Under Mont Blanc

 

From Bologna we drove north west, bypassing Milan, until the Alps came into sight.

We were heading for the Aosta Valley, to the Italian slopes of Montblanc, the highest mountain in the Alps. 

Navigating rough, steep, narrow roads, we struggled to find our chambre d'hôte, Le Coffret, hidden away and difficult to access. 

But what a find when we finally did.

Run by an Italian/French couple (this place is very close to the French border) who have created a remarkable and unobtrusive place tucked away amongst surrounding houses and gardens, all encircled by the highest Alps.

Just six rooms, fantastically well designed by a local Aosta architect who has used the existing facades of original old houses in local stone and redesigned the interiors with a comfortable, simple, modern aesthetic. Surely the most special B&B I have ever stayed in.

It came with the resident 'guard' dog - the friendliest, most cosseted and lovable great creature, and the least likely candidate for protection!

In the evening our host Diego drove us himself up a winding and incredibly narrow mountain road to a cantina run by a local family of Sicilian origin, the son and parents sharing the cooking and serving. 

Surrounded by tables of lively, talkative Italian Aosta locals, we had a totally memorable dinner of Sicilian caponata, roasted octopus, risotto with goats cheese, tenderest beef with balsamic glaze, leaves and frites, and as if that were not enough, a tartufo affogato.

After dinner, Papa, who had been working in the kitchen and helping serve, put on his jacket and grabbed his car keys, insisting on giving us a ride back down the hectic winding mountain road to our place.

The next day we drove from the Aosta valley towards Mont Blanc. Permanently snow-covered, we could see only the lower part of the massif, because although Aosta was sunny when we left, Mont Blanc's great peaks at 4810 metres were covered in clouds.

We were headed - via the incredible 11km long tunnel under the great mountain - to France on its other side.

Popping out in the Haute Savoie, we took the scenic Route des Grandes Alpes through forested mountains, waterfalls and gorges ...

Past Chamonix, les Gorges du Pont du Diable, all the way to Lac Leman, crossing almost imperceptibly into Switzerland ...

for lunch on Lake Geneva.

Aosta Valley, Mont Blanc, Italy; Geneva, Switzerland, September 2016

Puglia trip