Right in the heart of the Italian Alps, as the first snow starts falling after an unusually warm autumn, Trentino turns into a perfect winter wonderland. Surrounded by majestic Alpine peaks, kilometres of lush forest (over 30 per cent of the northern Italian region is covered in trees) and 297 lakes, Trentino looks like a scene from a Christmas card.

The elegant alpine region combines the magnificence of its natural landscape with the cosiness and warmth of its mountain huts. "The winter season is about to begin", says Elisabetta Gutterer, Media PR Team Manager at Trentino Marketing. "We had the first snowfall a couple of weekends ago, and the ski season will start as early as the 26 November, gradually leading to a complete opening by the 11 December".