This year we again spent our summer holidays in
the Val d’Aosta. There is always something new to discover here.
I finally got around to doing the short hike up
to Lago Arpy, with its specular view across the lake with the Monte Bianco
group of mountains in the background. This was the visual highlight of this year’s
holiday for me.
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
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| Lago d'Arpy,AO |
Even bad weather can be spectacular. Clearing
bad weather made the Piccolo San Bernardo pass quite spectacular with a very
strange light.
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
This pass has been used since ancient times as
the prehistoric stone circle and the remains of a roman staging post testify.
It is one of our favourite dentations to take a walk in the Val d’Aosta.
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
We also went up the San Bernardo pass on the
Swiss border with Italy. The clouds around the mountains made for some strange
landscape photographs. It is good fun driving up to the pass on the long series
of hairpin bends.
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| Passo San Bernardo,AO |
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| Passo San Bernardo,AO |
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| Passo San Bernardo,AO |
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| Passo San Bernardo,AO |
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| Passo San Bernardo,Switzerland |
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| Passo San Bernardo, Switzerland |
I managed to push on foot a bit further up the Val
di Rhèmes than last year. This is my favourite valley in the Val d’Aosta as the
landscape is the most varied and interesting.
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
In Valnotey near Cogne, I finally did the stiff
climb on one side of the valley to the vantage point where one gets a great
view of the valley from above.
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
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| Vanontey, AO |
A badly marked footpath took me up the
Valsavarench almost up to the snow line. The highlight of this walk was the
remains of curious stone building in the higher reaches of the valley. Probably
to support the big snow load in winter, this building had an arched stone roof
instead of the usual timber roof that is to be found in this region.
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
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| Valsavarenche,AO |
Whilst on an afternoon walk in a little village
above Sarre called Ozien, I came acros a stone and timber building that
reminded me of a prehistoric carving of a house that I saw in the Valle Camonica.
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| Ozien, AO |
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| Ozien, AO |
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| Ozien, AO |
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| Ozien, AO |
The Valgrisenche is probably the least
interesting of the valleys in the region. Some dramatic sun and storm light
saved the day on this quite uninteresting hike. Returning I noticed a secondary
valley that might be more interesting to do the next time I am here.
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
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| Valgrisenche, AO |
As always, we walked in the Val Veny and Val
ferret right under Monte Bianco. Always spectacular.
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| Val Ferret, AO |
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| Val Ferret, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
A visit to the Castello di La Mothe was a bit disappointing
as it is just more or less an empty shell.
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| Arvier, AO |
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| Castello di La Mothe , Arvier, AO |
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| Castello di La Mothe , Arvier, AO |
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| Castello di La Mothe , Arvier, AO |
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| Castello di La Mothe , Arvier, AO |
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| Arvier, AO |
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| Arvier, AO |
I spent a rainy morning in the Chiostro di San
t’ Orso with its lovely column capitals.
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
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| Chiostro di San t’ Orso, Aosta, AO |
Who knows if we will be tempted to return again
next year in this wonderful place.
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| Lago di Arpy, AO |
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| Lago di Arpy, AO |
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| Val di Rhemes, AO |
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| Valnontey, AO |
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| Passo Piccolo San Bernardo, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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| Val Veny, AO |
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