Marta's Monterosa Blog

I am passionate about the Alps. They are my heart's home and the place where I would like to spend the last day of my life. I have been a tourist in the village of Champoluc in the Italian Monterosa for all my life and worked as a tourist operator in this area since more than 15 years.

I believe in respect for the special environment of this place that you can find only here. We all gain by enjoying its beauty, while trying to make a minimum impact at the same time. Leave it for our children in the future!

I believe in respect for people who live here with their traditions and culture, language, and work, their genuine products and delicious wines. They open their homes for us, tourists and meet us as their guests, if we are able to open our hearts for them. I have a friend who is a hotel owner and he says that when stressed people from the city come to his place, he tells them to sit down and take a drink before they even begin to worry if they have a room. Perhaps, we can bring a little of their kindness and calmness with us on our way back to the city.

My philosophy is to give back a little of what the mountains and the people from this place have given to me and to my family through my work, to communicate my philosophy and my passion to those who follow me on the blog, and in my trips as a tour operator.

If you would like to visit Champoluc, Gressoney, Alagna or other villages in the Aosta Valley, trek or ski in the Monterosa, discover Sardinia or other places we offer, contact us.

Trekking with capricorns and marmots

Posted: Jul 24, 2012
Categories: Blog
Comments: 0
Author: TheAlps

Hello!

This time I'm presenting a guest blogger, Maja Aase. She writes of her experiences on her and her son's trekking trip with me to Rifugio Arp. Enjoy!
 

Picture of Capricorn

Suddenly a Capricorn appears. And then another. And a little kidling. The whole Stambecco-family is jumping on the ridge of Colle Palasinaz (2670m) and looks down at us.
We look back up at them and establish that their horns look better than our sweaty hats. To see Capricorns while hiking is a super-bonus, so to see three, is super-super-super-bonus!
 

Champoluc 1 579 m

A tour with the experienced guide, Marta Capetillo, walking up from Champoluc (1579m) in the sun and with the air filled with marmot whistles, is a true cleanse.
It’s for everybody: 50+ and teenagers hike as good, and enjoy it as much.
The trick is to keep the right pace, calm steps and just continue on. It is probably the best work out you can get, and the view over the mountains that linger to the right, to the left, up and down, with colours that shift in green, grey and white. The heart is pumping, the body is oxygenated, and the mind calms down and the only important thing is to walk; a form of meditation in movement.
 
Marmot picture

The fish is guarding and the marmots spy, and are unafraid enough to enable the teenaged boys to sit near by, a meter close, keen: ”It’s like Planet Earth on the TV!”, says Harry, 13, and shows us his pictures of marmots who seem to like Swedish youngsters.
 
Mountain lake

The five of us stop and rest for the moment: this is a memory for life, by a lake, with the Alp peaks like heaven-wallpaper around us, and a friendly serenity from the animals.
 
Alp dinner

A three-course dinner, some wine and the bed at the Rifugio Arp, becomes the best finish a hike like this can get.
Thanks Marta, for letting us join!
Maja Aase and Harry Larsson

 

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