Turin & the Alps - Italy - page 441

A Marvelous Splurge
€€€€

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(Loc. Entrèves; % 0165-869797; www.lamaison.com; June and Oct-Nov closed
Tues), in Entrèves, is delightfully country Alpine. Dinner, an endless parade of
Valdaostana dishes, is so generous you may not be able to eat again for a week—
which more than makes up for the steep

The atmosphere at the popular and cheerful Maison de Filippo

40 price tag. Daily menus vary but
often include an antipasto of mountain hams and salamis, a selection of pastas
filled with wild mushrooms and topped with Fontina and other local cheeses, and
a sampling of fresh trout and game in season. Service is casual and friendly. In
summer you can choose between a table in the delightfully converted barnlike
structure or on the flowery terrace. Reserve in advance.
ACROSS MONT BLANC BY CABLE CAR
One of the Valle d'Aosta's best experiences is to ride the series of cable cars
( % 0165-89925; www.montebianco.com; for hours and prices, see “Schussing the
Slopes,” below) from La Palud, just above Entrèves (10 min. from Courmayeur

€

Schussing the Slopes
Recreation draws many people to the Valle d'Aosta—hiking in summer,
sure, but especially the skiing. You'll find some of the best downhill ski-
ing and facilities at Courmayeur, Breuil-Cervínia (the Italian side of the
Matterhorn, here called Monte Cervino), and in the Valle di Cogne/Gran
Paradiso. Ski season starts in late November/early December and runs
through April, if the snow holds out, reaching its height mid-January
through mid-March.
At Courmayeur and Breuil-Cervínia, expect to pay € 32 to € 38 for daily
lift passes, depending on the season. Cogne is less expensive, with daily
passes running around € 15 to € 20. Multiday passes, providing access to
lifts and slopes of the entire valley, run € 99 for 3 days, € 129 for 4 days,
and so on, with per-day rates on a sliding scale that end up at 14 days for
€ 351.
One money-saving option is to take one of the Settimane Bianche
(White Week) packages—room and board and unlimited skiing—available
at resorts throughout the Valle d'Aosta; such packages cost around € 300
to € 500 at a midrange hotel.
Cross-country skiing is superb around Cogne in the Parco Nazionale del
Gran Paradiso, where there are more than 48km (30 miles) of trails.
For more skiing info, call % 0165-238871 or go to www.skivallee.it.
For more on all sorts of outdoor activities in the region, contact the
tourist boards of Aosta ( % 0165-236627; www.regione.vda.it/turismo),
Breuil-Cervínia ( % 0166-949136; www.montecervino.it or www.cervinia.
it), and Cogne ( % 0165-74040; www.cogne.org).