On Routes 26 and 26dir, 40 km North Wast of Aosta. Highest mountain in the Alps (4,807 m), Mont Blanc straddles the Italy-France border but the 11.5-km road tunnel denies motorists more than a distant view. Meadows and forests clothe the lower ground and Courmayeur at 1,224 m is both a summer and a winter resort.

This village of cobbled streets, like its neighbours, is saturated with trinket shops and supermarkets. Trains go to Aosta (37 km), luxury coaches take you to the Grand St Bernard and Valtournanche and a cable-car rides spectacularly over Mont Blanc glacier.