Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VALLE D'AOSTA
POP 126,620
While its Dolomite cousins exhibit notable German tendencies, Aosta's nuances are
French. The result is a curious hybrid culture known as Valdostan, a historical mix of
French Provençal and northern Italian that has infiltrated the food (polenta, spicy sausages
and the famous
fontina
cheese) and ensured the survival of an esoteric local language,
Franco-Provençal or Valdôtain, a dialect still used by approximately 55% of the population.
Comprising one large glacial valley running east-west, which is bisected by several
smaller valleys, the semi-autonomous Val d'Aosta is overlooked by some of Europe's
highest peaks, including Mont Blanc (4810m), the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino; 4478m),
Monte Rosa (4633m) and Gran Paradiso (4061m). Not surprisingly the region offers some
of the best snow facilities on the continent, with opportunities for skiers to descend hair-
raisingly into France and Switzerland over lofty glaciers or traverse them in equally spec-
tacular cable cars.
