This is the smallest region in Italy with the highest mountains in Europe. The woods and valleys of the Gran Paradiso National Park and the peaks of Mont Blanc, Mount Cervino and Mount Rosa are a national treasure of inestimable value and its old towns and medieval castles are of great historical interest. The excellently run hotel industry in the Val d’Aosta, and in particular in Courmayeur, make this a favourite destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

Val D'Aosta Tonale

Today we think of Val d'Aosta as off the beaten track, except for skiers and serious hikers. Yet for millennia it was a well-trod crossroads, one of the main access routes between northern and southern Europe. Hannibal marched his elephants through here in the 3rd century BC. Generations of Roman legions trudged through, building roads and bridges that are still visible today. For centuries, an unending stream of pilgrims trekked through on their way to Rome, braving impossible snows, exhausting altitudes and the exorbitant tolls levied by local lords. More recently, Napoleon and his armies swept through the region on their way to victory at Marengo. All of this occurred before two of the great engineering feats of our time, the Mont Blanc Tunnel and the Great St. Bernard Tunnel, were built. And yet, though it is now considerably easier to cross the French-Swiss-Italian borders, Val d'Aosta is no longer on the itineraries of many foreign travelers.

Courmayeur

Which makes it our kind of place. There is something for everyone in this tiny region, including a hundred castles, a surprising array of Gothic sculptures, spectacular views, glamorous ski resorts, secluded hiking trails, sophisticated and hearty food, abundant wildlife, Baroque village churches, Europe's largest casino, and 116,000 friendly inhabitants who value their independence so dearly that they managed to force the reigning Savoys to grant them a constitution as early as the 12th century.

Aosta

Sheltered by the soaring peaks of Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and a dozen other giants, Val d'Aosta has a milder, sunnier climate than the resorts on the other side of the Alps. No matter what time of year, it's a great place to slow down and relax for a week or so. There are no world-class museums (unless you count Courmayeur's Duca degli Abruzzi Mountaineering Museum!), but there is so much to do we bet you won't be able to squeeze it all in.

The mystery starts with the name, which even in Italian comes in two versions: Val d’Aosta or Valle d’Aosta. Some prefer the French version, le val, while others opt for the more Italian valle; this is not too surprising, seeing as Italy’s smallest region has Molière’s mother tongue as its second language.

For the purposes of this article, let’s stick to Val d’Aosta - the shortest of the alternatives - if nothing else because in Italian the people who live in this area are known as valdostani, rather than valledaostani or valleaostani.

Yet this still does little to clear up the controversy over whether it is a valle, vallata, val or vallée. It is as if the area refuses to be circumscribed within the boundaries of a fixed name. But then, Val d’Aosta is one of the world’s greatest mysteries. A mystery of great beauty, but a mystery nonetheless.

To begin with, it is Italian but has a French name. The local dialect is French, but not too French; the Valdostanis’ local language is often, to its poetic benefit, twisted into a kind of patois, a dialect whose origins lie in Provence.

VALLE VALTOURNENCHE (Valle d'Aosta) BREUIL - CERVINIA (AO)

The lingo has a lovely lilt, and it is interesting for Italian speakers to try to pick up the gist of what is being said, for example, eavesdropping in a shop where two locals are talking between themselves. In days gone by, Val d’Aosta felt even more closely associated with France than it does today; Savoyard France at that.

But this was back in the days before the Mont Blanc tunnel, when France, even though just over the border, was distant and hard to reach. After the tunnel was completed, and France became all too accessible (and a competitor: for skiing, rock climbing, food, wine, casinos and so on), a certain Frenchness, a certain passion for things French, became all too palpable and has since somewhat diminished.

Val d’Aosta does not feel the same way about Switzerland, despite the fact that the Saint Bernard tunnel, leading on down to the town of Martigny, is closer to the regional administrative center than the Mont Blanc tunnel, and is served by a good quality road to the pass which is practicable many months a year, including the chance to stop off at the Pilgrim’s Hospice from whence the famous St. Bernard dogs hail.

Chamonix in France is considered the French counterpart of Courmayeur, Italy, even though the tunnel was closed down in March 1999 following the tragic fire that took the lives of so many people, and will remain closed for quite some time yet.

The Val d’Aosta is a splendid place that everybody should come and visit. Yet the people of the Valley seemed to be rather jealous of it. They have made only limited concessions to tourism, and when they decided to put in a bid to bring the 1998 Winter Olympics to the main town of Aosta, they thought long and hard before getting behind a process that they perhaps knew could only be a first step, seeing that the winter Olympics had gone to Albertville, France, in 1992, and Lillehammer, Norway, in 1994, making it unthinkable for a third consecutive Games to be awarded to Europe.

That time round, the official favorite Nagano, Japan, won the day. Val d’Aosta did not build on this initial attempt; rather, they pulled out immediately from a contest that requires great stamina.

Withdrawn, retreating back into their shell, they so wholeheartedly turned their backs on their earlier desires and plans that they left the way clear for Turin to put itself forward as organizer of the 2006 Winter Olympics, after the 2002 games had been awarded to Salt Lake City in the US, and therefore it was almost certainly Europe’s turn. Turin won out over Sion, Switzerland, and not a few people in Val d’Aosta felt a twinge of regret, if not remorse.

Val d’Aosta is rich: rich from tourism, from its casino (Saint Vincent rakes in by far the biggest takings in Italy, and pays out far more than its counterparts, that is to say Venice, Sanremo and Campione), industry, and the skills and tenacity of its population of 100,000, partly boosted by migratory waves.

It is also constantly riven by a mania for political activism - it sometimes seems as if there is one political party for every Valdostano. The region is so rich that every now and then it pretends to be poor, which is why its fortunate residents pay less than their fellow Italians for petrol, grappa and other products, and can draw on grants for welfare and social services which work very well and look after the health of croupiers and shepherds, designers of breathtaking cableways and organizers of cow fights (the local beasts are known as reines, French for queens).

Val d’Aosta is a place of contrast, with wonderful wines yet many stores turned over to the sale of liquor that is as ignoble as it is tax-free. In my own opinion, it has the world’s greatest cheese, Fontina, rivaled only by Beaufort from Savoy, no disrespect meant to traditional hierarchies, and yet it often seems that they want to keep it all for themselves.

We haven’t even broached the topics of sport, whether it be winter or summer oriented, both of which are exceedingly important. Val d’Aosta is studded with beautiful castles, any one of which would be enough to whip up a considerable ad hoc tourism trail, yet these are respectful, considerate, well-mannered castles, seen rather than heard trumpeting their own beauty and nobility.

When it comes right down to it, Val d’Aosta does seem to be a little too well-mannered and reserved; its mountains need to be conquered like a lover, they cannot be possessed with a simple glance; they are like a beautiful woman you know is way beyond you.

Other mountain regions may jump out at you, push themselves in your face: certain peaks in the Dolomites spring to mind.

Alongside the majesty of the Matterhorn, standing alone almost as if to “counter” Mont Blanc’s camouflage, there are a host of other peaks crying out to be discovered and enjoyed. It is never simply a matter of being overwhelmed by these mountains, standing back to admire them, and then being overwhelmed again.

This is a wonderful, discreet valley, with delicate yet strong veins draining into the major central artery, the Dora Baltea and its autostrada, in one direction Gressoney one and two - winding up where German is spoken, and in the other - Gran Paradiso - wending its way through Piedmont into the province of Turin. Mother country France is always just out of reach, and Switzerland is a million miles away.

Whenever I am driving towards Switzerland via the Gran San Bernardo pass, it never feels like we are getting closer to somewhere, but rather that we are sadly leaving behind the Aosta valley down below, where they make sublime cavolo nero - black cabbage - and Fontina soup known as zuppa valpellinense, even though many people mistakenly attribute this delight to the Valtellina area.

One thing of which we may be certain is the noble history surrounding these mountains; the social whirl at Cervinia in no way overshadows the epic feats of Carrel and his substitutes on the Matterhorn. When it comes to skiing, all I can say is that skiing in Val d’Aosta is unlike skiing anywhere else in Piedmont, Italy or the world, and that is true whether you go to Chamois at high altitude, or to La Thuile near Aosta town, Courmayeur or Cervinia which are a magnet for the Milanese and yet still so typically Aostan.

This is not to say that the skiing is better or worse. It’s just unique. Simply unique, and even if I knew how to describe why, I would choose not to, in order not to tarnish a veritable sporting poem.

Coming down from the Plateau Rosa, or taking the high road to do an Alp or two and then piling down to Gressoney, as do the super athletes who every two years compete for the Mezzalama Trophy, is to drink in sensations, emotions and feelings.

The same holds true for the main Valley too, for example at Arvier, the little village which Maurice Garin left for France to find work, only to find a bicycle and, in 1903, win the first ever Tour de France.

Val d’Aosta is populated with spirits, demons, fairies and witches. Coming across them is as easy as drinking grappa, wine and coffee from the wooden goblet typical of the area, an object festooned with spouts from which everybody can suck a sip of fire and friendship.

Then just head on to the slopes or meadows, and les jeux sont faits. When in Val d’Aosta, eat bacon fat with fried bread, until you win at roulette in Saint Vincent, at which point it’s champagne and caviar all the way.

Unless you lose everything, in which case you are somehow richer than before… at least, you are if you walk up from Saint Vincent to the Colle di Joux, and look out from the natural balcony, from which your tears of joy and rage can flow over the whole Valley.

Position and Frontier:
The region has dipped between Alps Graie and Alps Pennine. It confines to north and west (political border of Italy) with France and Switzerland, to east and to south with Piedmont, of which geographically makes part of it.

Rivers - Lakes:
The principal river is Dora Baltea with many small natural tributaries that in the time have dug some side valleys, meeting all to thorn of fish in Basin of Dora Baltea.

Climate:
The climate is typical of the alpine regions: cold rigid of winter and coolness in summer. In the period from October in March snows abundantly, is in tall mountain that in the valleys.

Population:
The population has installed especially in the valley bottom and along the course of Dora Baltea. Around a third alive in the city of Aosta, the rest in small countries and suburbs around the city. The greatest part of the inhabitants speaks a French dialect, the frank-Provenzal patois and the bilingualism has recognized officially, also in the public and administrative actions. The schools have the obligation to teach the French language. A small minority that is found in Valley of Gressoney speaks the German language and the inhabitants are called Wals.

Main cities

AOSTA
BREUIL CERVINIA
COURMAYEUR
SAINT VINCENT

welcometuscanY HOME SINCE 2001 - sitemap - Welcometuscany Japan - STAFF

accommodation Tuscany Hotel holiday HOUSE RENTAL B&B
Welcometuscany is powered by expedia venere company specializing in secure online reservations at selected charming independent accommodations throughout tuscany.
Accommodation Florence Chianti hills Siena Lucca Pisa Versilia coast Tuscan Spa resorts Montecatini terme Val di Chiana

Welcometuscany is powered by clickz italy-travel-guide.it to search direct booking accommodations and travel tips in tuscany http://tuscany.it.clickz.it
Farmhouse - Hotel - B&B - residence - villa - castle vip luxury - apartment townhouse - advanced search