Bormio ( lmo, Bormi, rm, italic=yes, , german: Worms im Veltlintal) is a town and ''
comune
The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...
'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the
Province of Sondrio
The Province of Sondrio ( it, provincia di Sondrio) is in the Lombardy region of northern Italy. Its provincial capital is the city of Sondrio. As of 2017, it has a population of 181,403.
History
The Province was established in 1815, within ...
,
Lombardy
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, ...
region of the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
in
northern Italy
Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative region ...
.
The centre of the upper
Valtellina
Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Tod ...
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
(man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman)
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region at the top of the Valtellina, a broad
glacial valley
U-shaped valleys, also called trough valleys or glacial troughs, are formed by the process of glaciation. They are characteristic of mountain glaciation in particular. They have a characteristic U shape in cross-section, with steep, straight s ...
formed by the
Adda River that flows down into
Lake Como
Lake Como ( it, Lago di Como , ; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Lagh de Còmm , ''Cómm'' or ''Cùmm'' ), also known as Lario (; after the la, Larius Lacus), is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the thir ...
. It is linked to other valleys via four passes:
*
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
via the
Stelvio Pass
*
Val Müstair
Val Müstair (german: Münstertal) is a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val Müs ...
via the
Umbrail Pass
*
Livigno via the
Foscagno Pass
Foscagno Pass ( it, Passo di Foscagno, rm, Pass da Fus-chagn) (el. 2291 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the province of Sondrio, northern Italy.
The road (SS 301) connects Bormio in the east and Livigno in the west. It is the only li ...
*
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
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
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
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
to
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. Bormio retains its unique
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
town centre, attracting many tourists, mainly Italian, from
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...
and other cities. It will host alpine skiing in the
2026 Winter Olympics
The 2026 Winter Olympics, officially the XXV Olympic Winter Games ( it, XXV Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Milano Cortina 2026 ( lld, Milano-Anpezo 2026 or ), is an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place fr ...
.
Alpine skiing
The village hosted the
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS).
History
The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. During the 1930s, the event was held annuall ...
twice, in
1985 and
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...
, both cohosted with
Santa Caterina di Valfurva. There are of marked ski runs, the longest run of which is , 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
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
.
For the World Cup race in December
2017, the Stelvio started at an
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...
of , with a vertical drop of and course length of . The winning time of Italian
Dominik Paris was just under two yielding an average speed of and a vertical descent rate of over per second.
Main sights
*
Giardino Botanico Alpino "Rezia"
People
* The Olympic skiing brothers
Erminio,
Giacinto and
Stefano Sertorelli
Stefano Sertorelli (24 December 1911 – 17 December 1994) was an Italian soldier and skier.
Biography
Sertorello, son of Cantoniere Costante Sertorelli (d. 1922) and his wife Maria (1880–1956) was born in Bormio, Lombardy. The family was ...
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
Francesca Martinelli (born 13 March 1971) is an Italian ski mountaineer.
Martinelli was born in Milan. She started ski mountaineering in 1980 and competed first in the ''Gara dell'Adamello'' race in 2003. Two years after she became a member of ...
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
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, since 2005.
*
Qakh
Qakh District ( az, Qax rayonu; ka, კახის რაიონი, K′akhis raioni; Tsakhur: Къахын район) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the north of the country and belongs to the Shaki-Zagatala Ec ...
,
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, since 2014.
*
Bellpuig,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
References
External links
Bormio onlineBormio.itBormio3.itTherme in BormioCollection of videos of skiing in BormioSci Club BormioOfficial Site of the Ski AreasOfficial Site of the Bormio Tourist OfficeAlta Valtellina TourismAlta Rezia News Paper onlineBormio ski resort guide, news&events...
{{authority control
Cities and towns in Lombardy
Ski areas and resorts in Italy
Spa towns in Italy
Venues of the 2026 Winter Olympics