The maximum for the truly passionate: the climbs of the Colle San Carlo are decidedly the most exciting version in the Aosta Valley Rally. A not-to-be-missed itinerary for those who want to test themselves, with big climbs and lots of curves. To be fully enjoyed, and then the arrival at the Little Saint Bernard Pass, another very interesting ride. However, please note: Don’t forget gloves and a sweater, because you will be at an altitude of approximately 7200 feet (2,200 metres)!

THE LITTLE ST. BERNARD PASS
There is a mysterious and striking ambiance, around the cromlech or Hannibal’s Circle, on Little Saint Bernard. A large circle of stones planted in the ground, one of the rare megalithic circles existing in Italy. Turn off the engine, approach these stones and let yourself be guided on a journey back in time… Place of worship? Trail marker? Calendar? Primitive astrological observatory? Today it is still a mystery.
But on the Pass, beyond the dolmen, you find other important historic relics. Starting from the remains of the Roman mansio, large building on the ancient Road of the Gauls, and the adjacent temple that you see to the right, just beyond the former Italian customs. Continuing on, after the French customs, another Roman construction, possibly a sanctuary, and the the ancient Jovis Column, which originally held up the bust of Jupiter and today forms the base of the Saint Bernard statue.
Lastly, the Hospice, instituted around the year 1000 at Saint Bernard to welcome travellers, today a tourist information point. But that’s not all. Before returning to the valley, don’t miss Chanousia, a short distance from the Hospice: The celebrated botanical garden created by Abbott Abate Chanoux at the end of the 19th century, that today houses more than 1,600 species of alpine plants, a scientific laboratory and a botanical museum.

BLANC DE MORGEX ET DE LA SALLE
Delicately perfumed, with undertones of mountain herbs, dry taste, slightly acidic, lightly fizzy. If you are passionate about wine you are already acquainted with it, if you’ve never tasted it, you’re going to fall in love. It is the refined P.D.O. wine Blanc de Morgex et La Salle, the wine of Valdigne, produced by vineyards at the highest elevations in Europe. Want to bring a bottle home? Stop at the Cave Mont Blanc in Morgex.