Gran Paradiso is the highest mountain in the Graian Alps and the only “four thousand” one fully within the Italian borders. The first ascent to the highest peak (4,061 meters) was completed on September 4, 1860 by the British mountaineers Dundas and Cowell with the French Payot and Tayrraz.
The impressive Tribolazione glacier is on the northern face in the vast circle that opens under the highest peak, at the head of Valnontey.
The National Park was also named after the Gran Paradiso. Established in 1922, it is famous for being the preferred habitat for ibex, whose protection was the main reason for the park’s creation by Victor Emanuel II. In addition to the ibex, Gran Paradiso is also home to the golden eagle and the woodchuck.
The area is not only popular in the summer; in fact, the skiing practice is very diffused in this region.