Prato Nevoso (or Pratonevoso) is a ski and holiday resort in northern Italy. It is located at 1480 metres above sea level, in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, within the municipal boundaries of the comune of Frabosa Sottana, of which it is a frazione, some four kilometres south of its centre. The resort's name means "snowy meadow" in Italian.
History
Prato Nevoso's history as a resort dates back to the early 1960s, when a group of Ligurian entrepreneurs decided to create a resort easily accessible from Genoa and Turin.
The rapid building programme and the low initial costs of flats spurred tourism, as well as the presence of the A6 Turin-Savona motorway (enlarged during the 1990s). The expansion of the resort did not follow established principles of town planning, and buildings sprung up in somewhat anarchic fashion.
Giro d'Italia As well as winter sports, the resort is popular with cyclists and has been the finish of three stages of the Giro d'Italia:
YearStageStart of stageDistance (km) Stage winnerPink jersey199613Loano115 200018Genova176 201818Abbiategrasso196
Tour de France
On July 20, 2008, the town served as the finish line for a stage in the 2008 Tour de France. The finish is rated First Category with an 11.4 km climb at an average of 6.9%.
Tour de France stage finishes
YearStageStart of stageDistance (km)Category of climbStage winnerYellow jersey200815Embrun1831
References
External links Prato Nevoso dans le Tour de France Resort website Prato Nevoso ski resort guide