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The history of Fontina is linked to the history of its name. The name Fontina is frequently mentioned in ancient documents on the Aosta Valley. References to the “De Funtina” family can be found from the mid-13th century and “de Fontines” appears a hundred years later. There are abundant references to the use of Fontina as a place name for meadows,...

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Winter is such a fantastic time of the year. It’s my favorite season and I just love it. The snow, the chilly air, the color of the sky. Everything is just perfect. Winter is also a season that lends itself fantastically to storytelling, with all that “gathering around the fireplace with hot cocoa” type of atmosphere permeating the air and, indeed,...

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Every year, people from all over Europe and and North America travel to Northern Italy to enjoy its amazing mountains: the Alps. The Alps are home to some of the best ski resorts and most picturesque towns in the world. There are plenty of winter sports to practice and you can choose from a number of locations to enjoy skiing activities. If you wou...

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Christmas is a big deal throughout Italy, and the region of Aosta Valley provides the perfect backdrop for a magical and festive celebration with its mountain towns, spectacular resorts and rustic chalets. The most famous of Aosta Valley’s Christmas splendours are the artisanal markets, including the prominent Marché Vert Noël, which is located wit...

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Few of us would mistake Milan for Munich, but some southern Italians jokingly call their northern countrymen tedeschi, a nod to the cultural ties that the Alpine regions of Italy share with Germany and Austria. In these northernmost reaches of Italy lie some of the country’s most fascinating—and unexpected—craft traditions: everything from copper c...

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The Valle d’Aosta is about as extreme as Italian winemaking gets. Wedged in Alpine northwestern Italy between Switzerland and France, the valley lies in the shadows of some of Europe’s tallest peaks: ice-capped Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. It is Italy’s smallest appellation, with a mere 750 acres of vineyards, and the highest, with vines climbing...

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The Valle d’Aosta is about as extreme as Italian winemaking gets. Wedged in Alpine northwestern Italy between Switzerland and France, the valley lies in the shadows of some of Europe’s tallest peaks: ice-capped Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. It is Italy’s smallest appellation, with a mere 750 acres of vineyards, and the highest, with vines climbing...

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The Dolomites in Italy consist of a mountain range in the northern Alps. Eighteen peaks in all, which are located at an altitude of over 3,000 meters and that cover an area of 141,903 hectares. The mountains feature one of the world’s most beautiful landscapes with their vertical walls, long and deep valleys and sheer cliffs. While the Dolomites ar...

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Is there such a thing as too much snow? The week I arrived in Champoluc, in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta, the whole village seemed to be buried. Trees resembled sticks of candyfloss, huge mounds hid cars that would take days to dig out, and the air itself was laced with a diaphanous glittery frost. Each morning a fresh set of hastily printed warning poste...

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Italy is a magnificent place to visit, even if you’re looking to the heavens. This trip throughout the peninsula highlights some of its astronomical observatories that are open to the public and certainly where charming views can be enjoyed. Let’s start out with the Osservatorio astronomico della Valle d’Aosta (Astronomical Observatory of Valle Aos...

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