Aosta Valley Photography Workshop
Mont Blanc, Matterhorn and Co. - The giants of the Alps
Mountains have always inspired awe and a sense of majesty in mankind.
Have you ever dreamed of having a chance, one day, to be staring right in front of the giants of the Alps? Does Matterhorn, Mont Blanc or Monte Rosa move a chord in your soul?
The territory of Valle d'Aosta, the smallest region of Italy, is completely mountainous, and the highest and most famous peaks of the entire Alps range such as Matterhorn, Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso are all standing here, so close one to each other that two days are in most cases sufficient to see and photograph them all. One single word is all what it takes to describe this area: wonderland.
Shooting Locations
Lake Blue, Breuil Cervinia
The tiny Lago Bleu lies at the feet of what is probably the most photogenic mountain in the world. The Matterhorn is only the third highest peak in the Alps, but certainly the most famous one thanks to its unmistakable look.
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Lake Arpy
It is a glacial lake placed at the center of a beautiful plateau at more than 2000 meters of altitude in Valdigne, one of the many side valleys of Aosta Valley. The view from this place is dominated by the breathtaking majesty of the Monte Bianco range, the highest peak of the Alps and Europe, with its 4808 meters of altitude.
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Lake Combal, Val Veny
The name of this place is a bit misleading, as instead of a lake there are streams and small ponds. However, there was actually a big lake there some century ago, but after decades of floods its bed is now almost completely filled up with debris. Making this plateau as one of the highest swamp in the world I guess. The Pyramides Calcaires are a wonderful mountain formation at the top of the Val Veny and are part of the Monte Bianco range.
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Gran Paradiso National Park
The northern part of the Gran Paradiso National Park lies in Aosta Valley, and it features gorgeous alpine scenarios such as glacial lakes, roaring rapids, forests, woods, marshlands and prairies.
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Tete d'Arpy forest
The Tete d'Arpy is a gorgeous forest of larches and evergreens, and it's the perfect location fo breathtaking views of the whole Mont Blanc range.
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Lake and glacier of Miage
The Miage Lake is probably the only one of this kind in the entire Alps range, encircled by the homonymous glacier and the moraine produced by the glacier itself. The Miage glacier is the larger in size and length among the almost 100 glaciers in the Italian side of the Monte Bianco range. It originates right from the top of the Bianco at 4800 m. and has its front at an altitude of only 2050 m.
The glacier is covered with debris which continuosly fall in the lake together with portions of ice, producing a carachteristic sound like pop-corns in the pot. All in all, an amazing place to explore and enjoy.
The lake and the glacier front are placed at the top of the Val Veny.
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Rutor waterfalls
The final section of the Rutor's waterfalls feature huge jumps of water in narrow gorges and canyons. The Rutor is a mighty glacial stream originating from the Rutor glacier in Aosta Valley.
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Val Pelline
A long and narrow valley at the foot of Monte Rosa and Matterhorn, famous for the Place Moulin Lake, the biggest lake of Aosta Valley.
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Example of a typical
day in the field
Very early morning
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Transfer by car to the Orco Valley in Piedmont and to the southern entrance of the Gran Paradiso National Park. We will park the car at the 2612 meters of altitude of Col del Nivolet, a pass lying in the heart of the National Park, linking the two Italian regions of Piedmont and Aosta Valley.
The Gran Paradiso National Park is the largest wild area of Italy. This park is located in the Western Alps around the border between Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta, and it is truely a playground for nature photographers. Many species live there, such as chamoises, ibexes, marmots, eagles, hawks, foxes and, recently re-introduced, grey wolves and bearded vultures.
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rest of the day
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We will spend the morning and part of the afternoon shooting panoramic views as well as close up in this wonderful plateau, and then we will climb up to Lake Rosset and Lake Leità for photographing the whole Gran Paradiso range reflected in the calm waters of these two beautiful glacial lakes, waiting for sunset up there. With a bit of luck, we will have a chance of photographing some of the wild species living there.
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Night
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if the sky is clear, as it often is in summer, we will have a chance of photographing star trails and some beautiful night-scape with high ISO settings. This area is just perfect for night photography because, being completely surrounded by high peaks, there is very little light pollution.
We will sleep at the refuge "Rifugio Savoia" of Colle del Nivolet, ready for another stunning sunrise shooting session by the lakes on the following morning.
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Looking for more images?
Check my photo portfolio online for hundreds of images from this and other areas of Italy Click the image below.
About your Photography Instructor
Ciao! My name is Paolo.
I have been a full-time professional landscape, nature, travel and architecture photographer since 2007. Since then, I have planned and led hundreds of private one-to-one and small groups photo workshops and tours in some of the best looking regions and cities of Italy and France.
My pictures have appeared in calendars, books, travel magazines, brochures and as wall art in offices, hotels, restaurants and corporate venues. For more info please click here
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