Map of Europe

Arosa

Whether you go by train or car, the long, twisting ascent up the Schanfigger Valley to Arosa is hard to forget; the route, jammed full of picture-perfect, heart-pumping scenes, crosses bridges over bottomless chasms and skirts rocky slopes that drop away thousands of feet to the valley floor. You'll also pass through a few small mountain villages, complete with old-timey scenes of Swiss farmers and their livestock. Once in Arosa itself, the ambiance remains, well, very characteristically Swiss. The public service department strives to leave an inch or so of snow over all the roads, so pedestrians can hear the crunch of snow underfoot and so cars aren't quite as loud. There's also a pond in the center of town where you can ice skate. Fifty percent of Arosa's accommodations are right on the slopes, but the other 50 percent can involve a tiresome, uphill walk to get to the lifts. If you happen to like walking, there are 25 miles of winter hiking trails that intermingle with the ski trails. Many visitors buy single-trip lift tickets and spend their day meandering back down to the village.

On the hill, beginner and intermediate skiers have plenty of terrain to explore. Arosa's 37 miles of marked trails consists of many wide groomers with just a few really steep pitches. There are hardly any trees at Arosa, so adventurous skiers can duck off the groomed trails for some powder shots. The Brüggerhorn area of the resort is also left ungroomed. Experts will find more challenging off-piste selections under the tram or by hiking off the skier's right side of the resort—just make sure you have avalanche gear and the proper training, or are with a knowledgeable guide. With a high base elevation, the snowfall here is relatively reliable.

The resort is quite spread out (as are the crowds) with 13 lifts and many on-hill restaurants. Some of these establishments rent out comfy lounge chairs, ideal for resting your legs and soaking in the eight to twelve hours of sun that shines on nice days. And free outdoor concerts are also common here: Sometimes you'll find several going on at once at different spots around the hill.

Off the hill, Arosa is typical of many Swiss towns—you won't find much of the hopping après scene you might find at bigger, American resorts. Arosa offers fairly run-of-the-mill dining options (lots of Swiss-German fare, a handful of Italian restaurants, and one Mexican joint with an interesting interpretation of nachos), a few pubs, and not much nightlife. The Casino Arosa is the one place you'll find dancing and late-night partying. Other non-skiing options include tobogganing, balloon rides, paragliding, snowshoe tours, and horse-drawn sleigh rides.

Andermatt

Recognized as one of the steepest and most challenging resorts in Switzerland, packed with tight couloirs and gnarly pitches, advanced and expert skiers will love the relatively small resort of Andermatt. Because of its location near the northern edge of the Alps, Andermatt also catches a good deal of snow that doesn't make it to other resorts-this of course means more powder but also higher avalanche risk. Traditionally, the small size of the village has kept crowds equally small, but book your ticket now, because that could all change soon. The Egyptian development company Orascom Hotels and Development has recently gained development rights in the town and is beginning a project that will add-among other amenities-400 residential units, 50 private villas, and luxury hotels with 800 guest rooms to the village. Despite the sizeable expansion to the resort, Orascom was able to bypass Swiss laws restricting land ownership by foreigners in part because of its commitment to preserve the cultural and historic integrity of Andermatt, so even in the wave of development, there's hope that the resort's charm will remain unscathed.

Andermatt has also been in the news recently for its efforts to curtail the melting of the Gurschen Glacier, which has sunk nearly 66 feet in the past 15 years. This loss has impeded early-season access to some of the best off-piste skiing on the hill, forcing trail crews to do some fancy work with their groomers to fill the void. During the summers, the resort has also experimented by covering the glacier in giant heat- and rain-deflecting blankets designed to slow ice melting.

Expert skiers will particularly love descending from the top of the 9,800-foot-high Gemsstock, where, until recently, the Swiss military's elite alpine units trained. While the resort is particularly popular among advanced skiers, Andermatt, with 20 lifts and 51 miles of marked trails, offers something for every ability level. Beginners should head to the Gotthard area for more gentle cruisers, and intermediates will thrive on the groomers below Gemsstock.

As of now there's not much else to do in the winter in Andermatt besides ski (alpine or cross country), sled, hike, or ice skate, and the selection of restaurants and nightlife remain pretty tame. But keep your eye on this typically Swiss village as it continues to develop. And don't overlook the eye-popping vistas into the heart of the Swiss Alps, spanning some 600 different peaks.

St. Moritz

Complete with glitz, glamour, and a rich history, St. Moritz is perhaps the most famous Swiss ski resort and certainly the most luxurious. You won't find a quaint Swiss mountain village here; the town of St. Moritz is a lit-up cosmopolitan, just as eye-popping as the sharp peaks and frozen lakes of the Engadine Valley where it lies. With much of the resort's publicity focusing on its wide array of shops, restaurants, special events, and culture, you might be tempted to spend all your time off the slopes. But the skiing shouldn't be overlooked.

The light and dry snow is consistent, and the sun shines here an average of 322 days per year. Like most Swiss resorts, the skiing at St. Moritz is mostly above tree line, with wide, groomed slopes snaking back and forth across the mountainside. This setup makes it easy for powder seekers to slide off the maintained trail for a pitch and then jump back on when their legs start to burn. And with 217 miles of trails, you'll definitely find skiing for all abilities (although intermediates will find the most suitable terrain). Because lifts here are spread out among nine different areas, you may want to pick just one region per day to explore. The Piz Nair Wall, at the top of the downhill race trail at the Corviglia area, boasts the steepest start slope of any race trail in Switzerland and will definitely please speed-seekers. More advanced skiers will also enjoy carving down the Morteratsch/Isla Persa Glacier run in the Diavolezza Bernina area (the longest run in the region). Skiing on the Corvatsch Glacier, in the Corvatsch Furtschellas area, offers some of the best views and snow quality in St. Moritz. And all of these areas have plenty of options lower down on the mountain specially designed for families with young kids.

Beyond skiing, St. Moritz offers plenty of other activities and lots of exotic attractions. The resort regularly hosts high-profile events and ski races: it has twice hosted the Winter Olympics and many other skiing and bobsled championships. You'll find the regular array of wintertime activities like cross-country skiing, skating, sledding, and hiking, plus a huge selection of more uncommon ones like winter golf. Other favorite events include the yearly Gourmet Festival (January/February), the Snow and Symphony Music Festival (March/April), horse and greyhound races on the frozen lake, and cricket and polo tournaments in the snow. Plus there's plenty of high-end shopping: St. Moritz harbors numerous retail locations for famous designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Gucci, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and DKNY, to name just a handful. Go at the right time and you may even catch some familiar faces from Hollywood or royal families from around the world.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

The construction begun in 1173 and it must have been suspended at the completion of the third ring, around ten years later, since a subsidence of the soil of between 30 and 40 cm. had thrown the tower out of the perpendicular, causing an initial overhang of circa 5 cm. More than a century after the laying of the foundation stone, was once again begun (1275) by Giovanni di Simone, who added three more levels, correcting the axis of the Campanile. In 1284 the six stories of loggias were to all effects finished, bringing the height of the building to 48 m., and employing a technical expedient that was meant to diminish, at least optically, the effects of the inclination, accomplished by raising the galleries of the upper floors on that side.

At the time the inclination of the Tower was more than 90 cm. The tormented vicissitudes of the Tower did not, as one might expect, greatly worry those who were involved in the construction and completion. The long intervals between building activity were dictated, most likely, by the need of letting the Campanile 'rest', but above all by letting both the foundations and the ground on which they rested settle down.

In a certain sense it can be said that the subsidence of the soil and the consequent inclination had, on the whole, been foreseen. At the beginning of the 14th century the bells were placed at the sixth level, in the large opening still visible in the marble cylinder beyond the loggia. Between 1350 and 1372 Tommaso di Andrea Pisano (according to Vasari) terminated the installation of the belfry on the summit of the sixth order of loggias, increasing the correction of the axis, and thus diminishing the load on the side that was in inclination, which in the mean while had become fixed at 1.43 m.

Conceived of not only as a bell tower, but also as a belvedere for the square below - from the earliest times the loggias have served as 'grandstand' for religious events and fairs - it rises 58.36 m above the level of the foundation, just under 56 m over the level of the countryside, and its inclination, measured at the base, is over 4 m. The average subsidence of the base is 2.25 m, while the progressio of the overhang, despite all attempts so far made to bring it to a halt, is about 1.2 mm per year.