Gran Paradiso: Discovering Europe’s Ultimate Alpine Sanctuary

Here's a little secret for British drivers heading long-distance to Italy and all points east: high in the Alps there is an eminently convenient stopover location that is Paradise by name and, most certainly, Paradise by nature.

In fact, so fabulous is the Gran Paradiso National Park, that it is well worth making a special journey there just to sit high among its lofty peaks and absorb the natural beauty of the Alps.

And I'm talking about the Alps as they used to be, before skiing and its associated developments scarred nine out of ten mountain slopes from Val d'Isère in the west to the Austrian Fischbacher Alps in the east.

I would go as far as to say that the Gran Paradiso is quite simply the most breathtaking of all mainland Europe's rapidly decreasing areas of natural beauty.

Vast glaciers leach their icy content into rushing streams; in places these hurl themselves over dizzying drops to create awesome falls; primeval larch forests hug the lower slopes while ibex, chamois and marmots graze above the tree line and higher still eagles and bearded vultures soar in the thin blue mountain air.

That's the Gran Paradiso: nature's supreme aspirin for the driver who's had to endure the bustle of a channel port, the boredom of a French motorway and the toll that he or she has had to pay to pass through either the Mont Blanc or the Grand St Bernard tunnels.

A Hidden Alpine Shortcut in the Aosta Valley

These tunnels take you into Northern Italy (you can go over the col if the weather is okay) and introduce you to the vast and beautiful Val d'Aosta where you might find yourself thinking: "That's it! I'm not driving another inch until I've relaxed and enjoyed this wonderful view."

Those are my sentiments when I reach this magnificent vale. The town of Aosta is a pleasant place in which to spend a day, filled to the brim with the remains of a rich, colourful and often violent history. But its close proximity to traffic is no thing for a chap who's just driven more than a thousand miles and may have many, many more to go.

There's only one thing to do and that's head for the hills.

Escaping the Motorway: The Winding Ascent to Cogne

All you have to do is drive a mile or two back towards Mont Blanc from Aosta and look out for a small side road leading to a village called Cogne which will be on your left. You might, as you begin to ascend this long and winding road, curse me for this advice: but believe me, the 14-mile drive is worth it.

And don't be put off by Cogne itself. Decades ago, this was a quaint village where farmers took cattle up to the surrounding mountain meadows every day so that they could make a strong local version of a sort of Emmental cheese. Now fewer bovines moo in Cogne's trendy, touristy streets. This is the Gran Paradiso National Park's one bow to mammon - but having said that, the village is unspoilt compared to the chic and overcrowded horrors that can be found in similar French and Swiss resorts.

The old mining community managed to avoid the worst of alpine development thanks to the fact that cross-country skiing is the premier winter sport around here, and not its glitzy, piste-busting, downhill cousin. Indeed there are miles of trails in the three mountain valleys which converge on Cogne and in season these lead the skier through a veritable fairyland of ancient villages where the main transport seems to be the horse and sleigh.

Valnontey: At the Heart of Italy’s Premier National Park

But in summer there's only one place to go from Cogne and that's up. Up one of the three valleys - in my case, to Valnontey. This is a hamlet four or five miles distant and it is the last and highest place you can get to by road - a road that introduces you to the very heart of the national park.

And it is high: there is a campsite at Valnontey which is reckoned to be one of the highest in Europe, and from it trails lead deep into the park. Each and every one of them provides stunning views, for the Great Paradise is somehow the mountainous dreamland that most of us envisage when we think of the high Alps.

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Royal Heritage and the Preservation of 'Lo Stambecco'

That it remains unspoilt is largely thanks to the shy and elegant ibex. In the 1800s these mountain goats were being killed at an alarming rate and eventually King Vittorio Emanuele II declared the region a royal hunting reserve in an attempt to avert an extinction of the species. He formed a special guard to fight the poachers and built hundreds of miles of paths and mule drives that to this day allow access to the massive hinterland.

The reserve was later donated to the Italian government and by 1922 had become the country's first national park. Today the protected area covers over 173,000 acres from the permanently snow-capped, 13,323-foot Monte Gran Paradiso, down past glacial lakes and vast flowering meadows to the lower wooded slopes and deep valleys where the boom of rushing water haunts the indigenous forests night and day. 

And happily the king of this heavenly realm is definitely lo stambecco - the ibex - a creature which they say is as identifiable to the Italians as the bald eagle is to Americans. Thousands inhabit the park, and you have a good chance of seeing them if you are willing and fit, especially if you stay overnight at one of the well-equipped rifugi (mountain huts) so you can be out and about at dawn or dusk when the animals tend to feed and play.

Gran Paradiso: Key Facts at a Glance

Feature	Details
Location	Aosta Valley & Piedmont, Northwestern Italy
Established	1922 (Italy's first national park)
Total Area	Over 71,000 hectares (175,000+ acres)
Highest Peak	Monte Gran Paradiso (4,061 m / 13,323 ft)
Iconic Fauna	Alpine ibex (lo stambecco), chamois, marmots, golden eagles, bearded vultures
Key Gateway	Cogne / Valnontey Valley
Best For	High-altitude hiking, wildlife spotting, cross-country skiing, alpine culture

High-Altitude Hiking: Rifugi, Glaciers, and Alpine Spirits

I once took the trail that leads vertically south up from Valnontey, past an immense waterfall and through numerous craggy ravines before issuing out onto a high rock-strewn morass just beneath the massive range of high peaks. On this occasion the clouds suddenly closed in, however my young son was so desperate to see an ibex that we kept climbing in the hopes that we'd suddenly break through above the mist. We didn't, but without warning we stumbled into the middle of a herd of half a dozen animals that seemed reluctant to dash off into the gloom.

Some years before, when Harry was just eight years old, I took him - at his determined insistence - up towards 8,500 feet to the big Refuge Vittorio Sella, and was made to feel horribly guilty as the poor little chap almost wept with fatigue. Then I bought him as much chocolate as he could eat at the hut, and he wiped away the tears asking me how they brought such goods to this lonely spot. With that, a helicopter zoomed in and the pilot entered the shop laden with boxes of Mars bars and fizzy drinks.

Harry thought that was cool, but not as cool as I deemed the delicious local wines from the Comunità Montana del Grand Paradis. These go down particularly well after a day's vertical hiking, and go some way to alleviating the blisters which are the inevitable result of ascending and descending such awesome slopes. But the wine doesn't keep out the evening chill as well as a particularly fiery spirit which the locals make from some sort of mountain grass. I don't know what they put in it, but the evil hooch is mind numbing to the extent that it's vaguely hallucinogenic.

Asking for details can be difficult as the locals speak a variety of languages: Italian and French are mixed with Piedmontese and Franco-Provençal, while in the nearby Gressoney Valley they speak Walser, which is a German dialect.

Anyway, if a night of high spirits finds you waking with a sore head as well as sore feet, you can always take the gentle but sensational stroll up the riverside from Valnontey to the base of the

. Even in the height of summer, this is the one place in Europe where you can really chill out before continuing your long drive into Italy and beyond....

What is the best time of year to visit Gran Paradiso National Park?

Summer (mid-June through September) is the ideal season for hiking, wildlife watching, and exploring the high alpine trails around Cogne and Valnontey. During winter, the region turns into a premier cross-country skiing destination with over 60 miles of scenic snow trails.

Where is Gran Paradiso National Park located?

Gran Paradiso National Park is located in Northwestern Italy, spanning the Aosta Valley and Piedmont regions. It lies just south of the city of Aosta, making it an easy detour for drivers entering Italy via the Mont Blanc or Grand St Bernard Tunnels.

How do you spot ibex in Gran Paradiso?

To catch a glimpse of lo stambecco (the Alpine ibex), head out along the higher trails early in the morning or late in the afternoon when animals graze above the tree line. Staying overnight at high-altitude mountain huts (rifugi), such as Refuge Vittorio Sella above Valnontey, greatly increases your chances.

What is the main base village for exploring the park?

The village of Cogne serves as the primary gateway to the park. From Cogne, you can travel further up into the Valnontey hamlet, which sits at the end of the paved road and offers direct access to the highest trailheads and mountain campsites.