| We ventured into the Gran Paradiso National Park, on the border between Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta. With Alessandro, we parked as far as the road from Aosta would take us and set up off the side of the valley on foot.
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| The climb up to the plain was the hardest part, and we rewarded ourselves with a picnic lunch with a view.
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| The natural beauty of the area is splendid - wild flowers everywhere, a river winding between rock formations etc.
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| With the Gran Paradiso - the mountain on the right - the tallest mountain which is entirely in Italy (that sounds like a bit of a daft claim to fame, but it is based on the fact that there are various other peaks which are slap bang on the border. Italians will tell you that the Italian mountain, Monte Bianco is the highest in Europe. All French will tell you Mont Blanc is the highest...) Anyway, Gran Paradiso is quite big.
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| We followed the river Orco back towards its source, across a glacial plain.
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| Should have brought crampons (or a sense of balance).
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| The views at the higher altitude were spectacular. Comfortably above the snow line, with mountain lakes and chains of peaks all around.
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| We stayed the night in the rudimentary Rifugio Savoia... a rather creaky tin shed on the side of the mountain.
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| But, after 5 hours walking, a very welcome bed nonetheless.
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| The following day we climbed again, to a series of lakes above the rifugio.
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| The "path" was somewhat interupted by snow, and a lot of the time we had to make it up as we went along.
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| At our highest point, the Lago Nero - 2750m.
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| With France in the background... a bit far to walk to, but it looked very pretty.
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| Our "Touching the Void" moment...
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| ...
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| ...OK, I'm exaggerating, but crossing a very steep bank of snow which had a river running underneath it and large holes in it was a little unnerving. Fortunately, if we had fallen into a crevasse the couple having a picnic about 10m away could have saved us!
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| Lunch! Polenta with cheese - just what a tired walker requires and the splendid Rifugio Chivasso made us most welcome with theirs.
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| As well as foxes and green beetles we saw marmots and Chamois roaming the countryside.
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| And finally we started our descent back to the car, tired and weather beaten, but very exhilirated.
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