La Thuile
On the roof of Europe. Located on the border with France, to which it is connected through the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo, La Thuile is the westernmost town in Italy.
The village rises in a valley at 1441 meters above sea level. The territory, located at the foot of Mont Blanc, is a real environmental paradise: here glaciers, lakes and high mountains frame the dense forests and valleys.
Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo is the Alpine pass that has always represented the main link between the Italian and French Alps, and since ancient times it has been a land of passage and connection.
The La Thuile ski area extends between 1440 and 2700 meters and guarantees over 160 km of slopes. In this area the climate is particularly pleasant, and snow is guaranteed during the season: the high altitudes of the lifts allow you to ski until late spring.
La Thuile is part of an international ski area, the lifts of the Espace San Bernardo reach the town of La Rosière in French territory. The 160 kilometers of slopes are truly able to satisfy the needs of every type of skier, both the beginner and the more adventurous.
This area is considered “the roof of Europe” thanks to the position and the wonderful view from which it can be enjoyed: let’s not forget that here we are on the highest peaks of our continent!
La Thuile is also a starting point for some wonderful excursions: among the most particular, the ascents to the “Testa del Rutor” and its glacier. The glacier has an extension of 920 hectares and at its foot there are numerous lakes; here is born the Dora di Verney, a tributary of the Dora Baltea.
In this basin there is also another site that is certainly the destination of an interesting excursion: the Alberto Deffeyes Refuge. The refuge is the stopping point of the “Alta Via della Valle d’Aosta 2”, an itinerary that leads from Courmayeur to Donnas, touching the Gran Paradiso National Park and Val Veny, right at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif . The nearby Rutor waterfalls, which meet along the path that, from “La Joux”, lead to the refuge are very suggestive.
Simpler, but no less interesting, are the excursions to do in the area of Lake Arpy.
If you then continue towards Chaz Dura and Mount Belvedere 2600 you will be truly amazed: the view is truly breathtaking. The thing that makes La Thuile a pleasant destination is also the presence of the village, a typical alpine town set like a jewel in the middle of the mountains.
Not to be missed nearby:
We certainly recommend an excursion to the Piccolo San Bernardo, which connects Italy to France: a true paradise on Mont Blanc!
A site of fundamental importance for those who love history is that of the “Cromlech”, a megalithic monument that dates back to the Iron Age, on the Piccolo San Bernardo pass; in the surroundings you can also see the remains of two “Mansiones” from the Roman era, which testify to the importance of La Thuile as a stopover on the Via delle Gallie.
Also on the Piccolo San Bernardo pass is the Chanousia botanical garden, founded in 1897 to protect the characteristic flora typical of the Alps. The garden was commissioned by the abbot Pierre Chanoux, priest, mountaineer and precursor of modern mountaineering.
A curiosity: “La Thuile” in the Patois language, a dialectal variety of the Franco Provençal language spoken in the Aosta Valley, means “losa”, the typical flat stone that characterizes the roofs of the Aosta Valley and which is typical of the Mont Blanc regions. In fact, the area was once a producer of these slabs.
Contacts
Funivie Piccolo San Bernardo Spa
Fraz. Entrèves, 149, 11016 LA THUILE (AO)
Telefono: 0165.884150 – 0165.884142 Fax: 0165.884052
E-mail: info@lathuile.net
Internet: www.lathuile.net