Courmayeur – called the Queen of the Alps on account of its magical setting among twelve peaks rising to above 4000 m, including the Mont Blanc Massif range – has long been known as a holiday resort of indescribable beauty. The skiing complex has 32 ski-lifts going up to 2775 m. There are altogether 100 km of prepared pistes of varying difficulty and we would particularly mention the Val Veny run which will challenge even the most expert skiers. Between the beginning of December and the end of April, if necessary, Val Veny is covered with artificial snow. High up in the mountains, there are many restaurants and refuges with verandahs and sun terraces where you can relax. Spring and summer skiing is available on Mont Blanc and here there is access to the famous 18 km run, part of it glacier, which goes through the Vallée Blanche to Chamonix. For cross-country skiers, there are many attractive trails in Val Ferret of 5, 10, 15 and 18 km and more than 30 km of unprepared trails.

Courmayeur, however, offers far more than skiing, and other facilities include skating, tennis courts, indoor swimming pools, boutiques, games arcades, cinemas, discos and night clubs. Amongst the local specialities, we recommend fondue, carbonade, country soup, mocetta and leg of chamois, accompanied by a red Chambave or white Morgex or La Salle. People with a sweet tooth can buy the famous Courmayeur “tegole” in the local pastry shops. You can visit the old Romanesque Church of Santi Pantaleone and Valentino, the Maluquin Tower, the remains of a fourteenth century fort and the Duca degli Abruzzi Alpine Museum.

Getting there
By train: Pré St. Didier Station, 6 km.
By bus: from Milan, Turin and Geneva.
By car: the Milan-Santhià-Aosta and Turin-Ivrea-Aosta motorways and then the SS 26.

Information
Azienda Autonomo di Soggiorno e Turismo, tel. 0165 842060

Ski-lifts
7 cable cars, 2 gondolas, 6 chair-lifts and 19 tows