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A wooded mass of granite 19km long by 17km wide, MOUNT VITOSHA , whose foothills begin some 7km from the city centre, is very much a part of the capital and is the source of its pure water and fresh breezes. Sofiantsi come here to picnic, gather wild herbs and berries, savour magnificent views or to ski, and the ascent of its highest peak, Cherni Vrah , has become a traditional test of stamina for hikers. Vitosha's two main recreation centres, connected to the city by asphalt road, are Aleko , just above the treeline and within easy reach of the summit, and Zlatni Mostove , on the wooded western flanks of the mountain. Both give access to Cherni Vrah; Aleko is the closer, but the longer ascent from Zlatni Mostove takes you through more varied terrain. Routes from central Sofia to Vitosha pass through the villages (suburbs, really) nestling beneath its foothills: Dragalevtsi , with an attractive wood-shrouded monastery just above it, and Simeonovo are the starting points for the ski lifts to Aleko. Neither of the above villages, however, are worthy stopoffs in their own right: despite their status as exclusive suburbs for Sofia's post-Communist nouveaux-riches, they remain drab, uninspiring little places overshadowed by the glory of the mountain above. Skiing is possible on Vitosha from late December through to mid-March, with Aleko providing access to the principal pistes. There's a small winter resort here with three hotels, where you can enquire about equipment rental and sign up for ski schools. However, Aleko currently doesn't feature in any of the package holiday brochures, and independent travellers interested in skiing on Vitosha would probably be better off staying in the small hotels in the village suburbs of Simeonovo and Dragalevtsi, from where they can ascend the mountain by ski lift.
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