Seven kilometres below the purpose-built Cervinia, Valtournenche keeps its stone houses, its parish church and its working population intact. The gondola climbs straight into the Matterhorn Ski Paradise, where the lifts top out at 3,480 m on Klein Matterhorn and the domain runs all the way across the border to Zermatt. Snow is almost guaranteed thanks to the altitude, and the long red pistes back down to the village are the area's quiet pleasure. Evenings stay Italian: polenta, fontina, a glass of Petite Arvine, and none of the resort polish you get further up the road. For skiers who want the big domain without the big-resort feel, this is the address.