Aosta Eight Itineraries To Visit the Valley

By Enrico Massetti

The highest mountains in Europe are in the Aosta Valley; medieval castles have protected the roads across the Alps since the Roman Empire. Also, agricultural traditions are still alive today, and the most sophisticated and advanced skiing facilities in resorts are frequented by millions of skiers worldwide. These villages can be reached only by cable car and do not have a road for vehicles. These natural parks protect flora and fauna. This book on the Valle d'Aosta tells all this and more. It describes eight routes to visit all the localities of the Valley.

Valle d'Aosta is a vertical region, you might say, in the physical sense, of the many high peaks surrounding it, including Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in Europe at 4,807 meters. Nevertheless, this region of such reduced dimensions has a surprising concentration of so many natural splendors, of so many monuments, and so much precious historical and artistic heritage. In its vertical aspect, their density evokes the crowding of skyscrapers in a metropolis where horizontal urban space is scarce and precious.

Aosta, the regional capital and the only province of the Valley, is rich in history. Traces of the ancient Augusta Pretoria (the Latin name of Aosta) can easily be seen, such as the magnificent Arch of Augustus (25 B.C.) and the Roman Theatre remains. For Aosta, the Middle Ages were anything but dark: as an important center of commercial traffic with France and Switzerland, the city enjoyed an extended period of prosperity. It is no coincidence that the Cathedral and Church of St. Ursus are two churches of great beauty, dating back to the Middle Ages.

This guide covers visits to the mountain region of Aosta Valley, describing eight itineraries to visit the Valley. The locations covered are the city of Aosta, the lower Valley with its castles, a visit to Cogne and the Gran Paradiso Park, a visit to Morgex, La Thuile, and the Piccolo San Bernardo Pass, one to Courmayeur, one to Valpelline and the Gran San Bernardo Pass, and all the villages of the Valtournenche Valley.

There are extensive descriptions and color photos of the attractions.

It has the listing of many reviews for the best-recommended restaurants for all the locations; you have the necessary information ready: the name, address, and telephone number are included in the guide together with the review.

It includes a final chapter on the typical regional cuisine, complete with photos of the dishes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Massetti Publishing
• Release date: Jul 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201694869

Enrico Massetti

Enrico Massetti nació en Milán, Italia, donde vivió durante más de 30 años, visitando innumerables destinos turísticos, desde las montañas de los Alpes hasta el mar de Sicilia. Ahora vive en Washington, Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, visita regularmente su ciudad natal y disfruta recorriendo todos los lugares de su país, especialmente aquellos a los que puede llegar en transporte público. Puede contactar con Enrico en [e-mail].

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Enrico Massetti

Aosta Eight Itineraries to Visit the Valley

Enrico Massetti

Text Copyright © Enrico Massetti 2015-2021

Images ©, or CC Creative Commons license, as specified for each image

Cover image © Silviadc

Published by Enrico Massetti

All Rights Reserved

2021 edition

Dedicated to my Aosta Valley friends

with whom I spent years

of summer and winter vacations in Chamois

Dedicated also to Donato Arcaro, touristic guide

very active in promoting the Valley on social media

Enrico Massetti

Text Copyright © Enrico Massetti 2015-2021

Portions of Text CC Creative Commons license Wikipedia.org

Images ©, or CC Creative Commons license, as specified for each image

Cover image © Silviadc

Published by Massetti Publishing

All Rights Reserved

2021 edition

Aosta Valley

Aosta Valley map

Matterhorn and Blue Lake - SeniaFerrante CC BY-SA 3.0

The Valle d'Aosta (Aosta Valley) is a sizable deep furrow between the highest mountains in Europe, watered by the Dora Baltea River. Its tributaries run from picturesque lateral valleys: the Valtournenche, Val di Gressoney, Val d'Ayas, Valgrisenche.

Valle d'Aosta is a vertical region, you might say, and not just in the physical sense, for the many high peaks that surround it (including Mont Blanc, at 4,807 meters the highest mountain in Europe), but also for the surprising concentration of mountain peaks.

It’s a region of very small dimensions, of many natural splendors, many monuments, and much precious historical and artistic heritage. It evokes, in its vertical aspect, the crowding of skyscrapers in a metropolis where horizontal urban space is scarce and precious.

The Top ski areas - Cervinia

The Valley is a heaven for lovers of mountain sports, skiing is a major attraction here. It attracts crowds not only from the Italian cities, mainly from the very close northern Pianura Padana, but also from all Italy, and worldwide. 

Breuil-Cervinia is one of the two top ski areas of the Valley.

Breuil-Cervinia ski area

The Plateau Rosa cable car in the Matterhorn Ski Paradise -SteGrifo27 CC BY-SA 3.0

In Breuil-Cervinia you can ski on the Italian side of the Matterhorn in an area of 150 km² (58 sq mi), and Cervinia/Zermatt 350 km² (140 sq mi).

Breuil-Cervinia summer - Francofranco56 public domain

The base elevation of 2,050 m (6,730 ft) in Breuil-Cervinia, and 1,524 m [5,000 ft] in Valtournenche makes it approachable by almost all intermediate skiers. Cervinia has 56 runs for 200 km [120 mi], with the longest run of 22.5 km (14.0 mi).

The Cime Bianche cable car and the Matterhorn - SteGrifo27 CC BY-SA 3.0

Ski Resorts in Breuil-Cervinia/Valtournenche/Zermatt, thanks to the resort's high altitude, enable skiing to and from your front door all year round, when the Cable car is open for service. It closes only a few weeks during the year for maintenance. 

Thanks to the considerable height of the area (2,000-3,500 meters on the Breuil side, up to 3,900 meters of the Rollin Hump on the Swiss side), the ski season is extended from the beginning of November to the beginning of May. It is also possible to practice summer skiing on the slopes of the Plateau Rosa glacier, using the Swiss lifts.

Breuil-Cervinia Matterhorn - qwesy qwesy CC BY 3.0

You can get to Cervinia in 2,20 hours from Milan, 2 hours from the Malpensa airport, 1,30 hour from Turin, and 3 hours from Genoa; most of the way on a motorway.

Breuil-Cervinia is situated at the foot of Mount Cervino, a renowned winter and summer tourist resort in the Alps. Breuil is the original name in French, derived from the Arpitan word breuil or braoulé, indicating the marshy mountain plains, a very common toponym in Valle d'Aosta. Cervinia is the name given to the resort during the fascist era.

Breuil-Cervinia Territory

Cervinia is situated at 2050 meters above sea level, one of the highest permanent settlements in Europe together with Juf in Switzerland, Trepalle di Livigno and Sestriere in Italy, at the northern limit of Valtournenche, on the southern slopes of Mount Cervino.

It is 27 km from Châtillon, 30 km from Saint-Vincent, about 50 km from Aosta and about 10 km from Zermatt as the crow flies. Plan Maison is situated at an altitude of about 2,500 meters, while Plateau Rosa is about 3,500 meters above sea level and is connected to Switzerland by cableway.

Tourism in Breuil-Cervinia began to develop at the end of the nineteenth century, when numerous mountaineers reached the resort to conquer the summit of Mount Cervino. With the birth of Alpine skiing, the slopes of Breuil also became the destination of the first skiers. The first tourist settlements were built in the area and the resort began to transform from a simple mountain pasture to a tourist destination. In 1934, some Piedmontese entrepreneurs founded the Società Cervino with the aim of transforming Breuil-Cervinia into an important tourist destination by building modern ski-lift facilities. Two years later, the Breuil-Plan Maison cableway was inaugurated and allowed to reach Plan Maison at 2555 meters above sea level.

In 1939, the Agudio company built a cableway that from Plan Maison climbed to 3480 meters above sea level of Testa Grigia, among the perennial ice of Plateau Rosa, on the border with Switzerland. It was one of the most modern installations in the world, certainly the highest in Italy.

After the war, the first ski lifts were built around Breuil-Cervinia and Plan Maison. In 1952, on the impetus of Count Dino Lora Totino, a new and very daring cable car was built from Plan Maison to Mount Furggen. It was a single-span cable car and was so long that the designer had to consider the curvature of the earth.

Milanese vacationers in Breuil-Cervinia in 1950 © Enrico

In 1961, the Plan Maison-Cime Bianche-Plateau Rosa cable car was replaced by a new system, and in 1963 the Breuil-Plan Maison cable car had a new and spacious cable car.

In 1982 the connection with the ski lifts of Valtournenche was realized, allowing skiers arriving from the Pianura Padana cities by car to avoid driving the last seven kilometers of winding mountain road, a road that is often affected by the snow falls.

In 1991, the Plateau Rosa cable car was replaced by a 140-passenger gondola lift.

Breuil-Cervinia center - qwesy qwesy CC BY 3.0

The new millennium saw the Cervino Company in considerable economic difficulty and unable to invest in the resort. In 2006, thanks to regional funding, two modern chair lifts called Crétaz and Campetto were built to replace the old ski lifts.

In 2008, increasing financial difficulties led the Cravetto family, the historical manager of Breuil-Cervinia ski facilities, to sell its majority shares in Cervino Spa. The Region of Valle d'Aosta purchased about 70% of them; the remaining 30% was managed by private individuals; and the company thus became public, like most of its Aosta Valley counterparts operating in the sector.

Via Jean-Antoine Carrel. - Tenam2 CC BY-SA 3.0

The Plateau Rosa cable car was renovated for the 2011-2012 season. Thanks to its rapid and constant growth over the years, Cervinia and its district, moreover, like many other ski resorts such as Courmayeur, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Limone Piemonte, Pila, Sauze d'Oulx, Sestriere, Zermatt, etc., became a virgin field for architectural and engineering experimentation, with the aim of developing modern alpine architecture and new technologies to be used in buildings and cableways.

Examples of this research are the Cielo Alto Residence, and the Casa del Sole. Unfortunately, this research altered somehow the alpine appearance of the town.

Cervinia Condominium - qwesy qwesy CC BY 3.0

Tourism in Breuil-Cervinia

The main resource of Breuil-Cervinia is tourism: in fact, it is one of the most famous ski resorts in the Alps. The ski-lifts are connected with those of Zermatt, on the Swiss side of the Matterhorn, and with those of Valtournenche, thus forming a single ski area (with over 350 km of slopes), called Matterhorn Ski Paradise, not far from the other famous area of Monterosa Ski.

In summer you can play golf at the 18-hole Cervino Golf Club, one of the highest altitude courses in the world (at 2050 m), founded in 1955. During the winter months, a cross-country skiing track winds along the course of the golf course.

Breuil-Cervinia is also one of the departure points for mountaineering climbs on the Matterhorn, a peak which has made the history of European mountaineering in the Alps, as well as for medium and high-altitude hiking trails.

Refuge du Théodule

Original Refuge - Francofranco56 CC BY-SA 3.0

Since Roman times the Colle del Teodulo has been crossed by wayfarers and pilgrims, for this reason the Teodulo was the first hospital of the Alps.

The original refuge was built in 1852 and was the first refuge in the Alps (with the current conception of refuge), with the name Rifugio Albergo Colle del Teodulo; it was used as a hiking and mountaineering base for the surrounding peaks and for skiing on the glacier. It was made of larch wood and stone, obtained from some disused fortifications built by Duke Amedeo II in 1688. The refuge was then sold to CAI for 23,346 lire in 1915.

The modern refuge was built in 1920 and extensively renovated afterwards.

The Top ski areas - Courmayeur

Map Courmayeur ski area

Transfer times like the ones to Breuil-Cervinia from the northern Italian cities apply also to the other top ski resort of Courmayeur, a small village that conserved most of its alpine appeal and appearance.

Courmayeur from Rifugio Torino - Francofranco56 Pubblico dominio

Courmayeur History

The toponym Courmayeur has a deep historical background: since 1233 when it was called Curia Majori. The present toponym was first confirmed as early as 1860 by Édouard Aubert.

Thanks to its proximity to Mont Blanc when alpinism arose it became a popular tourist destination.

Courmayeur Landmarks

Courmayeur is cited as Italy best all-round ski resort and contains the Alpine Botanical Garden Saussurea, Europe's highest botanical garden. The Church of Saint-Pantaléon dates to the 18th century.

In the summer months Courmayeur is a popular destination for hikers. The nearby village of La Palud is the base station of the SkyWay Monte Bianco, the cable car to the Pointe Helbronner. This links to the Vallée Blanche Cable Car going to the Aiguille du Midi, which connects to the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi, the cable car from Chamonix.

Notre-Dame de Guérison (Our Lady the Healer) Sanctuary

Santuario Our Lady of the Healing - Franco56 CC BY-SA 3.0

Notre-Dame de Guérison (French for Our Lady the Healer) is a sanctuary