Valtournenche: An Italian Ski Adventure

“Tonight the chef has prepared a special appetizer which is an example of la cucina tipica valdostana. He’s prepared hard-boiled eggs flavored with tuna oil. Buon appetito.”

By Mike Norman - If you were to hear the name Valtournenche without previously knowing of its existence, what would you think it was? The latest SUV offering from Volkswagen? A traditional Andorran chicken and ham dish? Although it certainly does not make you think of the Alps the way Zermatt or St. Moritz does, it should.

A pleasant two-hour drive from Milan in good weather, Valtournenche is a small, humble and – I’m reluctant to say – sleepy ski village that is situated quite spectacularly in the Valle del Cervino which literally dead ends at the foot of the Matterhorn in Italy’s Valle D’Aosta region.

The Valle D’Aosta is a semi-autonomous region stowed away in the far northwestern corner of Italy where the cultures, cuisines, and quirks of the Swiss, French, and Italians all melt together sort of like the fondue that is a local favorite. The main artery of the region is the A5, which is an East-West-running leg of the famed Autostrada, and off this highway run a handful of perpendicularly oriented veins, each of which meanders up its own valley dead-ending at the Alps.

Valtournenche finds itself placed fifth in the Valle del Cervino’s collection of six small villages, which begins with Antey-Saint-Andre at 1074 meters, and continues to climb closer to the Matterhorn with Torgnon, La Magdeleine, Chamois, Valtournenche, and finally Breuil-Cervinia at 2050 meters. Each is quaint, though none fantastically charming (with the exception of Chamois), and all offer walking-distance access to the winter and summer playgrounds of the Alps.

Located in the heart of town, the Hotel Bijou (an Italian 3-star establishment) offers, for very reasonable rates, clean, though somewhat Spartan accommodations, two entertaining meals a day, and great service from a cast of characters that you cannot help but compare to those who ran Faulty Towers.

Lovingly running the Bijou was a man named Basil Faulty… Sorry, a man named Ivo, who was a pleasant and warm – though always slightly harried – chap who did all that he could to meet our every request. The role of Mrs. Faulty was stirringly played by Luigi, a dark, brooding handyman, who at 7am would take our order for that evening’s dinner, at 9am drive us to the ski resort, and at 6pm that night, serve us the dinner he had had a hand in preparing. A man who never looked particularly happy, and who seemed to own only one fleece and one pair of jeans, Luigi was a very dedicated host nonetheless.

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