About Alagna

The tiny mountain village of Alagna Valsesia lies at 1200m on the southern flank of Europe's second highest peak - the Monte Rosa. For centuries it has been the staging area for mostly climbing and hiking activity - now it is known for great kayaking, rafting, fishing and most importantly skiing and ski touring.

The Valsesia, and Alagna in particular, have been shielded during the past decades from tourist resort development mostly due to the difficult terrain and narrow alpine valley's mountain topography. It has been one of the last alpine frontiers left and also a best kept secret (also known as valley Y) among true alpine ski bums for the last two decades.

Unfortunately Alagna's sleepy years are over! The ski area, which once was serviced by only one gondola system taking clients up to the 3300m high Punta Indren, is now scheduled to become Italy's most modern resort. By the end of 2007 a modern funifor lift will take the skier and climber up to 3700m. This will make Alagna the base for Italy's highest lift and by far best out of bounds skiing! There are not many resorts in the world which offer 2500m of lift accessed vertical!!

The hamlet areas of Alagna and the upper Valsesia were settled in the 14th century by German immigrants migrating from the north known as Walsers. They worked the land in exchange for ownership from the church and became famous for their artisan skills. Alagna today is a testimonial to their craftsmanship. There are over 200 perfectly conserved mountain chalets in the village and it's surrounding valleys. Using only indigenous materials (local wood and stone) and simple tools these craftsmen built houses that have been standing for half a millennium! Today the Walser museum in the hamlet area of Pedemonte is the best place to find out more about this tradition.

The tiny village of 400 residents has basically remained unchanged over the past centuries. During the early 19th century a form of elite tourism blossomed and Queen Margherita of Italy among other celebrities sojourned during the summer months at the foot of the Monte Rosa. The queen loved this mountain area so much, that in 1890 she commissioned a mountain refuge to be built on the top of the punta Gnifetti at 4560m. It became the highest mountain refuge in Europe and over the years has saved countless lives. Today the structure has been fully modernized offering a bed and hot meal to almost 100 climbers a day during the busy summer months. Every year scientists from around the world also use the hut as a base for studying the affects of high altitude on humans!

During the 1960's a gondola was built to Punta Indren and the town received a short lived renaissance. It was built mainly for climbers to access the glacier and thus make the ascent of the Monte Rosa less time consuming. Also, in the winter it was used for skiers to access the high, un-groomed and technically difficult slopes on the upper part of the massive. Skiers in the 70's and 80's were looking for perfectly manicured ski terrain so only in the last decade when uncontrolled out of bounds "freeriding" became the rage, was Alagna rediscovered and it's true potential tapped.

Today Alagna is one of the most important parts of the huge monterosaski resort area. (encompassing 3 valleys) It is the focal point of new development. By conserving the precious history, architecture and traditions of this unique valley - and developing the resort in a way that integrates and not destroy them - Alagna will most certainly develop into a true gem among European resorts.

As an American national living in Europe I chose to make my home in Alagna not only because of the pristine mountain environment and culture it offered but also because it was in a perfect position to use as a base from which I could easily access all the other great European ski and climbing areas. Alagna is only 90 minutes drive from Milan international airport which logistically makes it ideal as a base for my international clientele. Two hours by car to the Mont Blanc, 4 hours to the Dolomites, 2 hours to the Ligurian coast and only three hours to some of the main climbing regions in Switzerland underline this fact. I also have 2 major metropolitan areas Milan and Turin only an hour away…. Oh, I forgot, another very good reason for living here is the food, wine, easygoing lifestyle - and well ,yes I am married to an Italian girl!