Valle d’Aosta Vallée d'Aoste
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| Valle d’Aosta is a region of northwest Italy |
Valle d’Aosta is a region of northwest Italy bordered by France and Switzerland. Lying in the Western Alps, it's known for the iconic, snow-capped peaks the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso. Major ski resorts include Courmayeur and Cervinia. The region’s countryside is dotted with medieval castles and fortresses, such as the 14th-century Castello Fénis and Castello di Verrès. Valle d'Aosta is the smallest Italian region and is located in the middle of the Alps, which are divided here into the sectors of the Graian Alps and the Pennine Alps. It is surrounded by the four highest mountain ranges in Italy: Mont Blanc, which with 4,810.02 m [12] is the highest mountain in Europe, Matterhorn (4,478 m), Monte Rosa (4,637 m) and Gran Paradiso (4,061 m). The conformation of the entire regional territory is the result of the work of the glaciations, which dug the main valley and the other lateral valleys. Glaciers now occupy only the highest peaks. Valley glaciers are still found, partially, around the Mont Blanc massif, mostly they are fossil glaciers, i.e. covered with morainic boulders and also with vegetation on the terminal tongue, such as the Miage. The region is crossed by the Dora Baltea, an important left tributary of the river Po, which marks its main valley from which numerous secondary valleys with their tributaries depart, including the Dora di Valgrisenche and the Lys. The major natural lakes are Lake Verney in La Thuile, the lower Les Laures (Lac des Laures inférieur) in Brissogne and the Gran Lago (Grand Lac) in Champdepraz. [13] Beauregard lake and Place-Moulin lake are reservoirs. The most important border crossings are the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo and the Colle del Gran San Bernardo, which corresponds to the tunnel of the same name. The southern part of the territory is occupied by the Gran Paradiso National Park (Parc National du Grand-Paradis), the first Italian national park established in 1922, to safeguard some endangered species of alpine flora and fauna such as ibex, chamois, marmots and stoats. The Mont Avic Natural Park (Parc naturel du Mont-Avic) is the first regional park in the Aosta Valley and extends between the Champdepraz valley and the Champorcher Valley. The following 74 municipalities belong to the Aosta Valley: Aosta Quart Courmayeur Saint-Pierre Allein Antey-Saint-André Aosta Arnad Arvier Avise Ayas Aymavilles Bard Bionaz Brissogne Brusson Challand-Saint-Anselme Challand-Saint-Victor Chambave Chamois Champdepraz Champorcher Charvensod Châtillon Cogne Courmayeur Donnas Doues Emarèse Etroubles Fontainemore Fénis Gaby Gignod Gressan Gressoney-La-Trinité Gressoney-Saint-Jean Hone Introd Issime Issogne Jovençan La Magdeleine La Salle La Thuile Lillianes Montjovet Morgex Nus Ollomont Oyace Perloz Pollein Pont-Saint-Martin Pontboset Pontey Pré-Saint-Didier Quart Rhêmes-Notre-Dame Rhêmes-Saint-Georges Roisan Saint-Christophe Saint-Denis Saint-Marcel Saint-Nicolas Saint-Oyen Saint-Pierre Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses Saint-Vincent Sarre Torgnon Valgrisenche Valpelline Valsavarenche Valtournenche Verrayes Verres Villeneuve.
