Fashionably late? 4 resorts to find late season snow in Italy

The vast Dolomites mountain range (or Dolomiti Superski area to give it its proper skiing name) boasts 1,200km of pistes and is home to the Marmolada Glacier which towers above the area at a dizzying 3,343m. It's also home to some of the most advanced snow making in the world. An astounding 90% of the 668 runs in the Dolomites have snow making capabilities, so late season snow won't be a problem here!

The full ski area tends to close around mid-April, however there are some resorts such as Kronplatz, Arabba or Cortina d'Ampezzo that may stay open later.

For a relaxing and convenient place to stay, the Neilson Chalet Hotel Dolomites Inn in Val di Fassa provides great access to the Sella Ronda (a 40km ski circuit with stunning scenery) and then on to the Marmolada glacier.

This isn't just one of the highest resorts in Italy, it's one of the highest in Europe and in the select group of 2,000m+ ski towns. Sestrière sits at 2,035m which is a good 500m above neighbouring Sauze d'Oulx so often it can be dumping down in Sestrière when there's sunshine in the lower valleys.

As part of the 400km Vialattea or Milky Way ski area, Sestrière in sandwiched between Sauze d'Oulx on one side, and the French border resort of Clavière on the other. You can even pop over to France for lunch as the Vialattea lift pass gets you one free day's skiing in Montgenèvre which is an added bonus. Being so high up, the snow tends to stay in great condition until late on in the season, so it's an excellent choice if you're looking for good spring snow off the beaten track.

Sitting at 1,815m, Livigno has some of the best snow conditions of a non-glacier resort in Europewhich makes the village look like a winter postcard scene throughout the season. This is partly down to Livigno's unique location and surrounding mountains; it has its own micro climate so no matter which direction the snow is coming from, it always lands on the pistes.

This means that Livigno has a long season because of the amount of snow, and thanks to the fact it tendsto stay colder for longer here, the snow is preservedbetter. They even farm snow in the summer so their cross country track actually opens in October! For downhill skiing and boarding, the season tends to run from mid-November all the way to the beginning of May, so you'll be fine for your holiday in late March/early April.

This is one of the most popular Italian resorts. Situated in Valle d'Aosta, Cervinia has a glacier and shares its 322km ski area with Zermatt in Switzerland, so it's easy to see why it's so well-known. The season here typically start in November and carries on to the start of May. You can even ski here in the summer if the six month winter season isn't long enough!

Cervinia sits at 2050m and the lifts go to a crazy top height of 3,883m! The area also features the highest snowpark in Europe at 2,800m. With that kind of height, snow won't be a problem, but with two thirds of the ski area is serviced by snow making facilities, you can't go wrong.

Without a doubt there are great choices for some late spring skiing in Italy, so if you aren't sure where to go for a late ski holiday, give one of the above a try,you won't be disappointed.