THE GIANTS' TRAIL : THROUGH THE ITALIAN PENNINE ALPS | Cicerone hiking guide

HIKING GUIDE

Italy's Alta Via 1, a 180km trail through the Italian Alps following the northern flank of the Aosta Valley, boasts magnificent views of the Alpine giants: Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, the Grand Combin and Monte Rosa. Indeed, it is sometimes known as the Giants' Trail and can be combined with a sister-route, the Alta Via 2 (covered in a separate Cicerone guide), which runs along the southern flank of the valley, to form the Tor des Géants. Stretching from Donnas to Courmayeur, the Alta Via 1 offers fantastic alpine walking, with welcoming refuges and small hotels providing overnight accommodation (and great food) along the way.

The guide presents the route in two sections, for the advantage of those who can't spare the full fortnight-plus needed to walk the entire AV1. The trail is described in 16 stages, with alternative stages covering some popular variants, including an optional detour to visit the famed monastery at the Great St Bernard Pass. Each stage includes clear route description and mapping, plus notes on local points of interest and accommodation options. An alternative itinerary, list of useful contacts, kitlist and glossary can be found in the appendices.

The AV1 crosses cols of nearly 3000m as it traverses the side-valleys of the main Aosta Valley. Suited to those with some of experience of alpine trekking, the walking is demanding but without technical difficulty. And the rewards are many: quieter huts, breathtaking vistas and a chance to immerse yourself in fabulous mountain landscapes overlooked by soaring, snow-clad giants.

The Alta Via 1: An Italian Haute Route
Eastern section
Stage 1 Donnas to Sassa (Etoile du Berger)
Stage 2 Sassa (Etoile du Berger) to Rifugio Coda
Stage 2A The Col Portola Route: Sassa (Etoile du Berger) to Rifugio Coda
Stage 3 Rifugio Coda to Rifugio Barma
Stage 4 Rifugio Barma to Niel (La Gruba)
Stage 5 Niel (La Gruba) to Gressoney-Saint-Jean
Stage 3A Rifugio Coda to Rifugio della Vecchia
Stage 4A Rifugio della Vecchia to Rifugio Rivetti
Stage 5A Rifugio Rivetti to Gressoney-Saint-Jean
Stage 6 Gressoney-Saint-Jean to Rifugio Vieux Crest
Stage 7 Rifugio Vieux Crest to Rifugio Grand Tournalin
Stage 8 Rifugio Grand Tournalin to Cretaz, Valtournenche
Western section
Stage 9 Cretaz, Valtournenche to Rifugio Barmasse
Stage 10 Rifugio Barmasse to Rifugio Cunéy
Stage 11 Rifugio Cunéy to Closé/Oyace/Lexert
Stage 12 Closé/Oyace/Lexert to Ollomont/Rey
Stage 12A Closé/Oyace/Lexert to Ollomont/Rey: the low route
Stage 13 Ollomont/Rey to Rifugio Champillon
Stage 14 Rifugio Champillon to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses
Stage 15 Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses to Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 15A Via Francigena from Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses to Great St Bernard Monastery
Stage 15B Great St Bernard Monastery to Rifugio Bonatti
Stage 16 Rifugio Bonatti to Courmayeur