Gressoney and the Lys Valley: the magnificent landscapes at the foot of Monte Rosa

The Valley of the Lily, also called Gressoney Valley, is one of those valleys that rise without brutality, with a form of alpine gentleness. To the far east of the Aosta Valley, from Pont-Saint-Martin to the glaciers of Mount Rose, it unfolds its landscapes in crescendo: narrow gorges, villages of stone and wood, hanging pastures, and finally, eternal snow. Long isolated, this valley saw the settlement in the Middle Ages of the Walser community, a people from the Upper Valais, who left an indelible mark on its architecture, traditions and language. As you go up the valley, through hamlets and panoramas, you will discover a deeply vibrant land, where history and nature walk side by side. Summer and winter, the Lys Valley can be explored, breathed in and tasted.

Pont-Saint-Martin, the entrance to the Lys Valley

It all starts at Pont-Saint-Martin, a border town between the Piedmont plain and the Aosta Valley mountains. The eye is immediately caught by a jewel of Antiquity: a roman bridge with a single arch, suspended above the Lys torrent. Built in the 1st century BC, it is still in use, an exceptional testimony to the mastery of Roman engineers. The name of the village itself pays homage to this feat.

The old fortified house, the low houses, the green shutters, the walled gardens tell the story of Alpine Italy. The old town is charming, with its arcades and fountains. In February, the Pont-Saint-Martin carnival enlivens the streets with a spectacular staging of the legend of the devil, burned on the bridge and a chariot race through the city. In the surrounding area, small castles crown the hills.

Above, the mountains close the horizon. The road goes up the valley along the Lys, a raging torrent that sculpts the valley from the glaciers of Monte RosaLittle by little, civilization fades away in favor of the savage.

On vacation with the Walsers — A hamlet in the upper Lys valley

Issime and Gaby: Walser heritage in the shadow of the larches

As you climb, the first hamlets appear. The valley's capital, Fontainemore, is worth a break to admire a medieval bridge and a beautiful church. But what follows becomes even more uninteresting. issime, nestled in a beautiful valley, is one of the most important historic villages of the Walser community. Here, the houses display a typical architecture: stone base, dark wood floors, balconies facing south. "titsch", a Walser dialect, is still spoken there by some elders, and the place names bear witness to this — Schtefane, Zuberu, Kretzli.

The parish church of Issime, dedicated to Saint James, is a Baroque jewel, with its gilded wooden altar, frescoes, and polychrome statues. Outside, the engraved lintels, stone presses, and fountains are all signs of a preserved heritage. The walk in the Saint Grat valley is very popular for admiring rascards (called here stadium), these famous wooden constructions, serving as barns or pantry and raised on mushroom-shaped stone stilts.

A bit higher, Gaby offers a more open atmosphere, with its mountain pastures and large meadows. It is an ideal place for summer hiking. Niel valley, starting from Gaby, leads to an old Walser summer hamlet, from where you can admire a breathtaking view of the ridges of the Rosa dei Banchi. The old barns of Niel, carefully restored, tell the story of the harshness of life at altitude.

In summer, the trails wind among mountain flowers and alpine pasture ruins. In winter, these hamlets sink into silence and snow. The Walser Trail, which crosses the Ayas valleys, Gressoney and valtournenche follows the migration paths of this Germanic people who colonized the high valleys of Monte Rosa.

Holidays in Gressoney — Gressoney Saint Jean: lake and Monte Rosa

Gressoney-Saint-Jean: Alpine elegance and royal memory

The road winds through the forests, the slopes widen, the mountains get closer. Soon you reach Gressoney-Saint-Jean, the cultural and heritage heart of the valley. Located at an altitude of 1385 meters, the village displays a carefully chosen charm, between Walser tradition and royal heritage.

The center of Gressoney-Saint-Jean is a blend of cobbled streets, houses with flower-lined balconies, craft shops, and century-old hotels. The parish church of Saint-Jean-Baptiste, with its slender bell tower, dominates the central square.

Don't miss the Walser Museum, housed in an old 17th-century house. You will discover the daily life of the inhabitants, agricultural tools, traditional clothing and religious customs. The interior architecture, all in dark wood, testifies to the ingenuity of the Walser builders, capable of creating warmth and space in extreme climatic conditions.

This is also where the Queen Margaret of Savoy, passionate about mountains, had her house built in the 19th century summer castle, facing Monte Rosa. The neo-Gothic building can be visited today: wood-paneled lounges, majestic staircases, breathtaking views of the glaciers. Queen Margaret came here to paint, read, and soak up the high-altitude light.

Castel Savoia: a refuge of love and light facing Monte Rosa

Perched on a wooded promontory that is still called today the Belvédère, Savoy Castle is much more than a mountaintop castle. It is a jewel of slate and stone lace, built for love and for love. Queen Margaret of Savoy, the first Queen of Italy and an emblematic figure of the unified monarchy, had her summer residence built here between 1899 and 1904—but it was in Gressoney that she left her heart long before the stones.

It was here, in this valley of silence and snow, that she met the Baron Luigi Beck-Peccoz, a notable from the Aosta Valley and a mountain lover, with whom she formed a tender, intellectual, and probably romantic relationship. Marguerite then came to stay with the Peccoz family, far from the court, far from the political tumult, close to the glaciers and spiritual elevation. Their bond was discreet, but lasting, to the point that, years after the Baron's death, the Queen had her own castle built almost on the exact spot where they first met.

The asymmetrical towers of the Savoy Castle, the stained glass windows, the coffered ceilings and the grand staircase carved with mysterious motifs bear witness to this quest for intimacy, refuge and beauty. Even the kitchens, located in a separate building, connected the dining room by a Decauville underground train, a symbol of refined comfort, like a love that we protect from the world.

Facing Mount Rose, which Marguerite called her "personal Himalayas", the castle stands out as a place of sentimental memory. She painted there, wrote there, walked in the woods - alone, or accompanied by the memory of Baron Peccoz. The " Queen's Walk ", still traced today, winds between larches and silence, like a last letter that we reread in a low voice.

Castel Savoia in Gressoney — The beautiful Castel Savoia

Gressoney-La-Trinité: at the foot of the glaciers, in the silence of the heights

A few more turns, and the valley reaches its highest point: Gressoney-La-Trinité, at 1635 meters, the last village before the glaciers. Here, the landscape opens up like a cathedral. The peaks of Mount Rose, the twin peaks of the Lyskamm, the Naso del Lyskamm, the Castore and the Pollux dominate the valley, with their eternal snows and their bluish seracs.

Gressoney-La-Trinité is the kingdom of ski and high mountainIn winter, it is one of the three slopes of the area. Monterosa Ski, connected to Champoluc and Alagna. The ski lifts take you to the Bettaforca pass or to the Passo dei Salati, at an altitude of over 2970 meters. The freeride is king, with legendary powder descents towards Piedmont.

In summer, the trails lead to the refuges: the City of Mantova Refuge, at 3470 m, or the Rifugio Gnifetti, starting point for the ascent of the Vincent Pyramid or Zumstein. The Gabiet cable car, open all year round, provides easy access to the magnificent panoramas, whether you are an experienced mountaineer or simply a walker. A beautiful lake awaits you for a break.

Gressoney-La-Trinité retains an end-of-the-world atmosphere. The slate roofs, restored bread ovens, wooden chapels, and engraved stones remind us that history is a cloak worn daily here. The flags of the Walser community, the municipality, the Aosta Valley, Italy, and Europe are all displayed together to adorn the town hall, a symbol of this link between identity and modernity.

Gastronomy and the art of living in the snow

Throughout the valley, the local gastronomy is an art of living. Don't miss the "soup", soup of bread, cabbage, broth and cheese, often baked in the oven. polenta creamy, served with game or melted cheese, warm up long winter evenings. cheese mountain cheeses, such as Toma di Gressoney, are aged in cold cellars. desserts made from red fruits or chestnuts, génépi liqueurs and wild herb herbal teas complete the meal.

In winter, the villages light up: magic is celebrated in hamlet chapels, markets offer local produce and Walser crafts, and evenings continue around the stove, between mulled wine and gingerbread.

The centers de bien-être in Gressoney-Saint-Jean or La-Trinité allow you to relax after a day on the slopes, in wooded and cozy atmospheres.

Gressoney la Trinité Holidays — The village of Gressoney-la-Trinité

The Monterosa Ski area: three connected valleys

From Gressoney-La-Trinité, the area Monterosa Ski deploys one of the largest networks of interconnected tracks in the Italian Alps over 300km of trails. It links three spectacular valleys — the Lys Valley, the Ayas valley et Valsesia (in Piedmont) — via high passes, aerial ridges and modern ski lifts. Passo dei Salati (2971 m), accessible by cable car from Staffal, is the strategic point of this panoramic crossing. By switching to champoluc ou Alagna, we discover long, varied, often little-frequented slopes, with striking views of Monte Rosa. The area is aimed at both expert skiers and amateurs of freeride and large differences in altitude, as well as to leisurely skiers, eager to glide between larch forests and snow-covered mountain pastures. Monterosa Ski offers the privilege of cross-border skiing, between Walser culture and Piedmontese traditions, in a nature that has remained pure.

Go up the Valley of the Lys, is to embark on a vertical journey, from the plain of the Aosta Valley, to glaciers, from the Roman world to the Walser heights, from carved stone to eternal snow. Each village, each curve, each peak invites you to slow down, to observe, to listen. In this preserved valley, history blends with landscapes, tradition with modernity, winter with silence.

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