Discover Valle d'Aosta

Valle d'Aosta sits in northwestern Italy, on the border of France and Switzerland, and it is known for its snow-capped peaks. It is the smallest and least populated region in Italy, and its natural beauty is one for the record books. In the kitchen, the rule is simple: butter is the main cooking fat.

Peaks, castles and trails

This ski lover's paradise is studded with medieval castles in its green valleys in the warm months, and with high-altitude hiking trails. The region also holds some of the tallest peaks in Europe: Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc in French), the Matterhorn, Monte Rosa and Grand Paradiso.

From the Salassi to the "Little Rome of the Alps"

From the 4th century BC, Valle d'Aosta was inhabited by the Celtic Salassi people, until the Romans conquered them in 25 BC. The remnants are easy to see in the capital, Aosta, nicknamed "Little Rome of the Alps." Its archaeological sites from Roman times include the Arch of Augustus, Porta Pretoria and the Roman Theater, which once held 3 to 4 thousand spectators.

After the fall of the western Roman empire in the 5th century, the area formed part of Burgundian and Frankish kingdoms. In the 11th century it passed to the House of Savoy, the future royal house of Italy. Valle d'Aosta became an autonomous region in 1945, with recognition of the French linguistic and cultural influence in the area.

A cuisine unlike any other

Valle d'Aosta is a melting pot of culture. It borders Piemonte, Switzerland and France, and its cuisine is unlike that of any other Italian region. The Alpine territory is all staggering cliffsides, glaciers, lakes, thick woods and pastures, with traditional villages sparsely dotted through the landscape.

That isolation made the people of Valle d'Aosta experts at preserving food. The result is a set of regional salumi and formaggio, the most famous being Fontina DOP. Beef is the go-to meat. Some goat and pig farming remains, but most salumi and formaggio feature cuts of beef or cow's milk. With cattle and dairy at the center of the local economy, expect hearty comfort classics: creamy polenta, gooey fonduta and plenty of soups and stews.

Corn, butter and no olive oil

The harsher climate meant wheat could not survive as easily. Corn became the staple for rich and poor alike, in the form of polenta with varying amounts of butter, cheese and sauces added.

Valle d'Aosta is also the only region in Italy where olive oil is not produced. Tucked away in the Alps, the area is too far from the warming Mediterranean Sea. Butter is the main cooking fat instead, along with hot-pressed walnut oil, which produces troillet, a hazelnut paste now considered a delicacy.

More regional specialties — Fontina DOP, pan ner, polenta concia and Seupa à la Vapelenentse — are covered in the Tastes of Valle d'Aosta article.