Easter in Madesimo

On April 3 until the 6th, we headed for the mountains for Easter in Italy, . Our destination was Madesimo, in the province of Sondrio and two hours north of Merate. Ale and Elena have a holiday home here, so they invited us to visit over the long weekend.

About Madesimo

Madesimo sits at around 1,550 metres above sea level in the Spluga Valley, in the province of Sondrio. It’s one of Lombardy’s best-loved mountain resorts. A proper ski destination in winter, with the slopes of the Madesimo ski area and the famous Canalone run drawing serious skiers from across northern Italy and beyond.

By April the ski season is winding down, but snow still lingers in the gullies and on the shaded slopes, and the town has that particular end-of-season charm: a little quieter, a little more relaxed, but still very much alive.

The drive from Merate takes you along the lake shores near Lecco and Como before the road climbs steeply into the mountains. There are more tunnels than you’d believe possible, which to me were great feats of engineering as they took us directly through mountains.

Friday: Arrival Day

We left Merate at about 9:30am. Rose and the girls went with Grazia and Mimmo, while I rode up with Paolo and Graziella. It was a lovely sunny day for the drive. The rivers and lakes along the way glittered in the spring light, and the landscape changed gradually from the flat Brianza plains to the dramatic gorges and switchbacks of the upper valley.

We arrived in Madesimo just before 11:30am.

Our accommodation was at Residence Gli Scoiattoli, a cluster of apartments alongside the Boscone Suite Hotel. The apartment was compact but had everything we needed, and the view was beautiful: forest and mountain peaks framing the windows. Scoiattoli means squirrels in Italian, which felt very fitting for a place surrounded by trees.

After dropping off the bags, we walked into the village for lunch – piadine from Caffè Centrale, eaten in the sunshine with proper mountain air in our lungs. The snow was still piled up on the sides of the road, which was a genuine thrill for the girls.

We then walked towards Ale and Elena’s house, where Alice led us to a nearby hill covered in snow. There we built a snowman together, and Issy got her first go on a bob – what Italians call a toboggan. She loved it.

Afterwards we walked back to Elena and Ale’s holiday house. Ilaria, exhausted from the journey and the snow excitement, had a nap in Alice’s bed. We spent the rest of the afternoon at their place, had dinner together, and then made our way back to the apartment for an early night.

Saturday: The Birthday Dinner on the Mountain

After breakfast we walked over to Ristorante La Sorgente, where the wider family had gathered. It was a perfect spot for the kids. There was a playground nearby, and a small pond that turned out to be full of fish and frogs, which kept the children absolutely riveted.

We ended up staying for lunch. The kids ate there while the adults headed back to Elena and Ale’s for leftover lasagna from the night before.

The evening was the main event: dinner at the top of the mountain to celebrate Elena’s birthday.

Getting there meant a chairlift ride up the slopes, which the kids absolutely loved. Even with the ski season drawing to a close, the mountain felt alive, and the views from the lift were spectacular.

At the top, we had time for photos in the late afternoon sunshine (it was still surprisingly warm) before heading into the restaurant, I Larici. It’s an enormous, informal mountain rifugio-style place, and it was easy to imagine how electric the atmosphere would be in the middle of ski season. Even at Easter it had great energy.

The antipasto alone was unforgettable: braesola and cheese served on actual snowboards and skis. With about twenty of us at the table, the portions were suitably enormous.

We didn’t leave until around 10pm – a proper Italian dinner. I had made a few attempts to get Ilaria to sleep at the restaurant without much success, but she held on admirably. We made our way back down the mountain on the chairlift under the night sky, Paolo drove us back to the apartment, and everyone was in bed soon after.

Sunday: a Hike and Easter lunch

Buona Pasqua!

I started the morning with a hike with Rose’s cousins – Ale, Marta and her partner Daniele. First stop was Bar Carducci for a coffee and a bombolone, which looks like a jam doughnut but is filled with cream and is completely wonderful. The ideal fuel for a mountain hike.

We then set off up and around the mountains. Meanwhile, Rose took the girls to the Boscone Suite Hotel for breakfast, which was a nice treat for them.

For lunch we all went to Ristorante Soldanella. I ordered the pizzocheri – a traditional Valtellina dish made with buckwheat pasta, wilted greens, potatoes and melted cheese, all baked together. It’s hearty, warming, and delicious.

After lunch, I took Ilaria back to the apartment for her nap while Rose and Issy went to Elena’s with the rest of the family for the afternoon.

They came back around 6pm and we headed over to the Boscone Suite Hotel for dinner – only to find they were serving pizzas only for Easter Sunday. We got one pizza to share and made pasta for the kids back at the apartment.

We packed up most of our things before bed, ready for the final morning.

Monday: Motta, the Mixed Grill & Home

The last morning. After feeding the kids breakfast and finishing the packing, we checked out of the apartment and made our way over to Elena and Ale’s.

Rose and Issy went up with the cousins to a nearby mountain called Motta by car. I walked up with Mimmo, Ale, Elena and Alice — a lovely 35-minute climb through the mountain scenery that was the perfect way to round off the weekend.

At Motta there was still plenty of snow for the kids to play in. There was a small incident involving Issy and a lack of toilet facilities at a critical moment, but after a change of clothes she was perfectly fine and back in the snow within minutes – resilience in action.

Lunch was at Al Motta Steakhouse, Pizzeria & Bar. Rose and I shared a mixed grill and pasta.

After lunch, I took Issy for a final run in the snow and a few more goes on the bob with her cousins Gaia and Mattia. The kids were in their element and nobody wanted to leave.

At around 4:30pm, we loaded up the car and began the drive back to Merate. There was some traffic on the way down – the holiday exodus – and we didn’t get home until around 7pm. Just enough time to unpack, freshen up, and head out to La Vineria for a relaxed dinner before calling it a long weekend.