Mont Blanc to the Monte Rosa

We conducted this extended traverse of this southern High Route in its entirety for the first time in the summer of 2006 and it was a phenomenal success. The cuisine is outstanding in the many remote kitchens on the Val d'Aosta Culinary Tour (a map of the best restaurants in the valley). The scenery rivals any in the Alps or beyond. On most days you will not see another hiker. This is truly a winning combination.

We link villages in the Italian Piemonte (Alagna, Macugnaga) region and the beautiful Val D'Aosta (Courmayuer, St. Rhemy, Ollomont, Champoluc and Gressoney. We finish by sneeking over the Italian/Swiss border into the southern Valais finishing the tour in the lovely, high Swiss mountain town of Saas Fee . Superb hiking, cuisine and fine accommodations make this a special tour for those who believe they have already seen much of the Alps .

ITINERARY
Day 1-4 We begin on the outskirts of Courmayeur in the hamlet of Lavachey. Ascend the Val Malatra on remote and rarely traveled trails to St. Rhemy. Spend the night in a charming little spot on the "culinary tour" of the Val d'Aosta. Traverse to the village of Ollomont to another highpoint on the Aostan "culinary tour". We traverse to a lovely lakeside rifugio on day 3. A high pass takes us to Valtournanche, a famous resort community on the south side of the Matterhorn.

Day 5-8 A series of passes leads us to the idyllic village of Champoluc in the Val d'Ayas. We will spend two nights here in one of the finest hotels in the Alps. The following day we climb beneath the pink flanks of the Monte Rosa to the medieval village of Gressoney - St. Jean . On day 8 we leave Aosta to travel into a new province, the Piemonte and the remote village of Alagna .

Day 9-12 The Turlo Pass leads us out of Alagna through farmland and high pasture to a Roman road that is beautifully crafted and takes us on long gentle switchbacks to the village of Macugnaga. Macugnaga is situated beneath the South Face of the Monte Rosa, 10,000 feet high and of Himalayan proportions. Finally we cross into Switzerland over the Monte Moro Pass and descend to Saas Fee and our welcome reward in the Alps finest gourmet retreat.

Learn more about the Italian Alps/Dolomites Region.