The Aosta Valley: Italy’s Best Kept Secret

Guest post from The Viewing, international luxury property specialists.

The Viewing international luxury property specialists No one knows a property better than the home owner. The Viewing, the international luxury property specialists, have invited some of their home owners to write about what makes the location of their second-home so fantastic.

This week read why the Italian Alps are such a fantastic destination for buying a ski home. The home owners of a ski property in Cervinia, offer the lowdown on the Aosta Valley, and why it has been their favoured destination for the past decade.

Accessibility

Three hour transfers might be the norm for a typical ski holiday, but fly to Turin and the transfer time to the Aosta Valley is just 1 hour 15 minutes! Flights with British Airways run frequently from most London airports to Turin; and EasyJet also has several flights a day between the two cities. Transfers can be arranged, but hiring a car is so easy and convenient that you would be mad not to!

High Altitude

Property For Sale in Italian Ski Resort of Cervinia With a ski area reaching over 3,000m in altitude, Cervinia is one of the most snow-sure ski resorts the Alps. The ski area opens as early as October - perfect for half-term pre-season skiing - and can stay open until as late May. The high altitude skiing means the ski season is one of the longest in Europe.

Ski Area

As well as fantastic snow-surety thanks to its altitude, you can pop over the border on skis to Zermatt - surely one of the coolest things to do on two planks. The total ski area offers over 360km of pistes as well as glacier skiing. All this under the peaks of Europe’s most famous mountain, The Matterhorn. From the top of the resort, on a good visibility day, you can also see Mont Blanc, Monte Rose and Grand Paradiso making it some of the most picturesque skiing in the world.

Summer

Some might say the summer is even better than the winter thanks to the fact that from your front door you are at the foothills of some of the most pristine mountain landscape in Europe. Mountain adventures such as hiking, climbing and even mountaineering are right on your doorstep, as well as a world-class golf course and some of Italy’s most popular cycling routes.

History

What is there to see and do in the Aosta Valley outside of the resort of Cervinia? After Rome, Aosta is the second most important site in Italy for Roman ruins, with plenty of festivals, museums and sites to celebrate the fact. If you are interested in medieval history, you cannot drive a few hundred metres without seeing a castle sitting atop a hillside, most of which are open to visitors (or converted into beautiful boutique hotels and B&Bs if you want a night away from the snow).

Lifestyle

Italians do it better! And everyone in the world knows it. The Aosta valley is home to some of the finest food in the country. Small artisanal farms dotted around the valley make better cheese, butter and bread than you ever find in a shop. Vineyards line the valley walls creating some of the finest wine that you will ever have the privilege of tasting; and in recent years some of the most famous chefs in the world have set up shop in order to make the most of the delicious local produce for miles. St Hubertus Resort in Cervinia opened its doors in 2009 and this year was voted the World’s Best Boutique Ski Hotel. Their restaurant was this year given its third Michelin star, making it one of the most in-demand restaurants in Italy. Just down the road in Courmayeur, celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal runs ski experiences based around the village’s best restaurants where each evening is spent dining on 7-course meals.

Once upon a time the who’s who of Italy flocked to the Dolomites where the ski resort of Cortina was THE place to be seen. These days, it is the rustic charm of the Aosta Valley that is attracting skiers in-the-know. Fantastic snow, delicious food and beautiful scenery are just some of the things on offer in this part of the world, and it won’t be long before everyone else figures it out!

TEMPTED BY A SKI PROPERTY IN CERVINIA? How about this fantastic new-build apartment in the heart of the Cervinia?

If you would like to know more about Cervinia, click here to see our Cervinia Ski Property & Resort Guide.

If you would like to know more about Courmayeur, click here to see our Courmayeur Ski Property & Resort Guide.

If you would like to speak to The Viewing to discuss a luxury ski property purchase, contact them here.