Bormio

Comune in Lombardy, Italy

46°28′N 10°22′E / 46.467°N 10.367°E / 46.467; 10.367CountryItalyRegionLombardyProvinceSondrio (SO)FrazioninoneGovernment • MayorSilvia Cavazzi^[1]Area • Total41 km² (16 sq mi)Elevation1,225 m (4,019 ft)Population • Total4,088 • Density100/km² (260/sq mi)DemonymBorminiTime zoneUTC+1 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)Postal codeDialing code0342Patron saintGervasius and ProtasiusSaint day19 JuneWebsiteOfficial website

Bormio (Lombard: Bormi, Romansh: Buorm^ⓘ, German: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and comune with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.

The centre of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort. It was the site of the Alpine World Ski Championships in 1985 and 2005, and annually hosts the Alpine Ski World Cup. In addition to modern skiing facilities, the town is noted for the presence of several hot springs that have been tapped to provide water to three thermal baths.

Geography

Bormio lies in the northeast of the Lombardy region at the top of the Valtellina, a broad glacial valley formed by the Adda River that flows down into Lake Como. It is linked to other valleys via four passes:

• South Tyrol via the Stelvio Pass
• Val Müstair via the Umbrail Pass
• Livigno via the Foscagno Pass
• Ponte di Legno via the Gavia Pass

History

Due to its thermal baths at Bagni Vecchi, Bagni Nuovi and Terme di Bormio, Bormio has long been a tourist attraction. Members of the Roman aristocracy already travelled to Bormio in order to enjoy warm baths in the mountainous scenery. Most of these thermal baths are still in use today.

The town is centred on the historic Piazza Cavour and Via Roma, a historic main trading point on the route from Venice to Switzerland. Bormio retains its unique medieval town centre, attracting many tourists, mainly Italian, from Milan and other cities. It will host alpine skiing in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Alpine skiing

The village hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships twice, in 1985 and 2005, both cohosted with Santa Caterina di Valfurva. There are fifty kilometres (30 miles) of marked ski runs, the longest run of which is 6 km (4 mi), served by fifteen lifts and several ski schools.

Bormio is a regular stop on the World Cup circuit, usually with a men's downhill in late December. The Pista Stelvio, named after Stelvio Pass, is one of the most challenging downhill courses in the world; it is second-longest on the World Cup circuit, behind only the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland.

For the World Cup race in December 2017, the Stelvio started at an elevation of 2,255 m (7,398 ft), with a vertical drop of 1,010 m (3,314 ft) and course length of 3.27 km (2.03 mi). The winning time of Italian Dominik Paris was just under two minutes,^[4] yielding an average speed of 100.66 km/h (62.5 mph) and a vertical descent rate of over 8.6 metres (28 ft) per second.

Main sights

• Giardino Botanico Alpino "Rezia"

People

• The Olympic skiing brothers Erminio, Giacinto and Stefano Sertorelli were born in Bormio.
• The head coach of the Italian national ski team in 1970–1976, Oreste Peccedi, was born and resides.
• The Italian ski mountaineers Francesca Martinelli and Roberta Pedranzini were born in Bormio.
• The 6 times world champion runner Marco De Gasperi was born in Bormio.

Twin cities and towns

Bormio is twinned with:

• Huez, France, since 2005.
• Qakh, Azerbaijan, since 2014.
• Bellpuig, Spain

References

Bormio
Bormio and Valfurva from 10 km (6 mi) above
Location	Bormio,  Italy
Nearest major city	Bormio
Coordinates	46°28′3″N 10°22′41″E / 46.46750°N 10.37806°E / 46.46750; 10.37806
Vertical	1786 m - (5862 ft)
Top elevation	3012 m - (9882 ft)
Base elevation	1224 m - (4019 ft)
Skiable area	75 km² - (29.0 sq.mi.)
Trails	44
Longest run	3.7 mi (6.0 km)
Lift system	14 (3 gondolas, 5 chairlifts, 4 drag lifts, 2 other)
Lift capacity	16,000 skiers/hr
Snowfall	300 cm - (118 in.)
Snowmaking	12 km² - (4.6 sq.mi.), 35%
Website	Bormio.it

External links

• Bormio online
• Bormio.it
• Bormio3.it
• Therme in Bormio
• Collection of videos of skiing in Bormio
• Sci Club Bormio
• Official Site of the Ski Areas
• Official Site of the Bormio Tourist Office Archived 2017-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
• Alta Valtellina Tourism
• Alta Rezia News Paper online Archived 2021-04-16 at the Wayback Machine
• Bormio ski resort guide, news&events...

Media related to Bormio at Wikimedia Commons