Around the Alps between Piedmont, Savoy and the Aosta Valley

AROUND THE MOUNTAINS BETWEEN PIEDMONT, SAVOY AND THE AOSTA VALLEY

The occasion for the hike described: a cheerful family reunion, which brought together members who came from the most varied places: Rome, Florence, Milan and Turin. The meeting place: Sestriere, which despite the presence of the ski lifts and slopes, also presents itself pleasantly in summer in its green basin. An outdoor lunch on the terraces of a fine restaurant was the highlight of the reunion, around us, on the slope above: grazing sheep and daredevil mountain bikers testing a downhill track dedicated to their favourite sport. Our group of Romans didn't miss the opportunity of this gathering among the beautiful mountains, staying in Sestriere as a base for pleasant outings. On the first day we were drawn to a visit to the Forte di Fenestrelle, which blocks the Chisone Valley, an imposing historic fortification, in defence of Piedmont, that deserves to be visited.

Besides the military structure, some exhibitions inside the fortifications are worth attention, at the moment of Piedmontese painters, and a well-stocked bookshop. A good meal of Alpine specialities, in a charming trattoria inside the fort, with outdoor tables, rounded off the visit. On our way back to Sestriere we turned off onto the road that climbs with daring hairpin bends up to the Colle delle Finestre, a route that has been chosen for editions of the Giro d'Italia cycling race. Vast panoramas open up once you reach the pass, both towards the Chisone valley and towards that of Susa; from the two slopes motorcyclists and cyclists passionate about Alpine routes climb up.

Among the cyclists we had the pleasant chance to meet a couple of friendly Dutch people who, on a tandem, were carrying out a commendable feat: having left their car in Liechtenstein, they were covering a 1550 km tour through Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland, crossing numerous Alpine passes. Back in Sestriere for an overnight stay, we decide to go to Courmayeur, for a further visit to Aosta Valley relatives. Rather than retracing the usual, largely motorway itinerary through Piedmont and the Aosta Valley, we decide to follow an itinerary that years ago had seen two of us on a motorbike, through Susa, the Moncenisio, the Iseran, Val d'Isère and the Little St Bernard Pass. A very varied and pleasant route.

Before climbing the Iseran we make a short stop at Bonneval, a delightful mountain village, which we remember, at least in appearance, perhaps too optimistically, as almost intact in its town-planning and architectural character. We have the unpleasant surprise of noticing some construction work and earthworks that disfigure it considerably. In Courmayeur, more precisely at Villair Superiore, we are warmly welcomed. Over the next two days we can't miss a visit to the two beautiful valleys that run parallel to the Mont Blanc chain, the Val Veny and the Val Ferret. Once this short holiday is over, all that's left is to return to Rome, which August has turned into a furnace.