of the Ski Areas Official Site of the Bormio Tourist Office Alta Valtellina Tourism Alta Rezia News Paper online