destination360.orgPLACES / PEOPLE / STORIES
The Aosta–Pila gondola above the city

EXPLORE BY INTEREST

Four-thousanders by gondola — Aosta, Pila and the castle corridor

STARTING FROM · Aosta · 2 days

Open Trip Planner

QUICK INFORMATION

DURATION
2 days
COUNTRY
Italy
REGION
Aosta · Aosta Valley
CATEGORY
History & Heritage

ABOUT THIS ITINERARY

Two days pairing the valley’s two faces: the Roman city and its ridge-top mountain by gondola, then the medieval castles of the Dora Baltea corridor south toward Bard.

OVERVIEW

The route at a glance

Day one rides the gondola from the Roman centre to the Pila basin for the Alta Balconata or the Lake Chamolé family loop, and returns for an evening of fondue. Day two follows the SS26 south through Fénis and Issogne to the Fort of Bard.

THE SCHEDULE

Day by day

Day 1

Aosta and the Pila basin

  1. 09:00

    Gondola to Pila

    20m

    From the city edge to the 1,540 m basin — Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Grand Combin on the skyline.

    View attraction
  2. 10:00

    Alta Balconata or Lake Chamolé

    4–7h

    The 17.7 km ridge loop from La Stella, or the 6.7 km family loop to the lake and Rifugio Arbolle.

  3. 16:00

    Roman Aosta

    2h

    Back down: the theatre and cryptoporticus with late-afternoon light on the stone.

    View attraction
Day 2

The castle corridor — Fénis, Issogne, Bard

  1. 09:30

    Castello di Fénis

    1h30

    The crenellated courtyard frescoes — the most photogenic castle in the Alps.

    View attraction
  2. 11:30

    Castello di Issogne

    1h

    The frescoed portico and the pomegranate fountain across the valley.

    View attraction
  3. 14:00

    Fort of Bard

    3h

    The cable car to the 1830 ramparts: Museum of the Alps, the Prisons, and the valley’s geography explained from above.

    View attraction

THE ROUTE ON THE MAP

Stops on the map

ATTRACTIONS ON THIS ROUTE

Sights on the way

The 22-metre southern facade of the Roman theatre of Aosta
History & Heritage

Roman Aosta — the theatre, the walls and the forum

Augusta Praetoria’s Roman theatre still stands 22 metres high at its southern facade, and a single €10 ticket covers the theatre, the cryptoporticus, the San Lorenzo basilica and the archaeological museum.

View attraction

MORE ITINERARIES

Other routes from Aosta

The Roman theatre of Aosta under the Graian Alps1 day

Rome of the Alps and the Great St Bernard — Aosta to the pass

View itinerary

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Da Nando — sixty-year family trattoria by Sant’Orso: Valdostana fondue, friendship coffee in the grolla

02

L’Osteria dell’Oca — three floors of Valdostan classics, snails and carbonada with polenta

03

Le Bar à Vin — fontina fondue in a cocotte and mountain charcuterie near Porta Pretoria

04

Trattoria Praetoria — the centenarian classic: venison ragu, gluten-free Valdostan dishes

05

Pila mountain huts (Yeti, Gran Baita) — polenta concia at 1,800 m with the 4,000ers on the skyline

Explore destination

HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

The pedestrian-centre hotels around Piazza Chanoux — Roman ruins at the doorstep

02

Camping International Touring (Sarre) and Lazy Bee (Quart) — riverside pitches minutes from the centre

03

Mountain hotels and huts at Pila — ski-in, hike-out above the city

04

Agriturismi and B&Bs in the side valleys — Cogne, Valgrisenche, the Great St Bernard road

Explore destination

NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Courmayeur

Courmayeur

Aosta Valley

Cervinia

Cervinia

Aosta Valley

Lake Como

Lake Como

Lombardy

Turin

Turin

Piedmont

PART OF

Keep exploring

The atlas goes on — more attractions, destinations and stories from every corner of the world.