Blue skies and fresh air seem a distant prospect in northern European cities in November. It’s so different in the Alps, where ski resorts offer fresh snow, great hotel rates and time spent around an open fire at a Christmas market.
Even in the highest ski resort in Italy, you have to arch your back to take in the peaks above the village. The Cervinia horizon includes the highest skiing in the Alps and the mighty Matterhorn.
Winter is rolling in, with fresh snow over the last couple of days greeting the opening ski areas. Austria boasts the biggest skiable areas, Zermatt the best snowpack.