Italy’s top Winter Olympic resorts

Sestriere has dozens of restaurants. The saying that it is hard to find a bad Italian restaurant is almost true in the town. La Baita (0122.77496), run by Cavaliere Giancarlo and his wife, Marisa, looks modest but the dishes are extraordinary: think penne with a venison and pork sausage sauce, deer scaloppini sautéed in rosemary, and beef bourguignon made with local Barolo wine. The father and his son Luciano hunt for the game that is served in the restaurant.

The best restaurant in Sauze d'Oulx is Il Capricorno (01212.850273), which sits directly on the slopes. Try to reserve a table here for lunch. Or, get there in the evening by chairlift or snowmobile. Next on the fine dining list is Il Cantun del Barbabuc (0122.858593) and the Old Inn (0122.858541). The Godfather Restaurant (0122.850291) serves wonderful southern Italian cooking and also opens from 2–7 in the morning to serve the hard-core partiers before they crawl back to their hotels.

Après-ski/nightlife
Sestriere isn't much of a party town. But for immediate après-ski head to the Pinky, the Sestriere and Baraba. Al Kovo is the spot for late-night action.

Slide show   U.S. Olympic hopefuls A look at athletes who have the best shot at gold in Turin.

Sauze d'Oulx is one of Europe's top party towns. For a bite before après-ski or dinner, head to Bar Miravallino where crepes, sandwiches, pasta and cold dishes are served up much like tapas in Spain. The list of party-hearty pubs is lengthy and each draws its own crowd. Start at the Cotton Club, then later in the night wander over to Vagabondi, where a live band starts the dancing.

To reach this area, fly into Torino if possible. From there, the drive is less than two hours. From Milan, the trip is about an hour longer. Trains run from Milan and Torino to Oulx. From there, frequent buses head toward Sestriere and Sauze d’Oulx.

I suggest getting a car to move around the area. It gives you far more flexibility. Contact AutoEurope (800-223-5555; autoeurope.com) for the guaranteed best rental rates.

For more resort details click through to skisnowboardeurope.com.

Charles Leocha is nationally-recognized expert on saving money and the publisher of Tripso. He is also the Boston-based author of "SkiSnowboard America & Canada." E-mail him or visit his Web site. Want to sound off about one of his columns? Try visiting Leocha's forum.

MORE FROM TRAVEL

Travel Section Front

Recalibrating the calculus of holiday travel Top 10 Thanksgiving destinations Gallery: Your snapshots of winter's arrival Tokyo crowned gourmet capital of the world On-the-go gadgets to make travel easier Stay sane while traveling with kids Top budget resorts in the U.S. A holiday travel survival guide Dad to baby: Happy 1st birthday, world traveler Family travel isn't always kid stuff Travel Section Front   Add Travel headlines to your news reader: