Hiking in Italy
Hiking tour between France and Italy
Technical lev. : 2.5 / 5
Intermediate stage between 2 and 3 Mountains.
Mountain trekking for experienced people, you have experience and skills in the mountains.
Some passages are dizzying and it is sometimes necessary to put your hands to help the progression.
Weather forecast learning and cartography experience: the guide could give you the map to learn how to manage a route.
Physical lev. : 3 / 5
For sporty people, we will have some good walking days and make some beautiful summits, you are confirmed in the activity or welcome in Trail initiation! Effort corresponding to approximately 900 - 1200 m of elevation gain in trekking.
We will play with the Franch & Italian border, two nations but the same mountains: 2 nights in Italy and 2 in France in beautiful huts.
We will start with the nearby South Face of Mont Blanc, to then head south on the border to walk into mountain spaces that go wilder and wilder. A fairly easy and beautiful trek!
Dates & Prices
Arrival
End
Price *
Status
Du 14/07/2025 au 18/07/2025
au 18/07/2025
720 €
Bookings in progress / 10 place(s) left
Du 04/08/2025 au 08/08/2025
au 08/08/2025
720 €
Bookings in progress / 10 place(s) left
Du 08/09/2025 au 12/09/2025
au 12/09/2025
720 €
Bookings in progress / 10 place(s) left
* Price per person (without insurance)
Trip
We will at first walk up to the Ruitor Waterfalls in Aosta Valley, to admire its glacier and its lakes. If we are lucky, once at the Deffeyes refuge we will enjoy a great sunset on Mont Blanc.
We will cross again into France to keep going on the Bellacomba valley and its lakes, then the wild and wondersul Italian valley of Valgrisenche will follow...
A magnificent trek, with stages designed not to be too long, but these landscapes will surprise you for their untouched beauty. We will not meet many people on these paths, that only smugglers and shepherds used to walk.
We will play with the Franch & Italian border, two nations but the same mountains: 3 nights in Italy and 2 in France in beautiful huts.
We will start with the nearby South Face of Mont Blanc, to then head south on the border to walk into mountain spaces that go wilder and wilder. A fairly easy and beautiful trek!
Leave in a small group with a qualified mountain leader to hike in France and Italy, this trek takes place near the south face of Mont Blanc, the landscapes are superb with wild paths.
We will cross a part of the Alps Grées which is located between the Massif du Mont Blanc and that of Grand Paradis, we will carry out the ascent of the summit of the Grande Traversière at 3338 meters of altitude by an easy arête, we arrive above the glaciers of the Grande Sassière which is the culminating point of the Alps Grées, it is also the highest summit of the Alps which the hikers or trailers can carry out without mountaineering equipment at 3747 meters of altitude.
Esprit Montagne organises treks off the beaten track with mountain professionals. To discover the most beautiful itineraries we limit the number of participants to 10 people so that your guide can easily manage the group and the conviviality in the refuge is possible.
This trek crosses a wild massif, it is not in a national park but one could think that these zones were protected so that they remain virgin, the mountain here is so abrupt that the man could not take possession of the places in winter because of the avalanches. This is why the paths of Valgrisenche are so wild, the grey valley has only a hundred inhabitants all year round.
This trek is perfect for experienced hikers who only have a week off, you will discover magical places worthy of distant treks with a small budget and the change of scenery assured with a good part of the route in Italy.
For Esprit Montagne, the itinerant trekking takes place far from the roads, we leave in autonomy but with half board in refuge we have quite light backpacks, this itinerary allows to travel between France and Italy with an access by the train to Bourg Saint Maurice to have fast and economic transports.
Program
Vertical drop: + 1000 m and - 800 m
Walking time: approximately 6-7 hours of walking
Meeting at the Funicular car parking at 9:30 am in Bourg Saint Maurice. You will be able to park your car in a free car parking for the week. Remember to take your own picnic luch for today.
Departure by Bus from Bourg Saint Maurice to the starting point of the Trek.
We cross the magnificent Sassière plateau, the marmots are watching us, then we climb fairly quickly to the Monséti pass, we eat and take advantage of the weather at Lac Noir before descending to the Archeboc refuge. This easy day will allow you to get in the Trekking mood and enjoy this beautiful mountain environment.DAY 2 - MONDAY
Vertical drop: + 1250 m and - 900 m
Walking time: about 7 hours
The climb to Col du Mont is quite fast between the Ruitor Massif 3486m and Archeboc 3272m, from Col du Mont the view is magnificent over the Valgrisenche Valley: it is one of the wildest valleys in the Alps. We will eat at the Lake San Grato before reaching out the Epée Hut by a great ancient larch tree forest. Once at the refuge we will enjoy the Italian and Aosta Valley gastronomy.
Vertical drop: + 1250 m and - 1000 m
Walking time: around 7 hours
Today we will be walking on a great balcony path at the feet of the Grandes Aiguilles Rousses 3607m: we will pass the Col Refreita, the path will lead us to the beautiful San Martino Lake. We will then walk off the trails to reach the Col de Bassac where we will get a great view on Gran Paradiso (4061m) and the Grande Sassière (3747m) . We will finally walk down to the Mario Bezzi refuge, where we will spend the night.
Vertical drop: + 1250 m and - 1000 m
Walking time: about 7 hours
Today we will be walking with light backpacks, heading in direction of the Col Bassac Dere and the stunning glaciers of the Great Sassière and Granta Parei, which looks like a small Matterhorn. The walk will be on a beautiful route that runs along the glaciers, after a few hours of walking we will arrive at the Pass, where we will get a great view on Gran Paradiso (4061 mt). We then continue by a small path or path on a rocky ridge to reach a summit at more than 3300 m (the Grande Traversière), accessible by feet by the Italian side and by the French side only by Mountaineering. We may come across Mountaineers with their crampons, ropes and ice axes at the top, who will be surprised to see us at the top in hiker mode. We then descend by the same path back to the Hut.
Vertical drop: + 1150 m and - 1800 m
Walking time: around 8 hours
We will leave the Mario Bezzi Hut at the feet of the Grande Sassière to climb to Col Vaudet: the path crosses valleys where there may be snow at the start of the season, now that you are used to walking in the mountains you will be at ease.
Before the pass we will arrive into a valley where the path is much better, to finally return to France. We will then pass by Lac Noir and Lac Blanc again, and by Lacs Verdets and Lac du Clou, this off-trail should leave you some great landscapes engraved in your memory and your camera, to greatly end one of the most beautiful Treks in the Alps.
The day may be reduced in case of bad weather ...
Another small climb to reach the Col de l'Aiguille before walking down to the Sainte Foy station, where we will be waiting for the bus to bring us back to Bourg Saint Maurice.
END OF THE TRIP: see you next time for a new adventure!
Materiel
If possible, take a bag that is light enough to be carried well, and no heavier than 1.5 kilos.
Your rucksack should have 10 to 15 litres of space for the food you will be carrying for lunch and sometimes the next day, which the mountain huts or guides will give you.
Kilos to carry - it's better to wash than to carry :
Allow 2 litres of water and 500 grams of food for the day.
Your guide will have a more comprehensive first-aid kit in case of a major accident.
A small book or card game (weighing less than 150 grams)...
Weight is the hiker's enemy, but a frozen or soaked hiker is a hiker without pleasure!
So take the time to prepare your rucksack well and weigh it before you set off, to check that without water or food your rucksack weighs 6 to 7 KG, but no more !
IMPORTANT: if a person is not properly equipped and dressed, the mountain guide may decide not to allow him/her to take part in the climb. We ask you to read carefully the equipment list provided in the programme PDF and to call us if you have any doubts.
Level
Intermediate stage between 2 and 3 Mountains.
Mountain trekking for experienced people, you have experience and skills in the mountains.
Some passages are dizzying and it is sometimes necessary to put your hands to help the progression.
Weather forecast learning and cartography experience: the guide could give you the map to learn how to manage a route.
For sporty people, we will have some good walking days and make some beautiful summits, you are confirmed in the activity or welcome in Trail initiation! Effort corresponding to approximately 900 - 1200 m of elevation gain in trekking.
Useful Info
Cancellation and repatriation insurance is mandatory, as is mountain search and rescue insurance (minimum cover of 10,000 Euros).
Esprit Montagne offers the following insurance: https://www.assurance-multi-sports.com.
Meeting at the Funicular in Bourg Saint Maurice at 9.30am, you can park your car in a free parking for the duration of the trek.
Nights in Refuge in room or dormitory according to availability.
Nights after the end of the trek are possible in different hotels in Bourg Saint Maurice, here is our advice:
When you register online, you can choose whether or not you wish to take part in the car-sharing scheme to get to the starting point of your course. Once you have made your booking, you can log back into your Esprit Montagne account to access a section dedicated to carpooling. Here you will find the contacts of the other participants who are interested in car-sharing, so that you can contact them directly.
. Guiding of a certified UIMLA Trekking Guide of our Team;
. First night B&B in Hotel;
. Half board accommodation as described in the program;
. Picnics, every day (except for day 1, think of taking your own picnic lunch with you);
. Mandatory transports along the program.
. Cancellation / interruption of stay / luggage loss and accident insurance;
. Drinks and personal expenses;
. Additional nights outside the program;
. Out-of-program visits and transfers;
. Tips;
. All that is not indicated in the section "The price includes".
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