Aosta Valley - Aostatal

Aosta Valley (it. Valle d'Aosta, French Vallée d'Aoste) is an autonomous region in Italy. It is located in the far northwest of Italy and is the smallest region in the country. With its mountain giants Montblanc, Matterhorn (it. Cervino, French Cervin), Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso (French Grand Paradis) the region invites you to go skiing and hiking.

Regions

• Valpelline - Mountain valley and village of the same name.
• Valtournenche
• Lystal

places

List down the valley:

• 45.7833333333336.96666666666671 Courmayeur (1,224 m), international tourist metropolis and one of the most famous winter sports resorts in Italy.

• 45.7024361111117.20759166666672 Villeneuve

• 45.7372222222227.32055555555563 Aosta (Aoste)

• 45.7333333333337.41666666666674 quart

• 45.757.61666666666675 Châtillon

• 45.757.656 Saint Vincent

• 45.666567.689117 Verrès

• 45.67.88 Pont Saint-Martin

Other goals

• Gran Paradiso (French Grand Paradis) (4,061 m), highest mountain on Italian soil with the same name National park, oldest in Italy.

background

language

The official languages ​​in the Aosta Valley are French and Italian, which only spread later because it belongs to Italy. In the villages Gressoney-Saint-Jean, Gressoney-La-Trinité and Issime is German spoken - or better: an Alemannic dialect.

getting there

mobility

Tourist Attractions

It's worth the numerous Castles and Palaceslike the castle of Saint-Pierre, which is reminiscent of Neuschwanstein with its turrets from the 19th century. There are a total of 82 of these systems in the region, most of which were built in the Middle Ages to protect the important connecting road between northern and southern Europe and were later restored.

activities

Skiers will get their money's worth in the Aosta Valley. Montblanc with its Courmayeur ski area (Plan Chécrouit) and the slopes on the Matterhorn (it. Cervino, French Cervin) are worth the trip.

Regular events

Tsaven - Aosta, the second Sunday of every month. Since 2002 the farmers have organized a small market every month in the heart of Aosta. The symbol of the market is the tsaven, the basket for fruits and vegetables that can be found in every farmhouse.

• Fiera di Sant’Orso - Aosta. Every year, from January 30th to 31st, the streets and alleys of the old town of Aosta are filled with numerous stalls exhibiting local handicrafts. The protagonists of the event are sculptures, furniture, household items made of wood, stone or copper, but also clothes made of traditional textiles. Two are the largest and most famous exhibition halls: while the “Atelier” houses regional craft workshops, the “Padiglione gastronomico” (gastronomic hall) houses the products of the region's agri-food industry: here you can taste local delicacies. Among the most important delicacies are various types of cheese and meat, sausage products, sweets, jams and honey, fruit and vegetables and of course wines and spirits.

• Cantine aperte - whole region. On the Open Cellars Day in May there is the opportunity to tour the most important wine cellars in the region.

• Sagra della Fiocca - Avise. This event, which took place for the first time in 1972, takes place every June in the village of Baulins at an altitude of 1,700 meters - at the beginning of the Valgrisenche valley. The Fiocca, a special type of whipped cream, comes with Fouets - typical willow whips - in the Borna handcrafted, a grotto dug into the depths of the mountain.

• Sagra del Jambon de Bosses - Bosses. The protagonist of the first week of July is the renowned Vallée D’Aoste Jambon de Bosses, valuable raw ham which, thanks to its properties, has received the DOP seal. It is made in a small village in the valley of the Great Saint Bernard (on the border with Switzerland); this fragrant and fragrant ham goes very well with black bread, honey, nuts, butter and a glass of red wine.

• Sagra della Seupa à la Vapelenentse - Valpelline. On the last weekend of July there is a festival in Valpelline that dates back to the 1960s. The main course is the seupa, a soup with cabbage, fontina and bread: a very old recipe, symbol of the region.

• Fehta dou lar - Arnad. A tradition for 30 years that welcomes thousands of tourists every August. It is a good opportunity to taste the lardo - another DOP product of the region, alone or with various local ingredients, enclosed in wooden chalets and decorated with flowers.

• Fêta du tetëun - Gignod, at the end of August. Very original folk festival where you can get the tetëun can enjoy a type of sausage made from cow teats. Very amusing at the end of the festival is the election of Miss Tetëun.

• Feta de Resén - Chambave, last week of September. A high quality muscatel wine has been produced in this place for many years; On the occasion of this festival, you have the opportunity to tour the castle's wine cellars (“Crotte dou Bor”).

• Festa dell’Uva - Donnas, late September-early October. The local manufacturers compete to keep up with that grappolo d'oro (golden grape) to be awarded.

• Apple Festival - Gressan and Melevallée - Antey-Saint-André, beginning of October. Jelly, apple jam, apple juice, cider, apple pie: at these festivals you can taste and buy all this and much more.

• Marché au Fort - Bard, mid-October. The largest market exhibition in the Aosta Valley in the medieval castle at the foot of the fortress.

• Sagra del Miele - Châtillon, late October-early November. Interesting opportunity to discover valuable and very often unknown types of honey, such as Alpine rose honey, chestnut tree honey, dandelion honey and linden honey. Exhibition of the tools that have been used by the makers over the years and samples of cakes and drinks made with honey.

• Marché Vert - Aosta, late November-early January. Aosta's Christmas market, in the magnificent Roman Theater. More than 50 chalets, lights and decorations, artisanal gastronomic and Christmas products in a fairytale atmosphere.

• Festa della Toma di Gressoney - Gressoney Sant Jean, early December. Tasting of this typical cheese from Gressoney, served with wholemeal bread and jams, with traditional music in the background.

• Feuhta de la Micooula - Hône, first week of December. The main course is the micooula, a special rye bread with nuts, chestnuts, dried figs, raisins and pieces of chocolate. The name of this specialty means: „something smaller and something special ”.

• Festa del pane - Courmayeur, at the end of December. Only during this festival is the old Dolonne oven used to make black bread and equal (typical cakes from Courmayeur) to bake them with lardo and fontina can be served as an aperitif.

kitchen

The French influence has left deep marks in the history of the region as well as in its cuisine. Even today you can often find many specialties on the menus in restaurants whose names are in French or Patois (the local dialect).

Antipasti (starters)

Typical sausages play an important role:

• lardo di Arnad, a ham specialty made from particularly matured, fatty back bacon with a protected designation of origin (in Italian: Denominazione di Origine Protetta - DOP “);

• dzambon, tasty ham;

• motsetta, air-dried beef, chamois, venison or wild boar, thinly sliced ​​and accompanied by the typical local rye bread;

• bodeun, is a traditional salami with blood or beetroot

• saouceusses, treated and matured minced meat, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg;

• teut, cured cow's udder, usually served with a sauce made from parsley, oil and garlic, goes well with jams made from figs, raspberries, raisins or canned Martin Sec pears.

Primi piatti (first courses)

The most famous dishes of traditional cuisine are:

• chnéfflene, Pasta (similar to spaetzle) garnished with melted cheese, cream and bacon or onions;

• chnolle, Cornmeal gnocchi cooked in a pork broth;

• polenta concia, Cornmeal polenta, in the oven with fontina-Cheese and melted butter au gratin;

• peulà, Dish made from wheat and chestnuts, with pork and beans;

• peilà, Soup made from rye flour and wheat with bread, fontina and butter;

• seupetta à la valpelleunèntse, Valpelline-style soup with bread, cabbage and fontina;

• seuppa à la cognèntse, typical soup from Cogne, the only one in the Aosta Valley made with rice;

• seuppa de l'âno or seuppa frèide, cold soup, prepared with black bread and sweetened red wine;

• puarò, Leek soup;

• favò, Bean soup;

• sorsa, thick soup with meat broth, black bread, potatoes, beans, green beans, carrots, pears and apples;

• tartiflette, Potato casserole with reblochon-Cheese;

• risotto alla valdostana, Rice with fondue.

Secondi piatti (main courses)

The main courses in this region are mostly meat dishes; in particular, the game that can be found in the surrounding forests is used in abundance. Some traditional dishes are:

• civet di camoscio con patate alla valdostana, Gamsbockgulasch served with potatoes with butter and sage;

• carbonada con polenta, Beef goulash stewed with spices and wine, often served with the typical polenta;

• costolette alla valdostana, fried veal schnitzel with ham and fontina filled.

Cheese is another strength of regional cuisine. Indeed, the Aosta Valley has a wide variety of cheeses:

• fresh like salignön or reblec;

• matured like that toma di Gressoney and the goat cheese;

• with DOP designation of origin, such as fromadzo and fontina.

With melted fontina will be the most tasty fonduta alla valdostana (Aosta Valley-style fondue), which is eaten with toasted black bread slices.

Dolci (dessert)

We come now to the sweet part of the menu: the desserts. In Cogne, a famous small town near Aosta at the foot of the Gran Paradiso mountain, the crema di Cogne With tegole prepared: a creamy cream with chocolate and tender, round almond biscuits. Typical of Aosta are the small donut-shaped biscuits: the ciambelline d’Aosta.

The Tegole valdostane are waffle-shaped, round biscuits. There are two main types of tegole: One is brick-shaped and soft, the other is thinner and stays crispy. They are made with sugar, flour, butter, almonds, hazelnuts, egg white, vanillin and a pinch of salt. There is also a variant with a chocolate coating. They are usually offered as a dessert or as a side dish to creams or ice creams.

Bevande (drinks)

The Aosta Valley is famous all over the world for its drinks, especially wine and brandy, but also for the caffè alla valdostana and the apple juice.

Red and white wines

The landscape of the whole region is characterized by numerous vineyards. Torrette, Enfer d’Arvier, Fumin, Petit Rouge and Pinot Nero are the five most important red wines of the Aosta Valley. They go very well with red meat, venison, soups, sausages, mature cheeses and fontina. In the white wines category we find Blanc de Morgex et la Salle, Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Chambave Moscato. These types of wine go perfectly with starters, trout, white meat, cheese and sausage. All of these types of wine are DOC, i.e. with a controlled designation of origin.

Trockenbeerenauslese

The dessert - the traditional chestnut cake or the nut cake - is served with Moscato Bianco Passito, Chambave Moscato Passito or Nus Malvoise Passito.

Booze

The specialty is the Génépy, a schnapps made with the aromatic plant Artemisia. This plant is a protected species and grows in the Aosta Valley at an altitude between 2200 and 3000 meters.

Caffè alla valdostana

On special occasions, the end of the meal becomes the traditional one caffè alla valdostana (Aosta Valley coffee) served. He will be in the coppa dell’amicizia (Cup of friendship, a wooden bowl with a lid and several mouthpieces) drunk à la ronde (each from his mouthpiece); The coffee is prepared with local schnapps, lemon and orange peel and sugar.

Apple juice

There are many apple orchards in Saint-Pierre, a small town near Aosta; Apple juice is made here in September, made from apples, lemon, water and sugar.

Typical restaurants

In the Aosta Valley you can find many good restaurants that offer typical dishes. Some restaurants also have the seal of quality Saveurs du Val d'Aoste (Flavors of the Aosta Valley). This indicator is represented by the coppa dell’amicizia and guarantees the origin of the products, the tradition of the recipes and the typical ambience.

Here are some recommended restaurants:

• Osteria da Nando, near the Arco d'Augusto in the center of Aosta. Since 1957 the restaurant has offered an interesting interpretation of traditional dishes; some specialties are influenced by French cuisine.last change: not specified

• Lou Ressignon. In Cogne (the name means something like "the snack at night" in dialect). Since 1966 it has been proposing regional cuisine in a warm and rustic atmosphere. Typical dishes from Cogne are the seupetta à la cogneintze and the crema di Cogne. Price-performance ratio very good.last change: not specified

• Les neiges d’Antan, in Cervinia. A hotel and restaurant was created as a mountain hut. The atmosphere is that warm seuppa à la valpellinentze delicious and the dessert Monte Cervino, which represents the Matterhorn, is spectacular. In winter, a small bus accompanies guests to the restaurant. After dinner, customers can relax around the fireplace.last change: not specified

• Bellevue. The Bellevue restaurant in Cogne offers a wonderful view over the Gran Paradiso massif. The service staff is very friendly and wears the typical costume. The restaurant is of a high standard and this is also reflected in the price.last change: not specified

• Trattoria di campagna, in Sarre, near Aosta. The restaurant is family-run and at the same time rustic and elegant. There is a wide choice, the cuisine is typical and the quality is good. Not to be missed: venison served with polenta withbleu d’Aoste or fontina.last change: not specified

nightlife

security

climate

Aosta	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	5.1	7.2	11.0	16.9	19.4	22.9	24.9	24.6	21.0	15.2	9.9	5.9	O	15.3
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	-2.4	-1.7	1.4	5.3	8.7	12.2	12.7	13.3	10.5	6.3	2.0	-1.1	O	5.6

literature

Web links

• Official tourism site for the Aosta Valley