Val Ferret — the Tour du Mont Blanc’s quiet side

The Val Ferret is the Tour du Mont Blanc’s Italian flank: a flat valley-floor path and the high route above it, running from La Palud at Courmayeur past the Refuge Elena to the Grand Col Ferret on the Swiss border. Most walkers ride the stage from Courmayeur toward Ferret over two days — the valley’s north side carries the Grandes Jorasses in view almost continuously, and the refuges (Bonatti, Elena) mark the classic overnights. Low season the valley is empty; July–August it fills with the TMB crowd.