In 2026, the number of decommissioned ski facilities on Italy's mountains has risen to 273, and the number of abandoned or underused buildings (hotels, residences, accommodation facilities, military or industrial complexes) censused to date has reached 247. And yet, despite rising temperatures, melting glaciers and natural snow that is increasingly hard to come by, an estimated 90 per cent of public funds allocated to mountain tourism continues to support the "snow system", leaving only scarce resources for the conversion of old facilities and the de-seasonalisation of tourist activities.

These are the figures from the new Nevediversa 2026 report by Legambiente, which, beyond the numbers, gathers a series of proposals for the future of mountain communities distilled in the "Manifesto della Carovana dell'accoglienza montana", placing local communities at the centre. "Every inactive facility – declared Vanda Bonardo, Legambiente's Alps coordinator – carries an economic cost and bears witness to the fragility of a model of mountain tourism that reduces the mountains to a mere backdrop. Abandoned infrastructure and artificial snow reveal the limits of a collective illusion, with repercussions on the environment, on communities and on future generations. In light of this, the manifesto was born, the fruit of a collective effort on the mountains and on how we experience them."

Nevediversa: the data on decommissioned ski facilities or those surviving on public funds

​​Piemonte remains the region with the highest number of decommissioned ski facilities, counting 76, followed by Lombardia (51). Meanwhile, the regions with the most "suspended buildings" censused along the Alpine arc are Valle D'Aosta (36), Lombardia (31) and Piemonte (20), while along the Apennines it is Toscana (19), Abruzzo (16), Marche (15) and Sicilia (15). Among the emblematic cases is, for example, the Grand Hotel Wildbad in San Candido (BZ), a building of considerable historical and cultural value, but in a severe state of abandonment.

Alongside these figures, the Nevediversa report by Legambiente also sets out national data on the 106 ski facilities temporarily closed, the 98 operating in a mixed state of "open and closed"; and then the 231 facilities that today survive thanks to public funds. Lombardia (63), Abruzzo (47) and Emilia-Romagna (34) are the regions with the most cases. There are also 169 artificial snowmaking reservoirs censused across the peninsula, the majority concentrated in Trentino-Alto Adige, Lombardia and Piemonte. As for the reuse and dismantling of no-longer-functioning facilities, in Italy only 37 cases have so far been censused by Legambiente.

Censusing "funfair" structures: a new category in Nevediversa

For the first time, the report introduces a new category: structures defined as "mountain funfairs" — that is, leisure attractions such as tubing runs and summer bob tracks, often integrated into ski resorts, which Legambiente considers forms of artificial entertainment with not always sustainable impacts on the mountain environment. There are 28 in total censused: the majority are concentrated in Lombardia (13 facilities) and Toscana (7).

The uncertain future of major winter events

The report also examines the future of major winter events, starting with the Olympics. In less than thirty years, according to the latest scientific studies, climatic reliability will be lost at 44 per cent of Olympic venues. The most critical figure concerns the Paralympic Games: typically scheduled in March, they will see 76 per cent of eligible venues disappear — only 22 out of 93 will remain usable. These events now represent a model in which competitions depend almost entirely on artificial infrastructure, in an increasingly fragile and unpredictable mountain environment, and for this reason the association considers it essential to open a dialogue and discussion involving all stakeholders, from local communities, associations and trade organisations to regional and national bodies.

The climate crisis in the mountains

According to Eurac Research data cited by Legambiente, the snow season in the Alps now lasts 22–34 days fewer than 50 years ago, with a contraction of 10–20 days in the period of snow cover between 1982 and 2020. Furthermore, a decline of more than 30 per cent has been recorded in both snow depth and SWE (Snow Water Equivalent) — that is, the quantity of water stored in the snowpack and therefore the real seasonal water reserve. In the Apennines, snow cover is increasingly unstable.

Snow tourism figures are also in negative territory, partly due to rising prices: the Osservatorio Italiano del Turismo Montano (Jfc) has estimated for the 2025–2026 season a drop of 14.5 per cent in the number of day-skiers and a decline of 3.9 per cent in the number of Italians staying in the Alps and Apennines — though numbers remain considerable overall, representing an economic volume exceeding 12 billion euros, of which around 6 billion in the hospitality sector.

"Global warming – commented Giorgio Zampetti, director general of Legambiente – shows that the reduction of snow on the Alps and Apennines is not an episodic phenomenon. The climate crisis, which saw 2025 marked by record temperatures, also generates direct impacts on water availability, mountain ecosystems and human activities tied to the mountains. More climate adaptation measures are needed, but we must also steer policies and investments towards more sustainable and resilient tourism models, capable of reducing the vulnerability of mountain territories and ensuring sustainable living conditions in the long term."

Nevediversa and the Legambiente Manifesto for rethinking the mountains

Nevediversa Legambiente denounces the Government's delays in addressing the climate crisis at altitude, whose effects ripple down to local communities and key sectors such as tourism. For this reason, the environmental association considers it urgent to deploy climate adaptation measures, rethink winter mountain tourism and involve and listen to local communities. In this spirit, the "Manifesto della Carovana dell'accoglienza" was born, promoted by Legambiente and the result of dialogue with the 300 Bandiere verdi of the Alpine arc — realities that have been awarded Legambiente's green flag over the years for investing in sustainability and innovation while responding and adapting to the ongoing climate crisis.

Here are the 10 core points of the Manifesto in summary:

• every mountain territory has its own excellences to be valued;
• guests and residents share the pleasure of encounter in mountain territories;
• the mountain is a fragile territory and must be respected;
• slowness is not a renunciation, but an achievement;
• the mountain has the right to pursue a sustainable future;
• a participatory tourism at the service of the community;
• mountains are necessary;
• they are a space for active and conscious citizenship;
• every place possesses a unique culture;
• mountains do not divide but unite.

Alongside the report, this year Legambiente launched a citizen science initiative asking citizens to share information and photos of abandoned buildings in order to transform the neglected heritage into a tool for knowledge and awareness towards a more resilient and sustainable mountain environment.