Sestriere

Sestriere (Occitan: Sestrieras, Piemontese: Ël Sestrier) is an alpine village in Italy, a comune (municipality) of the Province of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, 17 km (11 mi) from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin. Geography Sestriere has around 800 inhabitants and is located on the pass that links Val Chisone and Val Susa, at 2,035 metres (6,677 feet) above mean sea level The village is completely surrounded by mountains, which have been exploited to build one of the biggest ski resorts in Italy. The main mountains around Sestriere are: Monte Fraiteve 2,701 m (8,862 ft) in the north-east, Monte Sises 2,658 m (8,720 ft), Punta Rognosa di Sestriere 3,280 m (10,761 ft) and Monte Motta 2,850 m (9,350 ft) in the south-east. Sestriere is divided into several smaller hamlets: Sestriere Colle, on the pass top, Sestriere Borgata, in Val Chisone, Champlas du Col and Champlas Janvier, in Val Susa. History Formerly, the pass belonged to the municipality of Cesana, but from the 18 October 1934 the area was unified with the hamlet of Borgata (formerly belonging to Pragelato) to create the new municipality of Sestriere. The ski resorts at Sestriere were build in the 1930s by Giovanni Agnelli and have been further developed after the Second World War by his nephew Giovanni Nasi. Tourism Winter sports Sestriere is a popular skiing resort; during the winter holidays the population goes up to about 20,000 people. Together with the villages of Pragelato, Claviere, Sauze d'Oulx, Cesana Torinese and San Sicario, and Montgenèvre in France, it makes up the Via Lattea (Milky Way) skiing area. Sestriere is connected to 146 skiable pistes, for a total of up to 400 km (249 mi) of trails, of which 120 are provided with artificial snow. Sestriere has also one of the few facilities where it is possible to ski at night on a floodlit run. It regularly hosts FIS Alpine Ski World Cup events, and it hosted the FIS World Championships in 1997, and the IPC World Championships in 2011. It was a main venue during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games and the 2006 Winter Paralympics, hosting all the men's alpine skiing competitions and being the site of one of the three Olympic Villages. The two hotel towers, one of which was part of the Olympic Village, were built in the 1930s by FIAT's founder Giovanni Agnelli, and have become the symbol of the village; these were the first buildings of the village. Linked Resorts (Via Lattea) Pragelato - the resort is part of the Via Lattea (Milky Way), is connected to this area by the Pattemouche-Anfiteatro cableway, built in 2006. Claviere - This small resort is just over the border in Italy and is included in the Monts de la lune lift pass. It is where the Olympic cross country ski teams practised for the Olympics in 2006. San Sicario - They held the Biathlon and Alpine skiing events here in the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. They also held the Bobsleigh and luge events here. You can attempt the Olympic women's super G and downhill courses. Sauze d'Oulx - Free Style Skiing Olympic events held here in 2006. The resort is acclaimed for its lively après-ski. Serre Chevalier - Nearby French resort with over 250 km (155 mi) of skiing. There is a free day of skiing here on your lift pass. Summer Sports In the summertime it is possible to play golf on Europe's highest 18-hole course. It is also a famous starting and arrival point in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. Notably, it was the scene of a definitive moment in Lance Armstrong's career when he rode away from the field in a breakaway uphill finish to take the stage in the 1999 Tour de France, which was the first time he won the race, although he was later stripped of his seven victories. Due to its location across two valleys, Sestriere is close to several hiking paths. Sestriere organized an International Athletics Meeting from 1988 until 1995 and in 2004. Due to Sestiere's altitude the organizers aimed to meet conditions that enabled athletes to perform on world record level. The Ferrari company sponsored the meeting and set a new Ferrari car as prize for breaking world records. Transportation Due to its position, Sestriere can only be reached by car or bus. The trains from Torino stop in Oulx (Val Susa). From there, several bus bring to the pass. The highway also stops in Oulx, but the municipal road leads to the village in 20 minutes. References External links Via Lattea.com - official site - (English) Sestriere-online.com - independent Sestriere website Pragelato Turismo Pragelato SKI - new website fotogian.com - photos Alpine Ski Maps.com - winter map - Sestriere