Abruzzo · L'Aquila
Ovindoli
At 1,375 meters on the Altopiano delle Rocche, the closest serious ski station to Rome, working since 1959 on the slopes of Monte Magnola.
- Best time
- Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- By car
- 1 h 19 min from Pescara
- Population
- 1,167
Known for
MONTE MAGNOLA
Ski area from 1,413 to 2,056 meters with 30 km of downhill, the closest serious ski station to Rome.
ALTOPIANO DELLE ROCCHE
Karst plateau at 1,300-1,400 meters shared with three neighboring villages, all inside the Sirente-Velino park.
SKIPASS DEI PARCHI
Consortium ski pass linking Ovindoli with Campo Felice, Campo Imperatore and Grotte di Stiffe.
When to visit
Best · Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar
- J5°
- F7°
- M8°
- A11°
- M16°
- J21°
- J25°
- A25°
- S19°
- O15°
- N9°
- D6°
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Daytime averages, 2020–2024. Weather data by Open-Meteo.com.
The festa: San Sebastiano, 20 January
Why come
Ovindoli sits at 1,375 meters on the southern edge of the Altopiano delle Rocche, the karst plateau shared with Rocca di Mezzo, Rocca di Cambio and Rovere, inside the Sirente-Velino regional park. The town built itself around skiing. Downhill became a serious draw after World War I, but the modern resort was organized in 1959 under the name Valturvema.
Lifts opened in the 1961-62 season and the trails were expanded. In 1994, new management renamed the operation Monte Magnola and modernized the lifts, the snowmaking, and the network. The ski area now runs from the village at 1,413 meters to the top of Monte Magnola at 2,056 meters, with about 30 kilometers of downhill, three triple chairlifts, two chairlifts, one cable car, four magic carpets and one drag lift.
It is part of the Skipass dei Parchi consortium with Campo Felice, Campo Imperatore and Grotte di Stiffe. Summer is hiking, mountain biking and horse-riding country. Population is 1,167.
The Sunday letter
Ovindoli is on our list. Its letter is still to come.
We are writing about all 1,000 of these towns, one at a time, in a free letter every Sunday: the photo, the food, the festa. That is our mission. Sign up and you will be there when Ovindoli comes up. By Peter & Sophia, from Pietrasanta.
Read on
Ovindoli in our articles
The 6 best small towns that eat well in the province of L'Aquila6 towns, Ovindoli among them.
10 mountain comuni near Pescara10 towns, Ovindoli among them.
The best high-altitude villages within 90 minutes of Pescara10 towns, Ovindoli among them.
The best small ski towns in the province of L'Aquila10 towns, Ovindoli among them.
How to get there
From Rome (FCO), about 2h 12m by car.
Naples / Salerno (NAP) is about 2h 32m away.
By car from the centre of Pescara 1h 19m or Naples 2h 37m.
Coming by train into Pescara Centrale? Ovindoli is about 1h 20m away by road.
What to see
Monte Magnola
Ski station from 1,413 to 2,056 meters, 30 kilometers of downhill terrain on the slopes above Ovindoli, modernized in 1994.
Altopiano delle Rocche
Karst plateau at 1,300-1,400 meters shared with Rocca di Mezzo, Rocca di Cambio and Rovere, the central terrain of the Sirente-Velino park.
Parco Naturale Regionale Sirente-Velino
Regional park that surrounds the town, with high meadows, beech forests and trails toward the Sirente and Velino summits.
Centro storico
Original mountain village core below the ski station, now overlaid with hotels and apartments built since the 1960s expansion.
The slow-trip planner
Building a trip? Find where Ovindoli fits in a slow Italy circuit.
Answer five questions. We will shape a geographically coherent slow trip from the 1,000 Italian towns most travelers skip. Yours to save and share.
We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
La BaraccaRistorante
La Baracca holds a Gambero Rosso listing.
La StozzaRistorante
La Stozza has a Gambero Rosso listing to its name.
Living here
- Population 1,167
- In-betweeni
- Pharmacy: none mapped
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Rome, 2 h 12 min drive
- Regional capital L'Aquila, 38 min drive
Common questions
- What is Ovindoli known for?
- At 1,375 meters on the Altopiano delle Rocche, the closest serious ski station to Rome, working since 1959 on the slopes of Monte Magnola.
- Where is Ovindoli?
- Ovindoli is a comune in the province of L'Aquila, in Abruzzo, at 1375 meters above sea level.
- What is the nearest airport to Ovindoli?
- Rome (FCO), about 2h 12m by car.
- How long is the drive from Pescara to Ovindoli?
- About 1h 19m by car.
- When is the best time to visit Ovindoli?
- Best in Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar. July is the warmest month, averaging 25 degrees, and May the wettest, with about 17 rain days.
- Is there a sagra or a festival in Ovindoli?
- The town keeps its patron saint's day: San Sebastiano, 20 January.
- Which other towns are like Ovindoli?
- Andalo, Limone Piemonte and Courmayeur.
- How many people live in Ovindoli?
- 1,167 at the 2023 count.
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 1375 m
- Population: 1,167
- Surface area: 61.38 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories: ISTAT, OpenStreetMap and Wikidata, and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
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