Aosta Valley

Aosta Valley is Italy's smallest region, wedged between the highest peaks of the Alps: Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso. Courmayeur, Cervinia and Champoluc are world-class ski resorts, and the Skyway cable car rises to over 3,400 metres facing Mont Blanc.

The valley floor is lined with medieval castles such as Fénis and Bard, while Aosta keeps Roman walls, a theatre and an arch. In Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy's oldest, ibex and chamois are easy to spot.

The smallest region, the highest mountains

The Aosta Valley is the smallest and least populated region of Italy, but it has the highest mountains in Europe: Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Gran Paradiso surround it like a crown. It is one main valley, crossed by the Dora Baltea river, from which some twenty side valleys branch off, each with its own character. An autonomous and bilingual region, where Italian and French are both official and Franco-Provençal patois is spoken, as well as the Walser dialect of German origin in the Lys valley, the Aosta Valley has a very ancient history, shown by Roman monuments and more than a hundred medieval castles. It is an ideal destination for skiing, mountaineering, hiking and wellbeing in every season.

Aosta, the Rome of the Alps

Aosta, founded by the Romans in 25 BC as Augusta Praetoria, keeps a grid plan and some of the best preserved Roman monuments in northern Italy: the Arch of Augustus, the Praetorian Gate, the Roman theatre with its tall facade, the forum cryptoporticus and the walls. The Sant'Orso complex, with its Romanesque cloister of carved capitals and eleventh-century frescoes, and the cathedral are the jewels of medieval art. Every year at the end of January, the Sant'Orso Fair brings together hundreds of craftsmen working in wood, iron, stone and wool in a celebration more than a thousand years old. From the city a gondola rises to Pila, Aosta's ski resort.

Mont Blanc and Courmayeur

Courmayeur, at the foot of Mont Blanc, the roof of Europe at 4,808 metres, is one of the most famous and elegant Alpine resorts. From here the Skyway Monte Bianco cable car climbs to Punta Helbronner, at more than 3,400 metres, with rotating viewing platforms over the glaciers and peaks. In summer Val Veny and Val Ferret offer trails among meadows, glaciers and mountain huts, and the Tour du Mont Blanc, one of the most famous treks in the world, crosses Italy, France and Switzerland. Nearby, Pré-Saint-Didier has thermal baths with outdoor pools and mountain views, and La Thuile is a ski resort linked with La Rosière in France.

The Matterhorn and Monte Rosa

Breuil-Cervinia, in the municipality of Valtournenche, lies at the foot of the Matterhorn, the pyramid-shaped mountain that symbolises the Alps. Its ski area, linked with Zermatt in Switzerland, allows high-altitude skiing even in summer on the Plateau Rosa glacier. The Ayas valley, with Champoluc, and the Gressoney valley, with Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Gressoney-La-Trinité, are part of Monterosa Ski and are home to the Walser community, which preserves its wooden houses, language and traditions. In Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Castel Savoia was the summer residence of Queen Margherita. From Monte Rosa you can reach the Capanna Margherita, the highest mountain hut in Europe.

Gran Paradiso National Park

Gran Paradiso, the only four-thousand-metre peak entirely within Italy, is the heart of the country's oldest national park, established in 1922 to protect the ibex. Cogne, with the meadows of Sant'Orso, the Lillaz waterfalls and its lace-making tradition, is the main gateway to the park and also a cross-country skiing resort. The Valsavarenche and Val di Rhêmes are wild valleys where it is easy to spot ibex, chamois and marmots. The Paradisia Alpine Botanical Garden at Valnontey has hundreds of species of mountain plants.

The castles of the Valley

The Aosta Valley has one of the highest concentrations of castles in Europe. Fénis Castle, with its crenellated towers and frescoed courtyard, is one of the most famous and photographed. The castle of Issogne, a Renaissance residence of the Challant family, has the pomegranate fountain and frescoes of daily life. The Fort of Bard, a great nineteenth-century fortress towering over the valley, houses the Museum of the Alps and temporary exhibitions, and the village at its foot is one of the most beautiful in Italy. Sarre Castle, a Savoy hunting lodge, Castel Gamba, with a modern art collection, and Verrès Castle complete a fascinating itinerary.

Food and wine

Aosta Valley cooking is mountain food, hearty and warming. Fontina PDO, made with milk from Aosta Valley cows, is the signature cheese, the star of fonduta and polenta concia. Valpelline soup, with bread, cabbage and fontina, carbonada, a beef stew in wine, and the Aosta Valley veal cutlet are traditional dishes. Lardo from Arnad, cured in wooden tubs with herbs and spices, jambon de Bosses, a mountain ham, mocetta, air-dried meat, and Fromadzo cheese are other specialities. The typical sweet is tegole, thin hazelnut biscuits. Meals end with Aosta Valley coffee, served in the grolla or the cup of friendship, a wooden bowl with several spouts from which people drink together. Mountain wines such as Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle, from some of the highest vineyards in Europe, Petite Arvine, Fumin and Torrette are surprising.

Wellbeing and spas

The Aosta Valley is also a wellness destination. The thermal baths of Pré-Saint-Didier, with outdoor pools and views of Mont Blanc, are among the most spectacular in the Alps, and the spa of Saint-Vincent, the Riviera of the Alps, is known for its mineral water. Saint-Vincent is also home to one of the largest casinos in Europe. Many mountain hotels have spas, and in summer the clean air and the trails invite relaxation and exercise.

Sport and activities

Winter is ski season: Courmayeur, Cervinia, Monterosa Ski, La Thuile and Pila offer hundreds of kilometres of slopes, while Cogne and the Gressoney valley are ideal for cross-country skiing. Heli-skiing lets you descend untouched high-altitude slopes. In summer there is hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, paragliding and rafting on the Dora Baltea. The Alte Vie, two great long-distance trails, cross the region from end to end among mountain huts and views, and the Tor des Géants is one of the toughest trail-running races in the world.

When to go and how to get around

The Aosta Valley is a destination for all seasons. From December to April you ski, from June to September you hike and climb, while spring and autumn are quiet seasons, ideal for castles, the grape harvest and village festivals. The motorway links Aosta with Turin and Milan, and the Mont Blanc and Great St Bernard tunnels lead to France and Switzerland. Trains reach Aosta from Turin, while the side valleys are served by buses. To move freely between the valleys a car is the most convenient solution. The nearest airports are Turin Caselle, Milan Malpensa and Geneva.