Via Alpina – Blue Route

The Via Alpina is a network of five long-distance hiking trails that cross the entire Alpine region – and thus the most diverse natural and cultural spaces. The Blue Route largely follows the Grande Traversata delle Alpi through Piedmont. Initially, it runs along the Italian-Swiss border through the Valais Alps, where small Walser settlements lie in secluded high valleys. From the southern foot of the mighty Monte Rosa massif, it descends into the Aosta Valley, then ascends again into the pristine nature of the Gran Paradiso National Park. With a bit of luck, we can even observe ibex here. It continues down into the Susa Valley and to the Cottian Alps. We pass the highest mountain of the group, the impressive Monviso, at whose foot the Po rises. Through often unspoiled nature, past abandoned mountain villages and many small side valleys, the Blue Route finally crosses the border into France, into the Maritime Alps. Here we hike in the Mercantour National Park, whose mountain world