Breuil
Cervinia, in the province
of Aosta 2050 m ) is a modern tourist
resort of the Alpi Pennine.
It lies in
an ample and beautiful basin at the head of the Valtournanche, enclosed at the
bottom by the magnificent pyramid of Cervino
defined as “the noblest cliff in Europe", west of the austere rocky range
of the Grandes Murailles, and east
of the high peaks of Furggen, Testa
Grigia and Gobba di Rollin.
In an open
and sunny position, this centre offers 200 km
of slopes connected to Valtournanche branch out from here for a total of 31 ski
centres and there is also an international connection to Zermatt, in Switzerland 350 km
of slopes.
Valtournanche is the chief town of the valley of the same
name, already from the second half of the 1800s mountain enthusiasts came from
all over Europe to climb the surrounding
peaks. Cervino (4478m) was climbed
on the Zermatt side on the 14 July 1865 by the
Englishman Edward Whimper with six companions
and on the Valtournanche side on the same month and year by the abbot Aimé
Gorret, with Jean Antoine Carrel and Jean Baptiste Bich as guides.
But it was
in 1936, when the cableway between Breuil and Plan Maison was opened that
tourism really intensified. Three years later, daring engineering calculations
and robust machinery completed the work up to the 3480 m of Plateau Rosà.
Only the
war with its severe military purposes enforced the closure of the plants. But
immediately afterwards work started up again with continuous enlargements.
The first
ski-lifts date back to the fifties and from then, the centre became known as a
fashionable resort attracting famous personalities for the beauty of the
surrounding countryside and the fascination of its mountains. Photographs of
Cervino and its ski centres landed on the editors desks of newspapers all
around the world like those of Albert
Einstein and Enrico Fermi, in
pose, engaged in this area on the experimentation of cosmic rays.
Count Rossi di Montelera made Breuil-Cervinia, the area
further north at 2000 m
of altitude fashionable, from here you could reach the snow covered slopes in
summer and winter; that’s why a clientele of VIPs began to visit and inevitably
fall in love with Breuil-Cervinia. Gina
Lollobrigida and her first husband, Arturo
Toscanini, Marilyn Monroe, Aristotile Onassis, Fausto Coppi,
Renato Rascel and many others, almost all of them pupils of the legendary Leo
Gasperl, were immortalised by photographers on the slopes with skis on their
feet. Tourist receptivity developed as a consequence up to the present day
offering holiday makers a wide choice of ski centres, sports and entertainment.
Castles, Lakes and Peaks
Main Attraction in and around Cervinia
In the
surrounding area: at the entrance of the Valley, Châtillon, just ten minutes on the motorway from Aosta, it has a
considerable artistic heritage to visit: the Castle of Ussel, the Museum
of Sacred Art, the Roman bridge.
At 1080 metres of
altitude, nine kilometres from Châtillon, on the way up is Antey, which still has the typical characteristics of a mountain
village of the past: a little church of the 1200s and around it the town. On
the left of the Valle del Cervino is La
Magdeleine (1644m), with its houses entirely in wood scattered among five
hamlets, an example and a witness to the culture of town planning in the
mountains.
Entrenched
on the western side of the valley
of Cervino
Chamois, can only be reached by the cable-car which
leaves from Buisson, at 1800
metres high, it is the highest municipality in the Valle d'Aosta
Events
Its love of
snow and athletics has meant that Breuil-Cervinia has always held international
competitions and sports events of various types.
Some of
them are: the legendary Azzurrissimo,
known as the longest race in the world; the historic Chilometro Lanciato; "Regata più alta del mondo" (Highest
race in the World), competitive sailing for young sailors on board the very
fast Optimist, on the waters of the lake Cime bianche at 2800 metres altitude; the
unusual Golf competition played on the snow and has seen some of the best
golfers on the green in action…
Breuil-Cervinia
has also organised an interesting summer season. The most important events of
which are the classic competition "Combinata Funivie del Cervino" and
the amazing weeks “Ski & Golf”.
Sport
The area of
the Cime Bianche Lakes
The domain
of the Carosello takes routes through the pines which recall the chair lifts of
Cielo Alto and Blue
Lake
For totally
relaxing skiing convenient stations branch out from Plan Maison (among which
the four-seater chair lifts and protective roofs of Fornet, Plan Maison and
Bontadini) which serve the ski-runs, also connected to Plateau Rosà, for all
tastes and levels.
With a ski
connection at your feet you can get to the town of Breuil-Cervinia
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