Italy just around the corner
Access to Italy
Train, bus and carAll year round via the Fréjus (Modane) road and rail tunnels
Fancy a quick taste of Italian architectural and gastronomic refinement? Take the 13.6 km Fréjus road tunnel (fee payable) between Modane and Bardonecchia. As soon as you exit the tunnel... you're in Italy! In less than 1h30, you'll reach the capital of Piedmont: Turin. From Modane, you can also take a bus or train to Bardonecchia, then Turin.
Summer via the Mont Cenis pass (Val Cenis)
When the Mont Cenis pass is open(mid-May to mid-November), we recommend you take the D1006 from Val Cenis-Lanslebourg (France). Cross the Mont Cenis plateau and follow the route once laid out by Napoleon to reach our neighbors in Piedmont as far as Susa (Italy).
The road between Mont Cenis and Susa is quite winding, but in less than 1 hour (41 km), you'll find yourself in Italy. Gelati, pizzas and dolce-vita are yours for the taking. At Haute Maurienne Vanoise, Italy will never have seemed so close!
Soft mobility
on foot, on horseback, by bikeFor the more sporty, don't hesitate to take one of the many hiking trails once used by shepherds and other peddlers to reach our Piedmontese neighbors.
From Valfréjus: on foot or on horseback?
From Valfréjus, for example, you can take the GR5 and then cross over to Bardonecchia via the Col de la Roue. The Col de la Vallée Etroite is another way to reach Italy from Valfréjus. A wild area steeped in history (bunkers are a reminder of the tensions and battles of the 2nd World War).
Accompanied by a professional, you can also enjoy a multi-day horseback raid from France to Italy.
From Val Cenis: hiking or biking?
From Val Cenis, follow in the footsteps of Hannibal, who is thought to have passed over the Col Clappier above Bramans more than 2000 years ago. A beautiful itinerary with unspoilt mountain pastures, high altitude lakes and a night in a refuge (unguarded bivouac) on the Italian border before descending to the Italian village of Giaglione.
Still from Val Cenis, you can also reach Italy by bike: the ascent to the Col du Mont-Cenis is a must for all cyclists. The descent to Susa is longer and more technical: save your strength for the return trip.
From Bessans and Bonneval sur Arc: high mountain trails
Finally, on the Bessans and Bonneval sur Arc sides, a number of historic footpaths link Haute Maurienne Vanoise to Italy. For example, the long walk through the Ribon valley (every year, a pilgrimage follows this route to the Rochemelon summit at 3,538 m, where the Bessans meet up with their Italian neighbors from Susa). Or the multi-day Tour de la Bessanaise, with nights in refuges. These are high-mountain itineraries reserved for seasoned hikers. These are also the areas through which shepherds used to pass with their flocks. And, more discreetly, smugglers who tried to evade customs officials to avoid taxes on tobacco and other products, which they bought more cheaply in Italy and then sold in France...
A little history
High-altitude valley in the Kingdom of Piedmont-SardiniaHaute Maurienne became part of France in 1860. The region still enjoys a close friendship, thanks to twinning arrangements with our Italian neighbors (Val Cenis-Bramans and Giaglione, Modane and Bardonecchia). In summer, the Mont Cenis plateau, for example, takes on an Italian accent (it was Italian until the Second World War), with French holidaymakers and Turin residents in search of fresh air. These ancestral links are also reflected in the encounters that take place at the summits of our passes and mountains, such as the Rochemelon pilgrimage on August 5, or the Mont Cenis Alpage festival, which brings together people from both sides of the mountain every two years.
Visit Turin and Susa
Museums, Roman remains, squares and marketsTake advantage of your stay at Haute Maurienne Vanoise to visit the town of Susa, on the other side of Val Cenis (access via the Mont Cenis road). You'll be able to see Roman remains, including the superb Arch of Augustus, as well as Susa Cathedral and the market (Tuesday mornings).
Don't hesitate to continue a little further: the capital of Piedmont, Turin, is well worth a day's visit. With its superb museums (cinema museum, Egyptology museum...) squares, arcades, churches... The Turin market is also a must, with hundreds of stalls selling clothes and accessories, fruit and vegetables, Italian specialities, organic producers... The market takes place every morning, and even lasts all day on Saturdays.
