Aosta Valley
Valle d'Aosta
What’s so special?
If you’re looking for the Italian Alpine Experience in a compact package, then look no further. The Aosta Valley offers Italy’s views of both the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc, two of Europe’s tallest and most storied peaks. As you might imagine, it’s a winter sports paradise. Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing… if you need snow to do it, they do it in the Aosta Valley. But summer is also a nature lover’s treat. Trekking, rafting, mountain biking, and golf are all major outdoor favorites. But there’s also the cultural and historical beauty. Roman towns, medieval castles, and monasteries dot the mountainous landscape and offer rich experience for those looking to explore this side of the valley. The region’s small population and lack of big cities and bright lights also make it the best place in the country for stargazing.
About the Aosta Valley
This is the smallest of Italy’s 20 regions and is tucked away in the furthest corner of the country’s northwest. This puts it much further off the typical traveler’s route, compared to much of Italy. It’s actually one of only two Italian regions without its own airport, so visitors usually start in Turin, Milan, or Geneva instead. While Italian is certainly the main language, French is also widely spoken, as is the local dialect known as Valdôtain.
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Getting Around
The city of Aosta, the capital of the region, is easily accessible by train, bus, or private car from other points of Italy and from Geneva, Switzerland. Within the Aosta Valley, if you don’t want to rent your own car, taxi and hired car services are plentiful and will take you throughout the region, 24 hours a day. There’s also a good bus system. Rail lines link the major communities within the valley, with trains leaving Aosta for Saint-Vincent (20 mins), Verrès (30 mins), Bard (40 mins) and Pont-Saint-Martin (45 mins). If you’re doing summer hiking and don’t want to be responsible for your own car, there are two on-demand trekking bus options that will drop you off an pick you up at your start and end points.
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Major Cities and Towns
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Aosta – the only true city in the Aosta Valley, with a population of only 34,000 inhabitants, sits in a meadow valley surrounded by snow-covered peaks all year round. Founded in 25 BC by the Romans, it is nicknamed the “Rome of the Alps.” The original city wall and many Roman archeological sites are still in good shape today and are great to explore.
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Pila – this ski resort and summer hiking hotspot sits above the city of Aosta and is connected to it by a cable car.
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Chamois – nicknamed “the Pearl of the Alps” sits in the Matterhorn Valley. The entire town is car-free out of necessity; the only way to get there is via cable car!
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Saint-Vincent – Famous for its thermal mineral baths and casinos the town’s sheltered location gives it a milder climate than much of the rest of the region.
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Verrès – famous for its cube-shaped castle.
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Bard – the site of fortress that was a stronghold of the Dukes of Savoy, which ruled this part of Italy in the Middle Ages. The Fortress is now the Museum of the Alps.
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Pont-Saint-Martin – with roots back to Roman times, the town is named after its ancient bridge that graces the town center and is also home to the ruins of two medieval castles.
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Courmayeur – a resort town at the foot of Mont Blanc, which is about a 1-hour-and-15-minute bus ride from Aosta. The town is a jumping off point for cable car rides mid-way up the famous mountain.
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Food and Wine
The history and geography of the Aosta Valley plays out in its culinary experiences. Cows grazing in high alpine pastures provide the organic milk that gives character to a vast array of cheese including fontina, fromadzo, and the somewhat elusive salignön – a rich ricotta flavored with mountain herbs and chili peppers. If you like charcuterie, you’re in for a treat. The region is renowned for its cured jamon, boudin, and sausages that add true alpine flavor to any table. The high altitude is perfect for produce like apples, pears, walnuts, and chestnuts. Plus, the Aosta Valley is famous for its dark, fragrant rye bread and a wide variety of honeys.
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But this is also Italy, so no meal is complete without something to wash it down. Aosta Valley’s Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle white wines are made with some of the highest cultivated grapes in Europe, resulting in light and fresh white wines with hints of mountain herbs. If red is more your style, the full-bodied, yet crisp and dry Torrette is the region’s most widely produced. As digestifs go, Aosta Valley is famous for its grappa – the intense grape-based liqueur that adds warmth to the cold mountain nights – or génépy, a greenish-yellow elixir made from herbs that grown in the high mountain meadows and which locals claim has therapeutic properties.
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Must See and Do
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Walk the ancient Roman fortified walls and explore the well-preserved Roman history of the city of Aosta.
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Visit the Cave Mont Blanc wine collective, just outside of Aosta, to sample alpine wines.
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Get outdoors! Enjoy the world-class skiing in winter or stunning mountain trekking in spring and summer.
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Take the cable car from Aosta to the ski resort down of Pila – a 17-minute journey into the high Alps. Or, journey to Courmayeur for the famous SkyWay Monte Bianco cable car, which takes you part way up to the southern slop of Mount Blanc and provides great views over the distant Matterhorn. For movie fans, this cable car was also the setting for an action sequence in Kingsman: the Golden Circle, starring Taron Egerton and Colin Firth.
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For mountain trekkers, the 3-day Via Francigena is an old pilgrimage route that was part of the England-to-Rome corridor in the Middle Ages. Today it offers access to a series of ancient villages and churches, castles, and vineyards all nestled in spectacular mountain scenery. It also crosses the Great Saint Bernard Pass – ya, the one of rescue dog fame! This brochure offers more information (the last third of the brochure is in English).
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Catch a glimpse of the alpine ibex or chamois in Italy’s oldest national park, Gran Paradiso.​
More information:
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The official Aosta Valley tourism website
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YouTube Videos to spark your imagination and excite your traveler’s instincts.
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If you want to plan a trip to the Aosta Valley, contact us!
