An escapade to Italy to climb the Gran Paradiso

A really lovely escapade, organised at the very last minute, to the Aosta Valley, where the weather looked better than in Valais. What a striking contrast between the wild, remote and unspoilt character of Valsavarenche and the huge crowds on its Gran Paradiso!

It was certainly the first time I had seen people queue [curly-pigtail style] to reach a summit! And while I was delighted to see all those proud faces, marked by the effort of having made it this far, I have to admit it gives the place a bit of an “Everest” feel — or even, you might say, an “industrial” one — and takes away some of the summit's charm. To give an order of magnitude, I estimate that some 120–150 people went to the summit that day. And curiously, while everyone piously makes their way to the Madonna (4058 m), few seem interested in the “real” summit (4061 m) a few metres further on (only two tracks had left their mark on the short north ridge). Although my gaze was of course first drawn to the Most Holy and Immaculate Virgin, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, dazzling white and majestically enthroned above Valsavarenche, of which she is the eminent Patron Saint, it seemed impossible to me to go back down without visiting the highest point of this Gran Paradiso. So we went to each summit in turn, taking detours to overtake the patient climbers who had eyes only for the Madonna, while trying to remain as sporting as possible and not to inconvenience them.

Finally, after a hearty summit hug, we went back down the normal route and enjoyed a descent in very good conditions, as well as a first-rate picnic next to the impressive Vittorio Emanuele II hut.