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Valle D’Aosta Travel Guide:                                                                           

Gran Paradiso Park, Fascinating Castles and Ancient Cultures

Gran Paradiso National Park for hiking and skiing, fascinating castles to explore and ancient cultures with pre-Roman roots; enjoy this travel guide to Valle D’Aosta, the smallest and least populated region in Italy. While there, enjoy festivals unique to the valley and distinctive new foods to try.  Both Italian and French are spoken here, as well as several dialects that are a mixture of one or the other.  The Italian portion of the Via Francigena, the ancient route between Canterbury England and Rome begins here, and goes through a good portion of the valley before crossing over into Switzerland. 

Aosta City Hall
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Gran Paradiso
Saint Vincent
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Coumba Freida
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Valle D’Aosta’s Crowned Jewel:

 Gran Paradiso National Park 

Valle D’Aosta’s Evocative Villages

Distinctive Castles Abound

Extraordinary Local Festivals

Fiera Di Orso

The Ancient City & Culture of Aosta

sarres royal castle
Castello Savioa entrance
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See the Rome of the Alps…Aosta, known for its Roman and Pre-Roman ruins.   

 

Lose yourself in Gran Paradiso, Italy’s oldest, and one of its most stunning National Parks.   

 

Consider an overnight stay in a rifugio for the chance to experience Italian wildlife up close and personal.   

 

Summer is a great time to go if you love walks in the wildflowers, while there is also the opportunity for a number of cycling routes.    

 

Winter brings opportunities for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.   

Explore Valle D’Aosta’s evocative villages, which not only make good bases for exploring nature but are wonderful to visit in their own right.   

 

Meander the region’s stunning castles filled with frescoes, inlaid wood staircases and exotic corridors studded with the horns of ibex and chamois.   

 

Enjoy the distinctive festivals take place in Valle D’Aosta throughout the year.    

 

Whether celebrating the return of the cows, featuring fine artisanal crafts, or highlighting the ancient, masked traditions of Carnevale, something unique is on offer almost every month.   

 

Taste the singular traditional foods that Valle D’Aosta presents. From its very own fontina cheese to the slightly odd seeming lardo – cured and seasoned strips of fat, local tidbits are sure to please your palate.   

 

If you are lucky, you might also get to share a brandied coffee in a Coppa dell’Amicizia, which has eight spouts for sharing a drink with friends. 

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