Tour du Mont Blanc Day 5: Over the Grand Col Ferret into Italy!

/

Tour du Mont Blanc Day 5: Over the Grand Col Ferret into Italy!

Wednesday, July 16th, was a monster of a day—our biggest yet in terms of climbing and distance. It was the day we would leave Switzerland behind and cross the Grand Col Ferret, our stunning gateway into Italy. [3 minute recap Video]

A Swiss Morning and a Tart Reward

We woke up in the small Swiss town of La Fouly to the most beautiful early morning light pouring into the valley, a perfect view from our hotel balcony. After setting off down a quiet road past an incredibly picturesque Swiss chalet, the trail began to climb. The morning was cool and cloudy, but thankfully dry, which was perfect for the ascent.

The gentle road with its nice switchbacks offered increasingly beautiful views of the valley below. Eventually, we arrived at what might be the most quintessentially Swiss photo I've ever taken: happy cows grazing against a gorgeous mountain backdrop. Our first destination was the little farm shop at La Peule. The fresh homemade ice cream and apricot tart we had for a morning snack were absolutely divine and provided the perfect fuel for the big climb still ahead.

To the Italian Border and Beyond

From La Peule, the trail steepened as we made our way up to the Grand Col Ferret. A "col" is a pass between mountains, and this one marked our entry into the third country of our trip: Italy! The view from the top was absolutely stunning, opening up into the Aosta Valley. The glacial peaks to our right were just gorgeous, and the dappled light on the landscape was magical. It was incredibly windy at the pass, so after snapping a few photos, we began the long, steep descent.

On our way down, we passed the impressive Rifugio Elena, but we had our own lunch supplies—sardines, cheese, and baguette—that we'd hauled all the way from Switzerland. We found a perfect spot by a stream to enjoy our hard-earned meal.

An "Extra Credit" Climb for the Views

After lunch and more descending, we came to a fork in the road. We could take an easy, flat walk to our hotel, or we could choose to climb again. We chose the climb. We had heard that the views from the trail leading to Rifugio Bonatti were not to be missed, and we wanted to see them for ourselves.

The extra effort was immediately rewarded. We came across a huge herd of sheep (with a few goats mixed in), a lovely bonus on our way up. The views just kept getting better. We eventually reached the Rifugio Bonatti, where we sat on their grassy lawn for a few moments, taking in the absolutely stunning panorama before making our final descent for the day. We finished on another quiet little road that led us into the cute town of Lavachey and our hotel for the night, the Hotel Ristorante Lavachey.

Day 5 by the Numbers

Our biggest day on the trail so far, filled with huge climbs, epic views, and a border crossing.