VALLE D’AOSTA
The Valle d’Aosta carves a deep and scenic path through the Alps to Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco). Explore a hybrid culture, sample Franco-Provençal food and eyeball epic peaks from cable cars.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
ESSENTIAL PHOTO
BEST FOR SKIING
GIORGIO FOCHESATO/GETTY IMAGES ©
Valle d’Aosta
Touring the Valle d’Aosta’s castle-tipped peaks and glacial valley makes for one of Italy’s most scenic drives. Courmayeur’s fashion-parade of skiers hits the high slopes of Mont Blanc, while Valdostan farmers cultivate Alpine wines and ferment famous fontina cheeses in the pastures below. When the snow melts, the hiking in the Gran Paradiso park and along Aosta’s high-altitude trails is even more sublime.
1 Issogne
The Valle d’Aosta’s peaks are crowned with castles, each within view of the next, so messages could be transferred up and down the valley via flag signals. Although many were little more than fortified barracks, as time progressed so their lordly inhabitants became more mindful of appearances. The Castello d’Issogne (
0125 92 93 73; adult/reduced €5/3; 
9am-7pm Mar-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Dec), for example, sitting on the right bank of the Dora Baltea river and located on one of the only navigable routes over the Alps, is more of a seignorial Renaissance residence, the interior decorated with rare Alpine frescoes. It looks quite different to the dour Castello di Verrès (0125 92 90 67; adult/reduced €3/2; 9am-7pm Mar-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Dec), located on the opposite bank, with which it was in constant conflict.
The Drive » From Issogne it’s a 26km drive along the A5 autostrada to Fénis. The peaks of the lower Alps are already visible and frame your route. After Montjovet duck through a series of tunnels as you sweep westwards into the valley. Take the exit for Nus and follow signs for the castle.
2 Fénis
The finest castle in the Valle d’Aosta is without a doubt the magnificently restored Castello di Fénis (adult/reduced €5/3.50; 9am-7pm Mar-Sep, 10am-1pm & 2-5pm Oct-Dec), owned by the powerful Challant clan from 1242 onwards. It features rich frescoes, including an impressive etching of St George slaying a fiery dragon. The castle is laid out in a pentagonal shape with square and cylindrical turrets lording it over the lush chestnut forests. It was never really used as a defensive post, but served as a plush residence for the Challants until 1716. The on-site museum allows access to a weaponry display, the kitchens, the battlements, the former residential quarters and the frescoed chapel.
The Drive » Aosta is just 16km from the Castello di Fénis. Rejoin the A5/E25 for 8km through pretty mountainous forests. Then exit towards Aosta Est onto the E27 for 1.2km, and after you pass through the toll booths follow signs for Aosta Centro, which is a further 4km.
LINK YOUR TRIP
3 Savoy Palace Circuit
The Gran Paradiso was the hunting preserve of the Dukes of Savoy; pick up their trail in Turin, down the A5 from Issogne.
9 The Graceful Italian Lakes
From Alpine peaks to a Mediterranean microclimate, take the A5 and A4 from Issogne to Lago d’Orta.
3 Aosta
Jagged Alpine peaks rise like marble cathedrals above the town of Aosta, a once-important Roman settlement that has sprawled rather untidily across the valley floor since the opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel in the 1960s. But its 2000-year-old centre still harbours Roman relics, such as the Arco di Augusto (Piazza Arco di Augusto), the Roman bridge, spanning the Buthier river since the 1st century, and the Porta Praetoria, the main gate to the Roman city. Even the Roman Theatre (Via Porta Praetoria; 9am-7pm Sep-Jun, to 8pm Jul & Aug) remains in use as a venue for summer concerts.
Otherwise, more Challant-commissioned artworks can be seen in the Chiesa di Sant’Orso (Via Sant’Orso; 9am-5.30pm), which dates back to the 10th century.
For skiing and hiking on the slopes above, ascend the Aosta-Pila cable car (one way/return €3/5; 8am-12.45pm & 2.15-5.30pm mid-Jun–early Sep) to the 1800m-high resort of Pila.
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The Drive » Leave Aosta heading westwards for the next scenic 26km to Cogne. You’ll pick up the Viale Piccolo San Bernardino first for a couple of kilometres and then merge with the SS26. After about 3km turn left onto the SR47 and start the beautiful, mountain-hugging ascent into the Gran Paradiso.
FLAVIO VALLENARI/GETTY IMAGES ©
DETOUR:
VALPELLINE
Start: 3 Aosta
Aosta’s signature cheese is made from the full-cream, unpasteurised milk of Valdostan cows that have grazed on pastures up to 2700m above sea level, before being matured for three months in underground rock tunnels. You can learn more about the history, ‘terroir’ and production of Aostan cheeses at the Valpelline Visitors’ Centre (www.fontinacoop.it; Frissonière; 8.30am-12.30pm & 2.30-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon & 3-6pm Sat & Sun, closed Sat & Sun winter). Follow the SR28 for 7km north to the Valpelline valley, turn east towards Ollomont and after 1.5km turn west along a mountain road to Frissonière, where the centre is located.
4 Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso
Italy’s oldest national park, the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso (www.pngp.it), is aptly named. Originally it was the Savoy’s own private hunting reserve until Vittorio Emanuele II made nice and gave it to the state in 1922 to ensure the protection of the endangered ibex.
The main stepping stone into the park is Cogne (1534m), famous for its lace-making, samples of which you can buy at Le Marché Aux Puces (Rue Grand Paradis 4; closed Wed). Easy walks in the park are possible, such as the 3km stroll to the village of Lillaz on trail 23, where there is a geological park and a waterfall that drops 150m. Trails 22 and 23 will get you to the village of Valnontey, where you can visit the Giardino Alpino Paradisia (0165 7 53 01; www.pngp.it; adult/reduced €3/1.50; 10am-5.30pm mid-Jun–mid-Sep, to 6.30pm Jul & Aug), an Alpine garden displaying mountain flora and rare butterflies.
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The Drive » The longest drive on the tour is 42km to Morgex and La Salle. The first 20km involve retracing your route down the SR47 out of the mountains. When you reach the bottom follow signs to rejoin the A5/E25 autostrada in the direction of Mont Blanc. From here it’s 18km to Morgex through the forested valley.
5 Morgex & La Salle
The ruined towers of Châtelard, which guard the road over the Piccolo San Bernardo pass, also cast a shadow over Europe’s highest vineyards strung out between the two communes of Morgex and La Salle. The wines from these Alpine vines, produced almost exclusively from the Prié Blanc grape grown between 900m and 1200m, is light and fruity with overtones of mountain herbs and freshly cut hay.
Given the extremes of temperature at this altitude (some vines run almost to the snow line), vintners employ a unique system of cultivation called pergola bassa (low-level arbours), where vines are planted low to the ground to protect them. Since 1983 the Aostan government has sought to preserve these ancient traditions by setting up the cooperative Cave Mont Blanc de Morgex et La Salle (www.cavemontblanc.com; Chemin des Iles 31; 10am-noon & 3.30-6.30pm Mon-Sat), which processes the grapes from the 90 or so local small-holdings. Aosta’s tourist office (www.lovevda.it; Piazza Porta Praetoria 3; 9am-7pm; 
) has an English-language booklet with information on individual cellars and the cooperative.
The Drive » From either La Salle or Morgex descend through the vineyards and rejoin the SS26 for the short 7km drive to Pré-Saint Didier. The road passes under the A5 and then wriggles alongside the river Thuile all the way to Pré.
SKIING MONT BLANC
Courmayeur offers some extraordinary skiing in the shadow of Mont Blanc. The two main ski areas – the Plan Checrouit and Pre de Pascal – are interlinked by 100km of runs. Three lifts leave from the valley floor: one from Courmayeur itself, one from the village of Dolonne and one from nearby Val Veny. They are run by Funivie Courmayeur Mont Blanc (www.courmayeur-montblanc.com).
6 Pré-Saint Didier
Bubbling at a natural 37°C from the mountains’ depths, where the river Thuile forces its way through a narrow gorge into the Dora valley, the thermal waters at Terme di Pré-Saint-Didier (0165 86 72 72; www.termedipre.it; Allée des Thermes; admission €35-50; 9.30am-9pm Mon-Thu, 8.30am-11pm Fri & Sat, to 9pm Sun) have been a source of therapeutic treatment since the bath-loving Romans were in town. In addition to saunas, whirlpools and toning waterfalls there’s an indoor-outdoor thermal pool. It’s lit by candles and torches on Saturday nights, when it is spectacular amid the snow and stars.
The Drive » The scenic drive to Courmayeur is on the SS26dir. Cross over the river Thuile in Pré and head westwards with the towering snow-capped peaks of the high passes in front of you. They’re an awesome sight, especially in spring when they’re framed by the deepest green conifers.
7 Courmayeur
Flush up against France and linked by a dramatic cable-car ride to its cross-border cousin in Chamonix, Courmayeur has grafted upmarket ski facilities onto an ancient Roman base. Its pièce de résistance is lofty Mont Blanc, western Europe’s highest mountain, 4810m of solid rock and ice that rises like an impregnable wall above the Valle d’Aosta. Ride the Funivie Monte Bianco (Skyway; www.montebianco.com; return €45, Pavillon du Mt Fréty return €25; 8.30am-4pm) for transglacial views that will take your breath away.
First stop is the 2173m-high midstation Pavillon du Mt Fréty, where there’s a restaurant and the Mt Fréty Nature Oasis. At the top of the ridge is Punta Helbronner (3462m). From Punta Helbronner another cable car (late May to late September) takes you on a spectacular 5km ride across the Italian border to the Aiguille du Midi (3842m) in France, from where the world’s highest cable car transports you into Chamonix. The journey from Courmayeur to Chamonix costs €77 and the journey back to Courmayeur by bus is €15. It’s worth every penny.
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EATING & SLEEPING
Aosta 3
5 Vecchia Aosta Italian €€
(0165 36 11 86; Piazza Porta Praetoria 4; set menus €30-35; noon-2.30pm & 7.30-10.30pm; 
) Grafted onto a section of the old Roman wall, the Vecchia’s setting is highly atmospheric. No post-piste boozer, this is a formal place with knowledgeable, sometimes capricious, staff and a traditional menu that includes crespella alla Valdostana (fontina-and-ham-filled crêpes) and beef braised in red wine.
5 Trattoria degli Artisti Trattoria €€
(Via Maillet 5-7; meals €22-30; 12.30-2.30pm & 7-10pm Tue-Sat) Fabulous Valdostan cuisine is dished up at this dark and cosy trattoria, tucked down an alleyway off Via E Aubert. Antipasti such as puff pastry filled with Valdostan fondue, cured ham and regional salami are followed by dishes such as roe venison with polenta, and beef braised in Morgex et de La Salle white wine.
4 Hotel Milleluci Hotel €€€
(0165 4 42 74; www.hotelmilleluci.com; Loc Porossan 15; d €180-270; 
) Old wooden skis, traditionally carved wooden shoes, claw-foot baths, indoor and outdoor pools, a jacuzzi, sauna and gym, and sumptuous skiers’ breakfasts make this large, family-run converted farmhouse seem more like a luxury resort. Set on a hillside above town, its balconied rooms look out to the eponymous ‘thousand lights’ twinkling from Aosta below.
Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso 4
5 Hotel Ristorante Petit Dahu Italian €€
(0165 7 41 46; www.hotelpetitdahu.com; Frazone Valnontey 27; meals €35; closed May & Oct; ) Straddling two traditional stone-and-wood buildings, this friendly, family-run spot has a wonderful restaurant (also open to nonguests) preparing rustic mountain cooking using wild Alpine herbs. It also has pretty rooms to stay in (single/double half-board €80/140).
4 Hotel Sant’Orso Hotel €€
(0165 7 48 21; www.hotelsantorso.com; Via Bourgeois 2; d €140-180; spring & autumn closures vary; ) Tranquil, courteous and understated, the Sant’Orso is nonetheless equipped with plenty of hidden extras, including a wellness area and huge gardens. Further kudos that you can start your cross-country skiing pretty much from the front door.
4 Hotel Bellevue Heritage Hotel €€€
(0165 7 48 25; www.hotelbellevue.it; Rue Grand Paradis 22; s €220, d €190-290, 2-person chalets €270-330; mid-Dec–mid-Oct; ) This green-shuttered mountain hideaway evokes its 1920s origins with romantic canopied timber ‘cabin beds’, cowbells strung from old beams, claw-foot baths and the occasional open fire (it’s definitely not for minimalists). Afternoon tea is included in the price, as is use of the health spa, and you can rent mountain bikes and snowshoes.
Courmayeur 7
5 La Terraza International, Pizza €€
(www.ristorantelaterrazza.com; Via Circonvalazione 73; meals €40; noon-2.30pm & 7-10.30pm) This lively, central bar-restaurant-pizzeria has the full gamut of pizzas, steaks and the usual over-ambitious international-style après-ski nosh. There are also plenty of Valdostan dishes, including venison with mushrooms.
5 La Chaumière Italian €€
(Località Planchecrouit 15; meals €25-40; 9am-5pm) Set on the slopes above Courmayeur, within walking distance of the cable car, is the fabulous sun-kissed terrace of La Chaumière. Views straight down the Aosta valley are accompanied by superlative polenta and 38 carefully sourced wines.
4 Hotel Bouton d’Or Hotel €€
(0165 84 67 29; www.hotelboutondor.com; Strada Statale 26/10; s €95, d €180; ) Charmingly folksy Bouton d’Or is in the centre of Courmayeur and not only has incredible views of the imposing hulk of Mont Blanc, but also a sauna, a lounge full of interesting Alpine paraphernalia and, in summer, a peaceful garden.