The Great St Bernard Valley in the Valle d’Aosta links Italy with Switzerland. Rachael Martin discovers why it’s the ideal place to unwind… Photos by Rachael Martin unless otherwise stated The Valle di Gran San Bernardo, or Great St Bernard Valley, with its high mountain peaks and characteristic villages such as Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses and Étroubles, […]
This Val d’Aosta mountain villa is located on the south-facing side of the valley, above the village of Verrayes, 15 minutes from the autostrada and a short distance to the alpine facilities in Torgnon. The villa is over three storeys, the basement dedicated to storage, laundry, garage and utility rooms. On the ground floor a […]
The transhumance of livestock in Italy is a tradition that dates back centuries, even millennia… Transhumance, the act of moving livestock ‘across ground’ to new pastures, has been practised in Italy – and other parts of the world – for longer than anyone can remember. Recently, Italy, supported by Austria and Greece, asked to […]
Sarah Lane travels to Italy’s northwestern corner to Aosta and discovers beautiful scenery and some surprising saints in an area of castles and culture much loved by popes and kings With spectacular alpine skylines, a chain of medieval castles and colourful ancient customs, the Valle d’Aosta region – Italy’s smallest – has a lot to […]
Valle d’Aosta is now part of Italy, but it hasn’t always been. Chris Allsop travels to Italy’s smallest region and discovers a valley beloved of kings, popes, and – of course – skiers… There’s something of the hidden kingdom about the Valle D’Aosta, like an Italian Bhutan (but with a lot more ski lifts). Entering […]
Boldly setting itself apart from traditional Italian recipes by shunning pasta in favour of gnocchi, polenta and rice, Mario Matassa leads us into the world of Aostan cuisine… Aosta is Italy’s smallest region, a valley nestled in the cradle of the Alps, bordering France and Switzerland to the north and its regional neighbour, Piedmont, to […]
Liguria is a beautiful region of Italy famous for its tantalising food, historical port and cliffside villages. Discover more about the amazing coastal region in our regional guide… Photos by Getty images and iStock Situated in Italy’s northwest, Liguria is the third smallest Italian region, after Molise and Valle d’Aosta. It borders France to the […]
Just outside Turin stands a pleasure place built for Victor Amadeus, Duke of Savoy, who commissioned it as a hunting lodge. Image: Facade of the Palazzina di Caccia by Patricial Gartman It all started with Humbert the White-Handed. I don’t know how he got his nickname, but I’d guess that his hands, though white, weren’t […]
Rachael Martin arrives in Aosta’s ‘cold valley’ just in time for carnival, as well as taking advantage of the snowy weather to explore the region Photos by Rachael Martin unless otherwise stated It’s carnival time on a cold February morning in the Great St Bernard Valley in northern Italy’s Aosta Valley region. I’m in […]
How would a father and son, skier and snowboarder team fare for five days on the slopes together? Jon Bickley took teenager Ben back to the Alps to find out… Courmayeur photos courtesy of Jon Bickley After the second time I went skiing with my son Ben, on a school trip to Bormio eight […]