The Aosta Valley is the smallest, least populous, and least densely populated region of Italy.
Aosta is the capital of the region, which is ruled by a special statute, where the Italian and the French languages are officially recognized, thus street signs are bilingual (French and Italian) and almost all place names and local surnames are French in origin .
As the most mountainous region of Italy, it is entirely surrounded by the best known, splendid peaks of the Alps: the Matterhorn, the Monte Rosa, the Gran Paradiso and the Monte Bianco, which can be reached by the loftiest cableway in Europe.
The Gran Paradiso is at the centre of a magnificent National Park, populated by beautiful specimens of ibex, chamois and eagle. Numerous glaciers feed a rich web of streams; the pine forests reach up to rather high altitudes, where they give place to large pasturelands; numerous small Alpine lakes are set like little jewels in majestic mountain landscapes.
Important traces of the Roman Age can be found in Aosta: the city walls, the theater, Augustus’s Arch, the Pretorian Gate, the Romanesque Cathedral, which dates back to the eleventh century.
Many are the fortified castles in the Aosta Valley, moist of them are in perfect conditions and open to visitors; many have become museums of local history. The most famous are the castles of Fénis, of Aymavilles, of Issogne and Verrés. And there are the typical villages with the quaint local houses called rascards, typical buildings made with trunks of pine, spruce and larch, square or only without crust, stuck to carving at the ends.
For those who enjoy outdoor activities in contact with nature, sporting activities with a variety of disciplines: dinghy stream descents, canyoning with mountain guides, day trips to adventure parks, mountain bike excursions and horse-riding . And in winter, it offers numerous ski resorts, such as Courmayeur or La Thuile, or breathtaking walks organized wearing snow boots (also at night).
The Casino de la Vallée of Saint-Vincent offers one of the richest varieties of games in Europe
Gourmets and wine enthusiasts can enjoy guided food and wine tastings to discover and relish typical products and local wines:
- Cheese: Fontina, Gressoney Toma, Réblèque, Seras, goat’s cheeses and many others
- Meat: Salted pork meat
- Liqueur: The Génépy, from the sap of mugwort, a digestive, fragrant and characteristic liqueur
Curiosity : the grolla is perhaps the strongest visual symbol of Valle d'Aosta. Its origins are a mix of religious (a reference to the 'graal' or Holy Grail itself) and communal, as it offered a chance for wine to be shared during festive occasions. The 'friendship cup' is squatter and has more 'drinking holes' and is used not only for wine but also the typical Valdostana coffee mixed with grappa, sugar and spices
Hotels:
Breithorn Hotel
http://www.breithornhotel.com
76 beds / 35 rooms
Hotel des Glaciers
http://www.hotelrelaisdesglaciers.com
92 beds / 42 rooms
Mont Blanc Hotel Village
http://www.hotelmontblanc.it/
102 beds / 51 rooms
Hotel Bellevue, Cogne
www.hotelbellevue.it
64 beds / 35 rooms
Hotel Miramonti, Cogne
http://www.miramonticogne.com/hotel
85 beds / 44 rooms
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