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In the Aosta Valley's alpine pastures
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| A walk along the paths of the Gran San Bernardo valley north of Aosta can provide an opportunity to learn about the region's most characteristic cheeses: Fontina. A delicacy which is only hand-made in the last of the Aosta Valley's high-altitude pastures, where expert cheese-makers transform the freshly taken milk into an exquisite cheese scented with mountain grasses. |
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IN THE GRAN SAN BERNARDO VALLEY |
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The Romans, medieval pilgrims headed for Rome along the Via Francigena and, in May 1800, Napoleon bound for Marengo to fight the Austrians all passed through this area. The Gran San Bernardo valley starts at Gignod, eight kilometres north of Aosta, and continues as far as the Valico del Gran San Bernardo. It possesses alpine landscapes of a rare beauty, with rivers abounding in fish and paths that unwind amongst woods and fields where visitors often encounter roe-deer and marmots when the weather is fine.
Picturesque villages are dotted about the valley, with old wooden houses and balconies full of flowers. Good examples of theses are Etroubles, with its characteristic stone washtub on the main street, and St. Oyen, with its imposing Château Verdun, a canonical medieval castle of the Gran San Bernardo, which today is a house of prayer. St. Rhémy-en-Bosses, on the other hand, is renowned throughout the valley for its Jambon, the typical ham matured in the mountain pastures. |
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THE FONTINA MOUNTAIN PASTURES |
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But the queen of the valley is without doubt Fontina, which can be found in a number of shops lining the road linking St. Rhémy to Valico. Approximately ten minutes after leaving the village, one comes to the Cerisey family's establishment, offering the cheeses produced in their Praz d'Arc pastures: in addition to the exquisite Fontina, they also sell Toma of different maturities and fresh or smoked Séras. Another Alpine pasture and more excellent quality Fontina are to be found along the legendary contraband road from Switzerland, the Vallone di Menouves. To reach it, one must set out from Etroubles towards St. Oyen, turning off to Prailles after a few minutes, where the car can be left. From here it is necessary to continue on foot along a cart-track along the Menouves valley, crossing fields and woods, until reaching the Bertin family's alpine pastures. Their Fontina is truly excellent, and the secret of its quality lies in the hand-milking: only in this way is it possible to be sure of the optimal consistency of the milk used.
Cheese aside, another magnificent walk starts out from St. Oyen and finishes at Plan Puitz's 2127 metres: a two-hour walk amongst the pastures and fir forests until reaching the Plan Puitz fortifications, used by Italian troops just before the First World War. The panorama from the summit opens out over the valley, on Mont Fallère and Grande Rochère, whilst the imposing outline of Mont Blanc can be made out in the distance. |
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 HOTEL BELLEVUE
Rue Grand Paradis 22
11012 Cogne (AO)
Tel: 0165.74825
Fax: 0165.749192
Internet: www.hotelbellevue.it
38 double rooms, including 7 suites with fireplaces, four-poster bed and views over the Gran Paradiso glacier in this four-star hotel awarded three golden keys for its hospitality by the Gambero Rosso guide. Inside, its four restaurants include Le Petit Restaurant.
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