To find out how it all began we have to go back to the ’80s. That was when the idea arose for the various ski resorts to be joined together into one interlinked ski resort that could be used with a single ski pass for a seamless ski in/ski out experience. The project, spearheaded by the highly experienced management company of the Sestriere ski slopes, was named Vialattea. 

In Sestriere people had been skiing for several decades, as well as in Sauze d’Oulx and Claviere. In fact, the first skiers made their appearance in Alta Valsusa in the early twentieth century. In Sestriere, the first cable car, Alpette Sises, was launched as early as 1931, followed by the Banchetta cable car one year later, and the Fraiteve in 1937.  

In 1932, Sestriere also saw the opening of a golf course. Set at an altitude of 2,035 meters, the 18 hole-course is the highest in Europe and an early testimony of people’s love for the mountains and sports all year round. 

Then, in the 1950s, Sestriere also joined the circuit of the Kandahar skiing races, hosting this prestigious competition in 1951. At that point, only the World Cup races were missing from the list, and they came in 1967. They provided the stage for amazing feats, such as those of the great Alberto Tomba. 

This brings us to 1984, a key year in the development of the Vialattea project. At this point, Sestrieres SpA started to bring together the first two ski lift management companies of the neighbouring resorts and, as a result, the first snowmaking system was launched. This was an absolute novelty in Italy at the time, a groundbreaking innovation that led to the creation of Europe’s most extensive network of snowmaking systems. 

As the years went by, the boundaries of what would become the Vialattea international ski resort took a much more distinctive shape. Millions of tourists from all over the world were coming to enjoy themselves, and its slopes became the stage for countless international events, including World Cup races, the 1997 Alpine Skiing World Championships and the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics. 

The year 2006 also marked another major change, with the Brasso and Perron Cabus families joining the management team of the ski resort, which until then had been managed by the Agnelli family for 70 years. 

In 2022, the baton was handed over to iCON Infrastructure Partners V, an equity fund managed by Icon Infrastructure LLP. For Vialattea this is the beginning of the future, with new challenges and new spaces to explore.