Aosta

Aosta is beautiful. Nestled between France and Switzerland, it is a perfect start on an Italian adventure. The locals speak Italian, French, German and English, so language is never a barrier. Try the pizza! Visit the tombs. The streets are cobble stoned and absolutely charming to stroll along in the early evenings.

couple of hour stop along the bus route from Torino to Chamonix. had lunch and walked the old town for those few hours. really curious & wonderful combination of impressively layered historical architecture, tourist shops and luxury goods emporiums. wonderful water canals run down from the mountain through the town. Aosta seems like one of those places that you could enjoy as a base to see the surrounding region.

fyi – the bus ride to the tunnel that leads to Chamonix is remarkable and you could make it RT if you didn’t want to go through to France. or make taking the tram up Mt Blanc part of the trip.

Aosta is an old Roman town in Northern Italy close to the French and Swiss borders. It doesn’t offer anything “to do” as such, but the town itself certainly has a pleasant family atmosphere and with many Roman ruins still present around the area it can be nice just wondering around. It’s considerably cheaper than much of the rest of North Italy, and is definitely less touristy and cheaper. A well recommended visit for a taste of quieter local life.

In an Internet cafe full of kids playing Magic The Gathering. Just goes to show: where every you go, there you are.

Recently discovered via the Ellis Island records that this is where my family came from nearly a century ago. Now I’m going back.