Livigno in January feels like the volume knob on the world has been turned down—snow packed tight, air sharpened to a point, mountains standing guard in monochrome silence.
And then Lamborghini shows up and turns everything back on, at full song, with Accademia Neve: a two-day immersion in low-grip car control where snow and ice aren’t obstacles—they’re the curriculum.
The first evening set the tone with an adventurous transfer into the mountains for a welcome cocktail and dinner at Rifugio Camanel di Planon—snow cats clawing their way upward like something out of an alpine expedition film. Inside the Rifugio, the mood was equal parts elegant and mischievous: a room full of Lamborghini owners who know that the proper way to celebrate winter is to spend it sideways. Familiar faces appeared quickly—drivers who’ve chased the brand across Europe, and instructors who’ve become part of the legend of these programs: Jeroen Mul, Pietro Perolini, and Jonathon Cecotto.
By morning, it was briefing time—then a transfer to the Livigno ice track, where the day’s lesson plan waited in polished white: wide pads for exercises, and a sculpted circuit built to teach weight transfer one controlled slide at a time.
The Speed Journal’s Jeffrey Francis joined the roster in Livigno to experience that first bite of throttle on ice—the moment you realize “grip” becomes something you negotiate, not something you assume.
The drills start with fundamentals—acceleration and braking on low grip, learning what the car tells you through the seat before it ever speaks through the steering wheel. A slalom comes next, cones spaced just far enough apart to punish impatience, just close enough to reward a clean rhythm—hands calm, eyes up, inputs tidy.
And then Lamborghini does the thing everyone came for: set you free on the ice course to link drifts, chase flow, and discover how much finesse it takes to look effortless.
This year, the fleet told a story of transition. There were plenty of Huracán owners in the group, but no Huracáns in the driving lineup—because the spotlight belonged to the new era. Most of the driving time centered on Lamborghini’s latest heart-throbs: Revuelto and Temerario—two different personalities, both eager to dance when the surface turns to glass.
The instructors began with “training wheels” engaged—ESP and the right electronic safety nets to keep ambition from turning into an unplanned snow-bank autograph. Temerario, in particular, arrived with a confidence boost: a drift mode that helps initiate rotation and sustain the slide long enough for a driver to feel like a hero—at least until the instructor decides you’ve enjoyed that feeling sufficiently.
Then the switch flips, the assistance steps back, and it becomes a conversation between the driver’s patience and the car’s power—progress measured in tenths of a second and feet of cleanly held angle. When it clicks, it’s deeply satisfying, because you know it wasn’t software smoothing the edges—it was you, finally matching the car’s timing.
Revuelto plays a different tune. You don’t so much walk up to it as you approach it—Italian design drama, doors rising skyward, the kind of theater that makes a parking lot feel like a stage. Dropping into the cockpit feels like boarding a spacecraft, and when the V12 clears its throat on a frozen track, you’re suddenly granted the rare privilege of using real power in a place where it doesn’t instantly demand consequences.
Yes, Revuelto carries more size and mass than Temerario, but that’s not the point. The point is the aura—Lamborghini’s flagship wrapped around you like a tailored suit made of carbon fiber and attitude.
If Temerario feels a touch easier to tame through the course, that doesn’t automatically crown it the crowd favorite. Ice driving has a way of turning preference into a personal thing—some drivers chase precision, others chase drama.
One standout exercise took place in the Urus S on a large flat pad marked by four cones: freedom to play—tight donuts, figure-eights, and big sweeping perimeter drifts—an SUV-sized reminder that physics doesn’t care what shape the bodywork is.
Lunches at Agriturismo La Tresenda offered the perfect contrast: a warm, rustic intermission where conversation and laughter replaced tire noise—before everyone happily returned to the cold to do it all again.
Afternoons followed a satisfying cadence: a technical reset, then back out to the circuit to build on the morning’s lessons—more speed, longer links, cleaner transitions, and fewer “oops” moments that end in powdery white applause.
As evening arrived, the experience shifted from adrenaline to ambiance—aperitivo, a gourmet dinner, and the easy camaraderie that forms when a group spends the day chasing the same perfect slide. Sonus faber added another layer to the sensory overload, with live demonstrations that let guests hear Lamborghini’s world in a different way—both inside the cars and in dedicated listening moments that felt like a private concert for the obsessive.
By the final day, confidence had visibly changed the room. Inputs were smoother, eyes were faster, and more drivers were linking sections of the course together with the kind of control that looks casual—until you try it.
A friendly slalom challenge closed the loop: fast enough to be thrilling, precise enough to be humbling, capped by a near-perfect stop in a cone box on ice—teams cheering from the warmth of the Urus like it was a pit wall at a winter rally stage.
Lamborghini doesn’t just build exotic machinery—it builds experiences that remind enthusiasts why they fell in love with driving in the first place: challenge, mastery, and joy, delivered with unmistakable Italian flair.
Long live Lamborghini—and The Speed Journal would like to thank Team Lamborghini and their outstanding instructors for a world-class Livigno adventure.
View this post on Instagram
