CONTENTS
Map key
Overview map
Route summary table
Introduction
The route
Geography
Geology
History
Art and culture
Wildlife
Plants and flowers
Weather
When to go
Access and travel
In-route transport options
Accommodation
Mountain huts
Clothing
Food and drink
Language
Maps and navigation
Waymarking
Safety and emergencies
Insurance
Using this guide
The Alta Via 1: An Italian Haute Route
Eastern section
Stage 1 Donnas to Sassa (Etoile du Berger)
Stage 2 Sassa (Etoile du Berger) to Rifugio Coda
Stage 2A The Col Portola Route: Sassa (Etoile du Berger) to Rifugio Coda
Stage 3 Rifugio Coda to Rifugio Barma
Stage 4 Rifugio Barma to Niel (La Gruba)
Stage 5 Niel (La Gruba) to Gressoney-Saint-Jean
Stage 3A Rifugio Coda to Rifugio della Vecchia
Stage 4A Rifugio della Vecchia to Rifugio Rivetti
Stage 5A Rifugio Rivetti to Gressoney-Saint-Jean
Stage 6 Gressoney-Saint-Jean to Rifugio Vieux Crest
Stage 7 Rifugio Vieux Crest to Rifugio Grand Tournalin
Stage 8 Rifugio Grand Tournalin to Cretaz, Valtournenche
Western section
Stage 9 Cretaz, Valtournenche to Rifugio Barmasse
Stage 10 Rifugio Barmasse to Rifugio Cunéy
Stage 11 Rifugio Cunéy to Closé/Oyace/Lexert
Stage 12 Closé/Oyace/Lexert to Ollomont/Rey
Stage 12A Closé/Oyace/Lexert to Ollomont/Rey: the low route
Stage 13 Ollomont/Rey to Rifugio Champillon
Stage 14 Rifugio Champillon to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses
Stage 15 Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses to Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 15A Via Francigena from Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses to Great St Bernard Monastery
Stage 15B Great St Bernard Monastery to Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 16 Rifugio Bonatti to Courmayeur
Appendix A Alternative schedule
Appendix B Useful contacts
Appendix C Useful phrases
Appendix D Kit list
Maps and navigation
Italian cartography varies greatly, and it is rarely up to the standard of Ordnance Survey, IGN in France or Swiss mapping. Some maps have inaccuracies and are of limited use for fine navigation; however, the 1:25,000 Carta dei Sentieri by L’Escursionista editore are of a good standard and are recommended by some of the guide associations in the valleys. Contours are at 25m intervals and there is GPS compatibility. Five maps are needed for the AV1. The most recent versions are printed on a waterproof material, which will be used for all newly produced maps by 2020. They cost around €10 each and are sold in numerous shops in the valleys, but usually the range is limited to the valley you are visiting. Shops in Aosta tend to sell maps for the entire valley. They are also available to purchase online with international postage from www.escursionista.it.
The other option is the 1:50,000 maps by Instituto Geografico Centrale. These maps are of limited use, as the AV1 is not always marked accurately, contours are at 50m intervals meaning much detail is lost and there is no GPS compatibility. Three maps are needed to cover the route.
1:25,000 Carta dei Sentieri by L’Escursionista editore (in order of use)
12: Basse Valli d’Ayas e del Lys
08: Alte Valli d’Ayas e de Lys, Monte Rosa
06: Valpelline St Barthélemy
05: Gran San Bernardo, Valle di Ollomont
01: Monte Bianco, Courmayeur
1:50,000 maps by Instituto Geografico Centrale (in order of use)
9: Ivrea, Biella, Bassa Valle d’Aosta
5: Cervino Matterhorn e Monte Rosa
4: Massiccio del Monte Bianco
Other maps are available locally at a range of scales. Some are better than others but the 1:25,000 maps from L’Escursionista editore are the best the author has used. As the route is close to the Swiss border much of the route benefits from Swiss maps ‘overlapping’, so this is a further possibility, although Swiss maps tend to be much more expensive.
Useful apps and resources
In addition, some phone apps can be a useful supplement to the information within this guidebook:
Mapping: the majority of the route, from Gressoney onwards, can be accessed on Swiss mapping, a free online service is available at www.swisstopo.ch.
Weather: ‘Yr.no’ is a commonly used and reliable weather app (a Norwegian website provided by the national meteorological and broadcasting services).
Alpine flowers: ‘The World of Alpine Flowersie’ is an unusually titled but detailed app that allows the user to identify wildflowers by colour and month of the year.
A phrasebook app is also a useful addition; if it is in French as well as Italian, so much the better.