Exploring Valle d’Aosta & Italian Alps
You better be completely alert for the drive up and down the mountain from this Airbnb overlooking Aosta. If you aren’t, trust me, you will be. Italian roads can be incredibly narrow and full of hair-raising turns. Seriously, how do they expect two tiny cars to pass each other on these glorified sidewalks?
I told my Airbnb host, Anne-Marie, I knew why there was a church at the top of the mountain road. It was there so you could thank heavens that you made it driving up. She thought that was funny. I was only half joking.
I drive slow, turn on all my lights and pray there isn’t a truck or bus headed in the opposite direction. There are times I’ve had to roll down the window and fold in my side view mirror. We were that close. Somehow, we squeezed by.
As in most mountainous locations, the weather changes abruptly in the Alps. On today’s drive, I rolled down both the windows and enjoyed the warm air about halfway up the valley.
As I neared the upper end of the valley near Mont Blanc, it was time to roll up the windows and put on the heat.
Thankfully, the city of Aosta was on the warm end of the valley. I enjoyed hiking through the streets and exploring the numerous Roman ruins. It was amazing how well preserved most of the sites seemed to be. Hard to believe these structures had been here for more than 2,000 years.
Aosta fits the image of “old Europe” perfectly. I’ve decided the overall term for this particular Italian patina is “crumbling grandeur”.
In sharp contrast, the towns of Entrèves and Courmayeur occupied the upper end of the Aosta Valley and were focused on the mountains. Both sat in the shadows of Mont Blanc and the tallest range of peaks in the Alps.
The numerous memorials to mountain climbers who met their end on those mountains bore witness to their sheer size and ruggedness. Unfortunately, Mont Blanc was obscured by clouds.
I decided I was already daring the mountains enough by my drives. I grabbed a quick bite for lunch and turned the car back down the valley. It was time to do some hiking in nicer weather.
The main Autostrada followed a river along the valley floor without any stops, you just rolled through the roundabouts. Here, you can see where I crossed a bridge, parked the car and hiked up this cobblestone path to a church.
Most of the old buildings in this part of Italy look similar. They’re topped by large slabs of gray slate as roofing material. Everything is local materials, built to stand the test of time and hold up under heavy snow.
Italian churches are deceiving. They might not look like much on the outside but step inside and you’re overwhelmed by a marvel of color and light.
In contrast to other parts of Europe, the Italians almost always seem to have images on their gravestones. It appeared custom for families to have one plot consisting of one stone memorial affixed with multiple names and photos.
I decided to check out another artifact left from the time of the Romans, this time up in the mountains.
It’s not every day you walk across a bridge built in 3 BC. The Romans constructed the Pont d’Ael over a deep gorge as a sophisticated aqueduct to carry water to the outpost of Aosta. It still had the name “Caesar Augustus” chiseled in its side after more than 2,000 years. Amazing.
There was a small door that allowed you to access the interior of the bridge. Instead of the original wooden floor, you walked over thick glass so you could see how far below your feet the drop might be.
It was enjoyable not to have a set itinerary today and to just follow the road along the valley. A place that has more than 2,000 years of history to explore provides opportunities every place you decide to turn off.
Tomorrow, I do have a plan. The weather looks promising for a drive over the Great St Bernard pass back into Switzerland. I’m aiming for the village of Zermatt and my first look at the Matterhorn.
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Thanks for coming along on the trip. If you have questions or suggestions, tweet @JasonRMatheson. Missed an entry? Click here.
