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| Capital | August | |
| Area | 3261 km² | |
| Population | 125 332 (2019) | |
Aosta Valley (Italian: Valle d'Aosta or, unofficially, Val d'Aosta; france: Aosta Valley; arpitane: Val d'Outa) is an autonomous region in the Northitaly.
Cities
There is only one real city in Aosta Valley, i.e. its capital, August (and not small: about 34 thousand inhabitants).
Other destinations
- Courmayeur, at the Italian foot of the White Mountain (approx. 4800m)
- Breuil-Cervinia, at the Italian foot of the Materhorno (almost 4500m)
- Gressoney, at the southwestern foot of the Monte Rosa (approx. 4600m)
- Cogne and Rhymes, on the north shore of the Great Paradise National Park (approx. 4060m)
- Mountain passes Great San Bernardo (2469m), between Italy and Switzerland, and Little San Bernardo (2188m), between Italy and France
Understand
Terrain
The name Aosta Valley precisely means that it is a great valley of some river; that river is called Dora Baltea and is a tributary of Pado, which it hits in Piedmont, east of Chivasso.
Around the valley are several of the highest mountains of the Alps, large massifs separated by high mountain passes.
To the west is the border between Italy and France: there is the Little St. Bernard Pass (2188m) and the White Mountain Massif (4810m).
The massif of the White Mountain also affects the northern border (with Switzerland). Along this border is the Great St. Bernard Pass (2469m), then the Grand Combin massif, whose highest peak (4314m) is however north of the border, so entirely in Switzerland. After this massif there is a long succession of mountains between 3000m and 4000m, interrupted by only 3 passages between 2800m and 2900m, usable only on foot, up to the Materhorn massif, which reaches 4478m. West of Materhorn, the border remains above 3200m, with mountains often above 4000m (Breithorn, 4165m, Castor 4228m, Lyskamm 4527m), connecting it to Mount Rosa, whose highest peak, the Dufour peak, touches 4634m.
To the east the border of the Aosta Valley separates it from Piedmont. To the north is still a high peak, belonging to a massif of Mount Rosa, the Pyramid Vincent (4215m), but then the mountains are lowered as the Dora Baltea flows away from the valley through the southeast corner.
The long southern boundary also separates the Aosta Valley from Piedmont. Between the Nivolet mountain pass (2612m), to the west, and the Larisa mountain pass (2584m), to the east, there are many mountains above 3000m and in the middle the massif of the Great Paradise. Great Paradise), reaching 4061m. To the east of the Larisa mountain pass, the mountains descend to the valley.
Of course, there are also the valleys of the short tributaries of Dora Baltea, and several small glacial lakes.
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Glaciers are not as abundant as in Switzerland, as the southern side of the Alps is warmer and steeper. The largest glaciers are next to the highest mountains (White Mountain, Materhorn, Monte Rosa) and next to the Great Paradise. There is also a large glacier southeast of the Little St. Bernard Pass, on Mount Rutor, despite its highest part affecting only 3486m.
History
The history of the Aosta Valley is closely related to the need to cross the Alps.
Already in prehistory there were trade between Northern Europe and Italy, and the traders needed to cross the Alps with carts, horses or donkeys. There were, however, few mountain passes quite low, especially in the Western Alps. One of the most important was what is now called the Great St. Bernard (formerly "Mount Jupiter").
So, there was an important trade route which, from the Pada Plain, descended steeply along the shore of the Dora Baltea to c. 600m, and then steeper along the valleys of some streams up to 2400m.
There are some traces of prehistoric people living in the valley c. 4-5 thousand years BC, but they were probably not numerous.
During the 1st millennium BC. a Celtic people arrived, the Salasses (Latin Salasses). The Romans defeated them during the 1st century BC. and in 25 B.C. founded Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, currently August.
After the fall of the Roman Empire (476) and several short-lived changes, the Aosta Valley was acquired by Burgundy (575). Charlemagne awarded it to the new Kingdom of Italy (774), Otto the Great again to Burgundy (952) and Conrad II to the County of Savoy (c. 1033).
Since then, the Aosta Valley belonged to the County, then Duchy of Savoy, then Kingdom of Sardinia, until the unification of Italy (1861).
Ethnic groups and languages
High mountains favor the existence, in near valleys, of different ethnic groups.
The majority of the inhabitants of the Aosta Valley come from a mixture that the Roman conquest of the valley held between the local Celts and the Romans. Although the Latin language predominated, a few Celtic words have survived to the present day. After the fall of the Roman Empire, Latin evolved similarly to Savoy, and appeared the arpitana, a language intermediate between French and Occitan. The contemporary aostvala is in fact a dialect of Arpitan, although several consider it a dialect (patois) from French.
During the Middle Ages, from Switzerland crossed the Alps the waltzes, German-speaking groups German (South German) dialect. In the Aosta Valley they live near the eastern border, in the valley of the river Lys.
Today there are two official languages in the Aosta Valley: Italian and French.
Climate
Obviously, the climate of Aosta Valley varies greatly depending on the height of the places.
In general, it resembles the climate of Piedmont and Northern Italy: cold winters, but not particularly cold (the lowest temperature ever recorded in August is -18 ° C), and hot summers. Rains are more abundant in summer.
In the Aosta Valley a particular wind can blow, the hay (German föhn, itale favonio). This wind blows most often from north to south. On the Swiss side it rises, and causes rains, drying itself; overcoming the highest ridge, it descends and, by physical law, heats up. When it reaches the valleys, it is dry and hot, and is able to raise the temperature by 10 ° C and on in a few hours.
Enter
Enire avie
There is a small airport near Aosta, but there are no regular flights there.
The nearest commercial airport is in Turin. Milan Malpensa is also close enough.
Get on the train
There is only one railway in the Aosta Valley, from Aosta to Ivrea-Chivasso (in Piedmont). From Chivasso it is possible to find other trains to Turin or Milan.
From / to Turin it usually takes approx. 2 hours, with train change in Ivrea. From / to Milan it usually takes approx. 3½-4 hours, with train changes in Chivasso and Ivrea.
Get in the car
Enter the bus
Enter on foot
To be transported
Public transport
Trains
Buses
Drive a car
Walk
See
Fari
→ Walk, climb. Mountain lovers will definitely be inclined to walk or climb through the impressive mountain ranges of the region.
Walking is also recommended for the inexperienced, just choose the easiest routes, and increase the times shown as you walk. Additionally, don’t forget appropriate shoes and clothing and be prepared if it rains as much as possible.
→ Skii. In winter skiers will find many places for skiing, although not in all valleys. In several places the mountains are too steep or avalanches too frequent for skiing. Elsewhere, ski trails are lacking due to the need to protect the natural environment.
→ Watch nature. Nature lovers will be able to enjoy the Great Paradise National Park, one of the oldest in Italy: walk, wonder, photograph, observe animals.
→ Foti. Aosta Valley is very suitable for photographers, especially if they are interested in mountains, glaciers, rivers rich in water, but also in animals, trees and flowers.
→ Boating on fast streams. There are several streams full of rapidly flowing water in the appropriate seasons.
→ Enjoy events. There are several festivals and other events. Search for information online!
