Livigno, the high-altitude Italian resort where TeamGB won Britain’s first ever Olympic gold medal on snow earlier this year, brought winter back to its streets this week with its Gara da li Contrada event returning for its 44th edition.
The event turns the village centre into a snow‑covered cross‑country course despite the late‑August warmth. Using stockpiled snow saved from the previous winter, organisers created a kilometre‑long track that wound through the heart of the resort, blending modern snow‑management techniques with deep‑rooted local tradition.
The event is one of the few worldwide to use stored snow for summer festivities rather than early‑season preparation. The result is a striking scene: athletes skiing past shopfronts and summer flower displays, watched by crowds lining the pedestrian zone.
In some years, the evening opens with a rare August cross‑country sprint featuring elite athletes, followed by freestyle and snowboard exhibitions and live performances.
But the centrepiece remains the community race, where locals compete in vintage skiwear and represent their neighbourhoods in a friendly contest.
Balconies and doorways are filled with spectators as Livigno celebrates a tradition that has become a regualar part of its cultural identity and an annual reminder that the town’s passion for winter sport extends far beyond the winter months.
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