Italy's smallest region holds Europe's biggest mountains: Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso, where Italy's first national park was founded in 1922. The Aosta Valley is officially bilingual — Italian and French — and medieval castles like Fénis and Issogne, along with the fortress of Bard, still watch over the old road to the Alpine passes.
Winter means skiing in Courmayeur and Cervinia. Summer means Gran Paradiso trails, grazing ibex, and a kind of quiet that has become rare in the Alps.
The provinces of Aosta Valley
Map and list are connected: hover one to light up the other, click to enter.
The best of Aosta Valley
The places worth the trip on their own, picked by our editors.
The top 4 places in Aosta Valley
Our editors' ranking: the area's most important places, drawn from the individual town guides. See the national rankings →
1
🎈 Unique experiences Skyway Monte Bianco
📍 Courmayeur
Opened in 2015, this record-breaking cable car links Courmayeur to Pointe Helbronner at 3,466 meters on Mont Blanc.
2
🏰 Castles & palaces Bard Fortress
📍 Bard
Rebuilt in the 19th century, this imposing Savoy fortress is a masterpiece of military engineering in the Aosta Valley.
3
🏰 Castles & palaces Fénis Castle
📍 Fénis
A 14th-century pentagonal castle famous for its double crenellated walls and the frescoed inner courtyard.