Going to Italy for Lunch

Most picture international travel as a big to-do requiring many hours packed into a plane and flying across oceans. However, luckily, some countries are located close to each other and allow for an easy day trip, similar to when I went to Belgium for the day from Paris. 

The idea of casually entering another country has always been fun to me, so when I learned you could ski into Italy while skiing at Zermatt,Switzerland, I knew I had to do this. Even better, I realized that it was completely possible, and quite easy, to just ski into the country for lunch before heading back to Switzerland. 

This article is part of my Trip Report: Skiing in Switzerland including:

• Lounge Review: United Polaris Lounge IAD
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Long Haul Business Class Flight IAD-LIS
• Flight Review: TAP Air Portugal Intra-Europe Business Class Flight LIS-ZRH
• Lounge Review: TAP Premium Lounge Lisbon
• Hotel Review: Moxy Bern Expo
• The Trains of Switzerland: My Thoughts
• Hotel Review: Hotel Schweizerhof of Zermatt
• Skiing Zermatt in March: My Thoughts
• Going to Italy for Lunch
• Hotel Review: Sheraton Zurich
• Lounge Review: Swiss International Lounge Zurich
• Flight Review: United Polaris Business Class ZRH-IAD

The Process

After a morning of skiing on the Swiss side of the border, and getting a chance to take the infamous Gornergrat ski train to the top of the mountain peak, we took a gondola up to Matterhorn Glacier Paradise peak. From this point, we had the ability to ski back down to Switzerland, or alternatively, ski into Italy. 

With a hungry stomach, we skied across the border and down quite a distance of slopes before we arrived at what was a quite crowded restaurant. Given its popularity, we figured it was worth a try. 

Within a few minutes we were seated, and to my surprise, they had gluten free pasta. I know its no overpriced-poorly made slopeside hamburger similar to the Rockies, but gluten free Italian pasta slopeside is unrivaled in my book. I couldn’t believe this was actually real. Was I dreaming?

Everything from the bread, to the salad, to the pasta itself was incredible and ultimately was also much cheaper than what we were accustomed to in ski resorts in the US.

After finishing and closing the tab, we skied down to the base before taking the gondola back up the mountain. At the top, we skied back into Switzerland. What a fantastic lunch.

My Thoughts

While skiing into Italy for lunch is completely feasible and highly recommended, I would not say that it is necessarily a quick venture. Given the sheer vertical height of these mountains, one trip up can take nearly an hour (I’m not exaggerating). So, going for lunch is  likely to be a 3-4 hour activity, but without a  doubt, it is worth it. 

This to me, was one of the highlights of the trip. Not only did I really enjoy the novelty of the experience and the food, but I also really enjoyed skiing on the Italian side. Maybe next time I will go skiing in Italy and ski into Switzerland for lunch! Afterall, Swiss chocolates are a fine way to end a meal, or even better, replace a meal.

The Last Point

If you are ever skiing in Zermatt, I would highly recommend opting for the international pass and going skiing in Italy as well. 

Whether you make a day out of it or only ski in for lunch, definitely have a meal across the border in Italy. After all, who does not love some fresh Italian food?