The most famous rock pyramid in the Alps
At the head of the Valtournenche, on the border with Switzerland, rises one of the most famous and recognisable mountains in the world: the Matterhorn, called Cervino in Italian, 4,478 metres high, an almost perfect pyramid of rock with four steep faces facing the cardinal points, which has become a symbol of the Alps and of mountaineering. Its first ascent, on 14 July 1865, by the English climber Edward Whymper and his party from the Swiss side, ended in tragedy, when four of the seven climbers fell to their deaths during the descent; a few days later, on 17 July, the Valtournenche guide Jean-Antoine Carrel reached the summit by the Italian ridge, the "Cresta del Leone". At the foot of the mountain, at about 2,000 metres, lies the resort of Breuil-Cervinia, born in the 1930s as one of the first modern ski resorts in Italy.
Cervinia is famous for its very long ski season, thanks to the high altitude: its slopes reach the Plateau Rosa, at about 3,480 metres, and the glaciers of the Klein Matterhorn, at over 3,800 metres, where you can ski even in summer, and they are connected with those of Zermatt, in Switzerland, forming one of the largest ski areas in the world, the "Matterhorn Ski Paradise". In summer, the cable cars take visitors up to the glaciers for spectacular views of the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and the peaks of Valais, and many trails cross the valley, such as the path to the Lago Blu, where the Matterhorn is reflected in the water. The village has shops, restaurants and hotels.
Tip: take the cable car to Plateau Rosa for the view; bring your passport or ID if you plan to ski or go up to the Swiss side.
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