Features

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Given how many Brits go to the big-name resorts of the Aosta Valley, we thought it was time to explore their smaller brethren.

In fact the word 'exploring' rather overstates the task: the Aosta valley has a recently completed motorway running its entire length, providing easy access to all of them. But we wanted to find out if the small resorts, only normally used by locals, would make an interesting alternative or would they just be hopeless relics? In fact we found some remarkably modern infrastructure and, to our astonishment, some of the best off-piste skiing in Europe.

We started by basing ourselves in Aosta , the regional capital, for two reasons. Firstly, it is geographically fairly central for the whole region and is right on the motorway. That means if you are driving from England through France, it is just 30 minutes from the Mont Blanc tunnel. Secondly, it is a very unusual ski resort. For a start, not many Alpine resorts were originally built by the Romans - indeed, Aosta has more Roman remains than any city outside Rome itself. As well as being old, it is also extremely beautiful - all the modern buildings are in the outskirts, which means that the pedestrianised old town maintains its historic splendour. It also has its own ski resort - Pila, linked by cable car.