The capital of the famed Valle d'Aosta, Aosta is up there with the world's best ski cities. Surrounded by western Europe's highest mountains, Aosta's 9 diverse ski resorts, ooodles of history & awesome restaurants get it the double thumbs up from Powderhounds.

The skiing from Aosta is sensational. Whilst Aosta is low enough that it doesn't necessarily have much snow on the ground, the Pila ski resort gondola goes direct from the centre of town. Pila is seriously under-rated as a ski hill & is well worth exploration. Day trips are possible to all other resorts. Larger world class resorts like Cervinia (below the Matterhorn), Monterosa, Courmayeur & La Thuile are fabulous. And then the quirky small resorts including Crevacol, Chamois & Champorcher offer great value skiing in splendid surrounds. We rate Crevacol as a powder paradise and Chamois is one of the most beautiful alpine villages we ever visited.

Aosta has a fabulous history that is visible throughout the town & through the valley. Visiting castles, fortifications, Roman bridges & ruins is fun as well as instructive. The Aosta town centre has numerous historical structures including the old town walls & towers, Porta Praetoria, Roman theatre and Arch of Augustine - some of which are visible from the car park at the Pila cable car! Down the valley are a number of castles, forts and other structures worthy of a visit including beautiful Castello di Fenis, the imposing Forte di Bard and the 2000 year old Pont St Martin in ....... St Martin!!

Aosta's numerous laneways, nooks & crannies in its old town hide intriguing shops selling local wares including the traditional wooden 'coppe trattate' communal drinking vessels. Sneaky little bars & restaurants are hidden throughout as well. 

We love Aosta and its splendid valley so much that we will likely return year after year.
See our video here

Have spent time in Aosta for the past two seasons. Love coming back there. So many ski resorts to play in (Monterosa, Courmayeur & La Thuile are my faves), great shopping & beautiful local food in the restaurants (in town & nearby villages like Fenis). Roman ruins and monuments throughout the centre of Aosta were an intriguing surprise.

Have driven there, taken a bus direct from the airport & traveled on the train from Aosta to central Milan. Whilst the public transport is good, having your own car makes skiing the area easy. We even drove to Verbier in Switzerland for a ski day.

Base yourself in Aosta to sample it all.
See our video here