Aosta Valley, Italy (September 2025)

Arrival: Antey-Saint-Andre

Eight of us flew into Milan (Patrick, Patricia, Clive, Matt, two Karens, Yvonne and Cathy) with Viv P driving across the border from France.  Our destination was the valley of Valtournenche which runs northwards from the main Aosta valley, which itself runs east-west from the French border towards Milan.  Although we are in Italy, there is a French accent to the area.  Valtournenche heads up towards the Swiss border, with the scenery becoming ever more alpine and dramatic.

Day 1 Sunday: Becca d’Aran

Our first QMD (Quality Mountain Day) of the week.  This was characterised by a series of very steep ascents – almost 1,000 metres in total, and we had lunch perched atop the summit of Becca d’Aran at 2,957m.  After spending some time trying to find the perfect group pose for a photo, we enjoyed our lunches just gazing up and down the Valtournenche valley which is dominated at the head by the Matterhorn. Even in September there are still spots of snow and glaciers on the higher peaks.  Returned back via a grassy ridge path and a descent through a fragrant pine forest to the little hamlet of Cheneil. We had been motivated onwards by the thought of ice-cream but when we reached the promised Gelateria, we found it closed because apparently half the village had gone to a wedding in Sardinia.

Day 2 Monday: Lac du Tsan

Forecast had been threatening rain but today was merely just a little bit cloudy. Explored the other side of the Valtournenche valley, walking 17km in total, starting just above the cable car stations at Torgnon and surrounded by ibex and the clanking sound of cow bells.  These bells, which are fastened by a heavy belt around the neck, look incredibly heavy and must surely drive the cows mad.  We followed a path along the balcony of the valley and climbed above the tree line, clambering over boulders.  We saw our first marmot of the week , alerted by it’s strange piercing whistle. Lunched at Lac du Tsan, a mountain tarn full of flitting tadpoles and tiny frogs jumping madly around the rocks at the lake’s edge. We also investigated a nearby Bothy, or “bivouac”, surprisingly comfortable and well-appointed for such a small space.

Day 3 Tuesday: Chamois

The threatened rain still did not arrive!  We were all a bit tired today after the previous days’ long walks so planned something a little shorter and involving a coffee stop. Drove up to La Magdeleine and climbed vertiginously up to Chamois, all burning muscles and panting breaths. Discovered an art installation on the way up called The Big Bench, providing us with a bit of entertainment as we posed for photos on the bench looking like shrunken versions of ourselves.  Chamois was a delight to wander around and to enjoy the world’s best cappuccino (an award bestowed by Patricia). We then descended through the forest with delightful views as the afternoon sun began to peak out through the mornings’ clouds, revealing a pattern of hamlets and meadows perched on the balconies of the steep sided valleys.

Author: Cathy

Day 4: Wednesday: Aosta City. This was the official rest day and the occupants of the downstairs “apartment” drove to the beautiful city of Aosta, the regional capital. Overlooked on all sides by mountains, the old city was also surrounded by a Roman wall signifying its strategic importance back in the day. There were enough ancient sites to keep us busy all day with ongoing excavations still taking place. In addition to cultural immersion there was time for a little shopping, coffee drinking and ice-cream slurping. A top day!

Meanwhile, the upstairs crew slaved over hot maps to provide walks for the following two days and then chilled, or walked to Chamois!

Day 5: Thursday: Le Breuil-Cervinia circuit below Matterhorn, Valtournench Valley. This was another chunky high level walk with some stunning ridges. Starting out from the ski resort of Cervinia, we walked up the slopes of the valley to the Matterhorn and contoured around tantalisingly close to the massif. We reached our lunch spot at the Rifugio Duca deglia A’bruzzi all’Orionde at 2,808m. The 2 Karens and Clive went further up to a memorial site at 2,902m with Karen G pushing on another 100m or so to touch the Matterhorn Glacier. The views from the high points were magnificent. The descent was long and steep to start but levelled off somewhat into grassy slopes and wildflowers before we finally wound down to our starting point where hot chocolates and coffee were savoured.

Day 6: Friday. Chamois (revisited) circuit. There were two walks on offer today with the same base route. Both ascended to Chamois by cable car. From there the ascent was initially steep until we arrived at Lago Di Lod. Then on and up again. High points were Monte Charvaz at 2257m and Punta Fontana Fredda 2513m where we enjoyed a scenic lunch amidst Alpine shrubs overlooking our constant companion, The Matterhorn, with Golden Eagles, we were told, flying overhead. We got some excellent overviews up the valley of walks that we had done on previous days so it put the whole walking week nicely into context for us before our long descent.

The 2^nd team were on the same basic walk but added on another mountain or two for good measure.

Summary: This was a truly great week. The mountain scenery and weather, all week, were phenomenal. The company was fun. The food was good. Everyone came back safely. And everyone wanted to return to the Aosta Valley again.

Author: Karen W