Getty Images

Valle d'Aosta

While its Dolomite cousins tend to the Tyrolean, Aosta's nuances are French. The result is a hybrid culture known as Valdostan, a long-ago mingling of the French Provençal and northern Italian that is notable in the local architecture, the dining table and in the survival of an esoteric local language, Franco-Provençal or Valdôtain.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Forte di Bard

Valle d'Aosta

A fort has existed here for millennia and the current 1830s Savoy edifice is an imposing one, set high up upon a rocky escarpment at the jaws of the Valle…
Chiesa di Sant'Orso

Aosta

This intriguing church is part of a still-operating monastery. The church dates back to the 10th century but was altered on several occasions, notably in…
Cattedrale Santa Maria Assunta

Aosta

The neoclassical facade of Aosta's cathedral belies the impressive Gothic interior. Inside, the carved 15th-century walnut-wood choir stalls are…
Basilica Paleocristiana di San Lorenzo

Aosta

Beneath the old parish church of the village, you can glimpse the dusty layers of early Christian history. Excavations have revealed a small cruciform…
Giardino Alpino Paradisia

Valle d'Aosta

The park's amazing biodiversity, including butterflies and Alpine flora, can be seen in summer at this fascinating Alpine botanical garden in the tiny…
Museo Archeologico Regionale

Aosta

Aosta’s little city museum does an excellent job of detailing the city’s Roman history with a scale model of Aosta’s Roman layout plus various…
Torre dei Fromage

Aosta

Next to the Porta Praetoria, this imposing tower is named not for the love of French cheese (fromage) but rather after the last descendent of the medieval…
Castello di Fénis

Valle d'Aosta

East from Aosta is the magnificently restored Castello di Fénis. Formerly owned by the Challant family, it features rich frescoes. Despite its…