Livin' in an Aosta paradise

Mara and I set out early for the Valle d’Aosta, a mountainous region located in northwest Italy. Bordered by Switzerland’s Valais to the north and France’s Rhone-Alpes to the west, the lesser-known Valle d’Aosta shares in its neighbours’ natural and cultural heritage: The region offers some of Europe’s loftiest peaks and scenic alpine landscapes; year-round outdoor activities; a hearty, robust cuisine atypical to the rest of Italy, and, remarkably, it operates in two official languages, Italian and French.

In the heart of the Valle d’Aosta lies the Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso, Italy’s first national park. Created in 1922 when the Savoy King Vittorio Emanuele II bequeathed his hunting reserve to the state, the park’s early establishment preceded the emergence of the modern ski resort. As a result, it is considered to be one of Europe’s most rugged and unspoiled wilderness areas, and, as such, is aptly named.

Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Wildflowers, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Cogne, a quiet alpine village overlooking the meadows of Sant'Orso, is the park’s main steppingstone, and from where we decided to base ourselves. After a leisurely lunch at the Bar a Fromage, Restaurant de Montagne, where we feasted on typical pastoral dishes and a whole lot of Fontina (PDO status cheese!), Mara and I headed into Gran Paradiso, and explored it on foot, and then horseback (at her suggestion, and one of my greatest nightmares come true). We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing (or, rather, recovering) at the hotel's spa and wellness centre, which included pools, baths, saunas (citrus- and hay- based), a frosty room, a saline cave and the curiously-named (or poorly translated) "Marmot's den," which was, unfortunately, and for whatever reason, off-limits to us. That night, we had a delicious dinner (and my life's fill of Fontina) at the hotel's Michelin-starred restaurant, with ingredients culled from their kitchen-garden.

Cogne

Bar a Fromage, Restaurant de Montagne



Hiking, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Horseback riding, Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso

Hotel Bellevue

Kitchen-garden, Hotel Bellevue

In addition to the plethora of outdoor opportunities on offer, Cogne is also known for its lace making. There are approximately 130 lace making ladies who live in the town and work in its’ cooperative, and we paid them a visit the following morning. Known as les dentelles de Cogne, they follow a tradition of lace making that dates back to 1655, working on a technique and patterns committed to memory, passed down from their mommas and their nonnas and their mommas' nonnas. Forget about crossword puzzles and Sudoku: This is the real deal for staving off Alzheimer's!

Les dentelles de Cogne

Les dentelles de Cogne

Lace

Mangiacakes in Milan

After a couple of days of chilling out Como-side, Mara and I made a move to Milan, accompanied by Rosanna. We hit up the usual suspects, including the glistening, marbled Duomo, among the largest cathedrals in Europe, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a glass-covered cathedral of commerce built in 1867, and the Teatro alla Scala, the world’s most fabled opera house and where Bellini, Puccini, and Verdi all found fame.

Duomo

Gorgeous stained-glass window (one of 146!)

The floor's intricate stone carvings

View from the roof

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Spinning "on the bull's balls", a tradition at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

Teatro alla Scala

We checked out an exhibit on Guido Crepax, a Milanese comics artist, and his muse, Valentina, before meeting Seba’s brother, Stefano, for lunch, and then set out to explore the Renaissance Castello Sforzesco and its nearby Parco Sempione. 

Mara and Rosanna, Castello Sforzesco

After refuelling at Grom, the genius Slow Food-affiliated gelateria, we ventured over to Piazza Santo Stefano to take in the ossuary chapel of San Bernardino alle Ossa. The ossario is disturbingly decorated with human bones and skulls, though the room is somewhat enlivened by its vault painting. Sufficiently spooked, and wanting to get on the road before dark, we picked up our Smart Car (the only reasonably priced automatic car rental in Italy) at Linate Airport, and headed home to Gera Lario for our very own Last Supper before the trip.

San Bernardino alle Ossa

San Bernardino alle Ossa