A real knot of legends are tied around the Monte Bianco. Tradition has it that the glacier, all or part of it, is the eternal prison of evil spirits. The exorcisms of Cogne’s curate confined the “manteillon”, forcing them to tie themselves with ropes made of sand; the power of a wizard from the East imprisoned all the evil spirits of the Valle d’Aosta in the giant tower of Dente del Gigante (Giant’s Tooth); the pure innocence of a young monk banished the devils that infested the Val Veny in glaciers…and a mysterious traveller buried the evil spirits that inhabited the old Mont Maudit. To show his appreciation for the hospitality and shelter given to him by the inhabitants of the village at the foot of the mountain, the beggar promised the intervention of the Heavens in order to free the area from evil spirits. And the snow began to fall on the cursed mountain, quickly covering it with a pure white layer that imprisoned the evil spirits for ever. From then on the massif changed its name into the auspicious and peaceful Monte Bianco.

Based on the “Il fiore del leggendario valdostano” (The Flower of the Legendary Valdostan) by Tersilla Gatto Chanu Edizioni Emme/Torino (publishers)