 Introduction
The upper Aosta Valley is the traditional southern starting-point for the tracks, then roads, which divided here to lead over the Alpine passes. The road through the Great St. Bernard Pass (or today the Great St. Bernard Tunnel) leads to Martigny, Valais, and the one through the Little St. Bernard Pass to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Savoie. Today Aosta is joined to Chamonix in France by the Mont Blanc Tunnel, a road tunnel on E25 running underneath the Alps.
History and Culture
In the mid-13th century Emperor Frederick II made the County of Aosta a duchy (see Duke of Aosta), and its arms charged with a lion rampant were carried in the Savoia arms until the reunification of Italy, 1870 [2]. The region remained part of Savoy lands, with the exception of a French occupation from 1539 to 1563.
During the Middle Ages the region remained strongly feudal, and castles, such as those of the Challant family in the Valley of Gressoney, still dot the landscape. In the 12th and 13th centuries, German-speaking Walser communities were established in the Gressoney, and some communes retain their separate Walser identity even today.
Places in the Region of Valle d'Aosta
In the valley bottoms, surrounding the valley towns, and pushing up the slopes, you will see intensive, small scale farming. Higher up, the bare, grassy slopes are used for pasturing cattle, sheep and goats, still being shepherded as in times of old.
The predominant architecture of the area is Gothic, with touches of Romanesque. Roman artifacts are numerous, but it is the unique wooden and marble statuary created by local artists, much of which is exhibited in the Treasury Museum at the Cathedral in Aosta, that exemplifies Aostan art.
The Alpine sking - which is some of the best in the world ? you can find at Monterosa Ski, it is one of the Europe's skiing masterpieces: the skiing area covers over 200 kilometres of snow, with 56 runs served by 42 skilifts. You can reach by skilifts the Ayas Valley, the Gressoney Valley. Saint-Vincent is an elegant tourist and high-level sports centre, with top European-level hotels. It is the fashionable heart of Aosta Valley with famous restaurants and one of the biggest Casinos in Europe: the Casino de la Vallee. A few kilometres from Saint-Vincent, at 1640 metres, there is the Col de Joux which straddles Ayas Valley and the central valley of the Dora. Wide, flat, covered in pine woods, it offers 7 km of intermediate-level downhill pistes.
Courmayer offers the best opportunities for shopping, entertainment, bars and restaurants, but also the mountain atmosphere of its little streets, or the undisputed charm of its typical villages such as Dolonne and EtrIves. The skiing area has 100 kilometres of downhill runs, easy and difficult alike. Some pistes are famous for their intoxicating length, others because they host famous competitions, yet others are ideal for snowboard or telemark; at Dolonne you can also ski by night.
Below the Matterhorn's splendid silhoutte, Brueil-Cervinia is a world-famous skiing resort. Its skiing area with over 150 kilometres of pistes is one of the biggest in the Alps and you can ski all day without ever doing one run twice. Snowboard enthusiasts will find their paradise in Breuil-Cervinia's Snow-Park. Valtournenche is located below the picturesque chain of the Grandes Muralles and it has a vast skiing area between Monte Roisetta and Grand Sometta, with magnificient views of the Matternhorn. Visiting this area you cannot miss Chamois that is the only village in Aosta Valley inaccessible by car. You can reach it by cable car in a spectacular leap of 800m from the fraction of Buisson.
Or you can wander around and catch a glimpse of the medieval castles and fortresses that dot the countryside, in all of the 13 valleys that sit between the mountainous ribs of the Region. The castles of Castles of Challant, Fenis, and Verres are good examples.
If you are looking for a place to visit that has stunning scenery, a picturesque alpine quality, a place where one can enjoy a sense of space, breathe clean air, and commune with gregarious “locals”, it is hard to think of a better destination than Valle d'Aosta.
Events
The Valle d'Aosta's famous cow fights been going on here since the 17th century. It's a huge event held in Aosta on the third sunday in October at the Croix Noire Stadium. The owners of the winning cow get feasted and presented with barrels of wine.
Fiera de Sant'Orso - January - Aosta
A large Aosta crafts fair featuring music, plays, and dances held on the last two days of January since year 1000.
Links |
| |
|
Home 
Valle d'Aosta Travel Guide
Single room - From 50€
Single room - From 35€
Twin room - From 110€
Single room - From 55€