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HANDBOOK — SOUTH ITALY, Part I.: Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, P^estum, Taranto, Bari, Brindisi, &c. With 10 Maps and Plans. 6.a 'Jhese Maps, based on the survey comnienced by Genl. Dufour, and now being completed by. Col. Siegfried (among the best survey-nnips in the world , are drawn witli contours at intervals of 200 metres in different tints of brown getting darker with the height until the glacier^ ai*e reached. The glaciers and snow fields are distinguished by a 1)1 ue tint, and the flow of the glaciers is shown by dark blue lines. In order to keep the maps simple and clear, care has been taken to insert only names of imj)ortance and interest to travellers. PAGK 431. M. L. Kui'z's splendid map of the entire chain of Mont Blanc (published in 1896) is on a scale of i: 50.000, and has superseded all others. 431 , line 28. For ‘Loescher’s’ read ’Carlo Clausen’s.’ 446, cols. I and 2. The char road through the Val Centovalli is now completed as far as Camedo, the highest Swiss village, which is 2 hrs. from Re by a steep zigzag and then a beautiful terrace path on the Italian side : it is proposed soon to supply the missing link. 41 ) 1 . A permanent Fine Arts Exhibition (in a specially constructed I)uilding; was opened at Lugano in April, 1892. 10 rA( iK 45^, I. A hut lias been built by the Como section of the Italian Alpine Club, on the shores of theLago diDarengo (5834 ft.) above Livo in the beautiful but little known hill country above Doniaso and Cravedona, which may well be explored from the new hut as a centre. 4.57, col. I. A railway (30^ miles, traversed in i-i| hrs.) now runs from Lecco to Colico along the E. shore of the Lakes of Lecco and Como, thus affording a direct railway route from Milan to the Valtellina. 4(3-3, col. 2. Omegna. Omit ‘There is a tiny steamer on the lake.’ 474, col. I. The height of Fee is 5899 feet, not 5299 . 474 , col. 2. A little inn (H. Weissmies) has now been opened above the Trift Alp, 3 hrs. from Saas. 481 , col. 2. 20 min. below Gressoney La Trinhe is the new and first class H 6 tel Miravalle. 484, col. I. There is now a char road from Gressoney La Trinite to Pont St. Martin. 484 . col. 2. In the Church of San Sebastiano at Biella there is a fine bust of La Marmora, who commanded the Piedmontese forces in the Crimea. 485 . col. I, par. 3. After ‘Glacier of Val d’Aosta’ add ‘The drive is charming, past the Castello of Nigra, the diplomatist, with fine views as you climb the hill; from several points showing the pretty Lago d’Azeglio, on the shore of which, on Sept. 5, 1896 , the monument of Massimo d’Azeglio was unveiled.’ 487 , col. I, line 4 from bottom. For ‘St. Graf read ‘ EstouV 4 !) 3 . An electric Railway from Zermatt to the Gornergrat (i hr. 20 min,') with stations at the Riffel Alp and Riffelberg Hotels, was opened in 1898. 493, col. I. There is now the hideous Hotel Restaurant Belveddre on the summit of the Gornergrat, which spoils the view. 494 . There are now inns, of various sizes, in the Trift gorge, by the Findelen Glacier, on the StafFel Alp, on the Fluh Alp and on the Tasch Alp. 49(3, col. 2. In 1895 the Betemps Club hut, a sort of small inn, with resident caretaker, was opened on the Plattje rocks, 2| hrs. from the upper Riffel inn. By sleeping here the ascent of Monte Rosa is considerably shortened. 497 , col. 2. The height of the Matterhorn is 14,780 ft., not 14,705. 595 , col. 1. There is now a char road (ii miles) from the village of Valtournanche itself to Chatillon. 514 , col. I. In 1897 the new Kurhaus d’Arolla was opened, 300 ft. above the level of the valley, and in a fine position. 527 . Mules can now be taken to within a short ^ hour of the summit of the Crammont. 531 and 533. The char road is now completed on the Swiss side as far as the Hospice on the Great St. Bernard. 11 537 - 8 . The char road up the Val de Bagnes is now completed as far as Pionnay, the favourite place of sojourn in the upper part of the valley. 533 , col. 2. Great floods (both due to the breaking out of a lake at the foot of the Crete Seche glacier) occurred at the head of the Val de Bagnes on June 28, 1894 ; and another in 1898. 541 . The path from Mauvoisin to the head of the Val de Bagnes now keeps to the left bank of the Dranse, till it crosses to the right bank just below the ruined Lancey inn. Just above these ruins, at a bifurcation, the L-hand path leads to the new Chanrion Club hut, while the r.-hand path descends to recross the Dranse and then mounts past the Cbermontane huts to the Col de Fenetre. 544, and 546, col. i. In 1898 the Railway from Cluses to the Le Payet station (for St. Gervais) was opened (13 m., traversed in about I hr.' : thence to Chamonix the line will be worked by electricity (at present diligence in 2| hrs.). 545 and 658 . There is now a steam tramway from Annemasse to Samoens (27I miles, 3 hrs.) past St. Jeoire, whence there is a branch line (5 miles, 35 min.') to Marignier, a station on the railyvay from Annemasse to Cluses (p, 545''. 547 , col. 2. The Baths of St. Gervais were carried away in 1892 by a fall from a glacier on the Aig. du Gouter, which caused a great flood, but have been rebuilt lower down, about 10 min. from Le Fayet, with which they are connected by a carriage road. 552 . In 1897 an Inn on the summit of the Br 6 vent was opened. 575 , col. 2. There is now a rough char road from Aymaville to Cogne. 581 . Read throughout ‘Pont’ for ‘Ponte.’ Last line of Rte. 146 , for ‘31 m.’ read ‘2o| m.’ 590 . Mont Blanc is not seen from the Little St. Bernard Hospice, but is seen from the Verney lake, whence too the Combin and the Mont Velan form prominent features in the fine view. 596 . A funicular Railway was opened in 1892, from Aix-les Bains to the summit of the Grand Revard (5069 ft. \ whence there is a very fine view. It passes by Mouxy, and the distance (5| m.) is traversed in I hr. The rly. company intend to construct a large Inn near the stat. 596 and 603 . There is now a steam tramway from Voiron past St. Laurent du Pont to the St, B 6 ron station on the railway from Chambery to St. Andre le Gaz, which greatly facilitates an excursion to the monastery of the Grande Chartreuse, whether from Grenoble or from Chambery. It is ii| miles from Voiron to St. Laurent, and thence 4 miles to Les Echelles, which is 6 miles from St. Beron. 602 , col I, line ii. From. Annecy it is a drive of 10 m. to the Col de Leschaux (8 m. from Chatelard in the Beauges', whence a mule path leads in 1^-2 hrs. to the H. and P. du Semnoz-Alpes (open in spring and summer only) on the summit of the Semnoz. 12 pa(;e 605 , col, 2. There is now a steam tramway from Pontcharra stat. to Allevard (9 miles'). 616 , 617 . The Railway from Albertville to Moutiers Tarentaise (17 miles, 55 min.) is now open, and greatly facilitates access to the now fashionable resort of Brides les Bains. 622 , col. 2. In 1895 the Lyons section of the French Alpine Club opened a new and comfortable Chalet Hdtel at Bonneval (tc) which the epithet ‘ sur Arc’ has been added to distinguish it from another place of the same name, near Bourg St. Maurice), which is now by far the best headquarters in the upper Maurienne. and is a pendant to the good little inn at Val d’Isbre, on the other side of the Col d’Iseran. 627 , col. I, lines 9, 10. For ‘impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen' read ‘ alkaline (a modified form of those at Carlsbad).’ 630, col, I. There is now a roundabout char road through the Arvan valley from St. Jean de Maurienne to St. -lean d’Arves. 631 and 636 . Breaks now run (in correspondence with the P. L. M. trains) from St. Michel over the Col du Galibier to the Lautaret Hospice i^8| hrs,, but 6 hrs. only in the reverse direction . 632 , col. I, There is now a steam tramway from Vizille stat. to Bourg d’Oisans (22 miles, 2| hrs ). At the latter place there are now the first class Grand Hotel de TOisans, not far from the station, and the excellent H6tel de POberland Francais. opj)osite the station. Breaks now run, in correspondence with the trains, from Bourg d’Oisans across the Col du Lautaret t<> Brian9on (9 hrs.—8 hrs. in the reverse direction.. 634 , col. I. The char road from the Bourg d’Arud hamlet of "Venose to St. Christophe is now completed, and the telegraph extended as far as the latter place. Joseph Turc, who liv'es in that village, is strongly recommended as a good and capable guide. 635 , 636 . Above La Grave there is now the Chalet Hotel Chancel (or de la Lauze) on the way to the Col de la Lauze, and it is proposed to build a Club hut at the Rocher de I’Aigle for the ascent of the Pic Central, and the Grand Pic de la Meije, the traverse being now frequently made. Above Villard d’Ar6ne is the little inn at the Alpe chalets, while from one of the zigzags on the way up to the Col du Lautaret a momentary glimpse of the Ecrins (the monarch of the Dauphine Alp.s) is gained. The accommoda¬ tion at the Lautaret Hospice has been vastly improved, and a large dependance (in the Swiss chalet stylo; built just opposite. 638 - 9 . A new inn (H. Rolland) was oj^ened in 1897 near the Aile- froide chalets. The usual starting-point for the Pelvoux is now the Provence Club hut (rebuilt on an improved plan , 4 hrs. above Ailefroide, while the Cesanne Club hut has been removed to the 1 . bank of the torrent in the St. Pierre valley, r hr. above Ailefroide. 653 , col. 2. The char road across the Col d’Izouard is now com¬ pleted, thus opening up direct communication by carriage between Brian9on and the Queyras. 670 . col. I. St. Martin Lantosquo has now been I'enamed St. Martin Vesubie, from the river on which it stands. THE ALPS OP SAYOY AND PIEDMONT, INCLUDING THE ITALIAN LAKES, THE PENNINE ALPS, AND PART OF THE DAUPHINE, PEELIMINAEY lEFOEMATION \ CONTENTS: 1. General Information. 2. Inns. 3. Roads, Mules, &c. 4. Guides. 5. Books and Maps. 6 . Skeleton Tours. § I. The country dealt with in the second portion of this work is the Alpine region bounded by the Rhone Valley and the Simplon Pass on the one side, and the sea and the Col de Tenda on the other, which may be comprehensively described as the Western Alps, together with the Lake District of Lombardy. # In dealing with so extensive a region in a limited space, selection has been necessary. While the Pennine Alps are fully described, the chief routes only in the remoter districts have been followed out. A considerable amount of information, however, has been added in every part of the section, and especially with regard to the glacier group of Dauphine. The Western Alps, as above defined, are divided between Switzer¬ land, France, and Italy. The Swiss frontier follows the crest of the Pennine chain and the watershed of the Rhone Valley to the Lake of Geneva. Savoy, in which Mt. Blanc and Chamonix are situated, became French in i860. It consists of two Departments —Haute Savoie (in¬ cluding the Chablais, the Faucigny, and the Genevois), between the Lake of Geneva and a line drawn from Mont Blanc to the Lake of Bourget, passing S. of Annecy,—and Savoie, between that line and another drawn westward from Mont Cenis. Upper Savoy has Annecy for its chief town. Savoy Cliamhery ; in the former are Chamonix and Mont Blanc, in the latter are the mountain valleys of the Isere or Tarentaise, and the Arc or Maurienne. Piedmont has on its N. and W. sides a clearly defined boundary in the Alps. From the valley of the Tosa, which lies within its territory, to the Simplon it is divided from Switzerland by the Lepontine Alps; from the Simplon to the Col Ferret by the Pennine Alps; from the Col Ferret to the Mont Cenis from Savoy by the chain of Mont 1 For general information, see the Introdnction to the previous part of this work to which the following pages are supplementary. 426 PEELIMINAEY INFOEMATION. Blanc and Graian Alps ; from Mont Cenis to the Col de I’Argentiere, at the head of the valley of the Stura, from the French Departments of Hautes Alpes and Basses Alpes, parts of the old provinces of Dauphine and Provence, by the Cottian Alps; while from the Argentiere to near the Col de Tenda or to the sources of the Tanaro in the Monte Schiavo, southern Piedmont is separated by the Maritime Alps from the Department of Alpes Maritimes, or County of Nice. South of the Pennines the next division of the Alpine chain is known as the Graian Alps. They have been divided into : i. the Cogne district, the Eastern or Italian Graians; 2, the main chain from the Little St. Bernard to the Mont Cenis, the Central Graians ; 3. the ranges between the valleys of the Isere and Arc, the Western or French Graians. These beautiful groups include respectively (i) the Grivola and Grand Paradis (13,324 ft.), (2) the Levanna, CiamareMa, Albaron, and Char- honel (12,336 ft.); (3) the elegant Mo 7 it Poiirri, and the Grande Casse (12,668 ft.). The Cottian Alps extend from the pass of Mont Cenis to the Col de TArgentiere. In Monte Viso they attain 12,609 ft., but their summits average 10,000 ft. They are wild and craggy, and remark¬ able for the rich colouring of their chlorite slate and serpentine rocks, and the transparency of the streams. On the Italian side of this chain are the romantic Vaudois valleys. The Dauphine Alps, though included among the Cottians, are outliers of the main chain, seated far within the frontier of France, but for height and grandeur of scenery take rank next to the Pennine and Oberland groups. The Pointe des PJcrins, their pre-eminent peak, is 13,462 ft. above the sea, and three others approach or exceed 13,000 ft.; seventeen 12,000 ft. ; and twenty-nine, 11,000 ft. The Maritime Alps are a knot of rugged granite summits con¬ spicuous from Cannes and the plain of Piedmont. The highest peaks range from 10,000 to 10,827 ft. and sustain some small glaciers. Some of the approaches to this mountain region are through singularly deep and sterile defiles or combes, ‘ often,’ says Forbes, ‘ of fantastical sublimity, thinly-peopled, and extending many miles.’ On the side of Italy the Alps offer a striking difference in their appearance from that presented in the approaches from Switzerland or France. In the latter cases, the intervention of secondary ranges, and the long valleys, preclude the possibility of any great extent of the chain being seen at the same time ; but from the plains of Piedmont, even from Turin—not 30 miles in a direct line from the nearest point in the crest—a range of the central peaks and passes, extending through 130 miles, is visible. A day’s journey is sufficient for the ascent to the main ridge of the Alps from the plains of Piedmont ; whilst on the other side two or three days of approach through deep valleys amidst the mountains are requisite for its attainment. The Italian Alpine valleys, with their umbrageous chestnuts, trellised vines, campaniles, mills, and fresco-painted oratories on commanding- knolls, are full of pictures, and differ entirely from the Swiss valleys, which are simpler and sterner of aspect. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. 427 There is no need to recommend Zermatt and Chamonix to tourists ; and the halting-places in the intervening valleys on the Swiss side of the chain, St. Luc, Evolena, and Arolla, now attract their fair share of attention. But it is somewhat singular that so small a proportion of the visitors to these favourite centres make the tour of the Southern valleys of Monte Rosa, or even pass by the St. Theodule to Val d’Aosta. The tourists who visit the superb ice scenery of Cogne scarcely increase in numbers, though the accommodation is now fair. Val Anzasca, Val Sesia, Val d’Aosta, and its tributary valleys, naturally unite with a Swiss tour. So also do the valleys of Canton Ticino, and the Val Bregaglia. Those who wander farther south are generally more or less seasoned travellers. These know how to choose their own paths. The Val de Tignes and Pralognan in the Tarentaise, the Valli di Lanzo, easily accessible from Turin, the Vaudois valleys, the singular region of the Queyras, Crissolo at the base of Monte Viso, the health resorts in the Maritime Alps, and last but not least. La Berarde, Ville Vallouise, and La Grave in Dauphine, may be recom¬ mended as centres of attraction. The scenery of the Waldensian Valleys is rich and pleasing, though not of the highest order, and they are attractive to Englishmen as the last stronghold of a brave and steadfast Protestant community, formerly much troubled by persecution, fire, and sword. Milton and Wordsworth have commemorated the patient sufferings and heroic deeds of the Vaudois; and Dr. Gilly in recent times has rendered their story fascinating by the charm of an enthusiastic pen. The Piedmontese and Subalpine valleys furnish a large number of emigrants, sometimes only fora part of the year, and supply all Europe with workmen in particular trades. From the Engadine come pastry¬ cooks ; from Como, thermometer and barometer makers ; from Orta, plasterers; Biella, masons and builders; Canavese, carpenters; Val Sesia, masons; Val Blenio, chocolate makers and chestnut roasters; Val Calanca, glaziers ; Val Bregaglia, chimney-sweepers ; Val Mastal- lone, cooks ; Ticino, coffee-house keepers. They are usually men of great industry and frugality, and, if possible, return to their native valleys to enjoy the fruits of their industry. Throughout Switzerland and in the mountain districts of France, wherever a good house, building, or road is wanted, Piedmontese are emplo3md; and the railways in Switzerland, even that up to liauterbrunnen and Grindel- wald, were chiefly made by Piedmontese. In consequence of the great male emigration, most of the hard work is done by women, particularly porterage over the mountains ; and from long practice, the women are better able to carry weights on their backs than the men. The valleys on the S. side of Monte Rosa are remarkable as being inhabited in the higher villages by a race of German origin and language, which came from the Valais in the 13th cent. The best season for travelling in this part of the Alpine chain is the early summer, when the mountains are green and their rich foiu in blossom. In July and August the heat, particularly in the southern districts, is very considerable. In September, after a short break, the weather generally becomes settled again; and the latter half of that month and the beginning of October is a pleasant season for 428 PRELIMINAEY INFOKMATION. travelling in the southern valleys. At this season, hovyever, the bath-houses used as summer resorts by Italians are shut up, having only opened about the beginning of July. It is a common mistake to visit the Italian Lakes too early—in March or April—when the weather is generally broken, and the vegetation only half out. May and June are here the perfect months. The corn is by that time tall, and the vines have put forth their shoots. The snows still lingering on the higher mountains shine through the rose thickets of the gardens on the lakes, which resound, night and day, with choirs of nightingales. The hillsides are pink with cyclamen, and hung with laburnum-blossoms, the upper pasturages carpeted with the most exquisite wild flowers. The atmosphere has a fresh purity which it loses after the midsummer heats, and which adds both to the beauty of the landscape and to the traveller’s power of enjoyment. The absence of agreeable short walks is, to those who then reside on the lakes, the one drawback. Intercourse being generally carried on by water, the paths are, as a rule, for the first 500 or 1000 ft., or until the region of vineyards has been passed, steep and rough stair¬ cases, too often enclosed between high walls. § 2. Inns.—The Inns within the frontier of Italy were formerly vastly inferior in accommodation, and especially in cleanliness, to those of Switzerland and Germany ; and even now the traveller must not expect, in remote villages, or at houses frequented chiefly by Italians, the cleanliness and comfort to which he is accustomed in similar cases in Switzerland. The more frequented villages have now, however, good hotels, and those built on the lakes, as at Baveno, Pallanza, Stresa, Bellagio, Cadenabbia, &c., are magnificent and luxurious palaces, equal to the best in Switzerland. Of another type, as being frequented mainly by Italians of the higher classes, are the excellent establishments at Pesio, Valdieri, and Ceresole ; and the less pretentious ones at Bardonneche and San Dalmazzo di Tenda. In Val d'Aosta there are some good hotels, particularly at Aosta itself and Courmayeiir \ at Cogne, and Valsavaranche, rough or homely quarters ; at Gressoneij, at Breuil, at Alagna, and at Maciignaga, comfortable hotels ; as also at Bignasco in Val Maggia, within the Swiss frontier. Until the last few years the Dauphine mountains, though yielding to none in grandeur, were but seldom visited, and the accommodation in the district was execrable. The mountain ranges have now been fully explored by mountaineers, and their frequent visits, and the active measures taken by the residents at Grenoble, have led to an extraordinary improvement in the hotels and guides throughout the district. At Manestier, Ville Vallouise, La Gtxwe, St. Christophe, and La Berarde charges, clean beds, and enough to eat are now found. A similar improvement is in progress in the valleys of the Tarentaise, and in a few years this region, lying within easy reach of Aix-les- Bains, particularly at Brides-, Val d'lsere, and Pralognan should become frequented. In the remoter valleys of the French and PEELIMINARY INFORMATION. 429 Piedmontese Alps the adventurous traveller may be sure of a cordial reception, but also of decidedly rough quarters. When the traveller in the Alps receives the hospitality of the curls of retired villages (or of the pastor in the Waldensian valleys), where there are no inns, it is usual to leave with the housekeeper, or for her, a donation, which it is just should at least equal the cost of such accommodation at an inn; the tax would otherwise be heavy upon the limited means of the host, and kindness and attention are thus insured to future travellers. For supper, bed, and breakfast, 5 or 6 fr. are given. The cures in these valleys are not often much superior to the ordinary peasants, from whom they have sprung, and their income is very limited. They are, however, occasionally ardent mountaineers and hunters. In Piedmont a rough ‘ patois ’ is spoken, but the traveller will almost always find French serve him for necessaries, and Italian is everywhere understood. In the Waldensian Valleys, and in one at least of the valleys around Monte Viso, a French dialect is commonly spoken by the natives, though the Italian Government is trying to suppress it. § 3. Roads, Mules, &c.—The Roads skirting the Alps, and the approaches to them from the plains of Piedmont, and in Savoy, are generally excellent. Many of the valleys on the Italian side are traversed by roads made at the expense of the communes, which are marvels of industry and engineering art. Wherever there is intercourse there is a good road adapted to the wants of the in¬ habitants. Chars may generally be obtained at moderate charges. Mules may be obtained on all routes accessible to them, at charges varying from 5 to 7 francs a day ; guides, at 5 to 7 francs a day, may be had in many Alpine villages of Piedmont. Ladies now find side-saddles in many places. § 4. Guides.—More caution should be exercised in choosing Guides in these districts of the Alps than in Switzerland, as guides by profession are rarer. No one should be accepted without sufficient evidence, both of good character and experience, from the innkeeper, the cure, or some respectable person of his village. Quite recently the Italian Alpine Club has organized a body of guides in the Piedmontese Alpine valleys, issuing licences to qualified persons only, and fixing a very moderate tariff for all the mountain excursions and ascents. Before engaging a guide he should be asked to show his licence and his book with certificates from former employers. In the Tarentaise and the Dauphine, the guides have also been placed under regulations by the local section of the French Alpine Club or a local Alpine Society. At Courmayeur, at Breuil, and in the villages on the S. side of Monte Rosa, there is now a supply of guides ; but, with the exception of one or two Breuil and Courmayeur men, they are not equal, for glacier expeditions, to good Swiss guides. In Dauphine there are several guides capable of any ordinary glacier work, such as the Gaspards of St. Christophe, the first conquerors of the Meije. In the Tarentaise there are some fair 430 PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. local guides, but one only in the Cogne district. At Crissolo, near Monte Viso, guides for the ascent of that noble peak are now found. At no place is so much caution in choosing a guide requisite as at Chamonix, owing to the pernicious system by which muleteers are placed on the roll of guides, and entitled to their turn of service. The exertions of the Alpine Club have succeeded in establishing exemptions, the practical effect of which is to relieve all who know how to avail themselves of them from the rule of rotation (see Chamonix). § 5. Books and Maps.—The intelligent traveller finds his map even more indispensable than a guide, and the notes given in the Introduction are therefore here repeated. The traveller will find serviceable, Ball’s ‘South-Western Alps’ and ‘ Pennine Alps,’ 2 s. 6 d. each, though the information in them is ver}^ antiquated ; Joanne’s ‘Savoie’ (1891), ‘Alpes Dauphinoises’ (1890 and 1892), and ‘Provence’ (1890), which are full of recent and accurate information; King’s ‘Italian Valleys of the Pennine Alps,’ and Fresh- Jield’s ‘ Italian Alps.’ The following local handbooks may be useful:— Pertusi e Ratti. —‘ Guida pel villeggiante nel Eiellese.’ 2nd edition, 1887. CtORREt et Bich. —‘ Guide de la Yallee d’Aoste.’ 1876. Ratti e Casanova. —‘ Guida Illustrata della Valle d’Aosta.’ 2nd edition, 1889. Specially good on the city of Aosta and Courmayeur. Vaccarone e Nigra. —‘Guida Itinerario per le valli dell’ Oreo, di Soana, e di Chiusella.’ 1878. Giansevero. —‘ Guida Generale ai Grandi Laghi Subalpini.’ Milan, 1890. (The most recent guidebook to the Italian Lakes.) Bazetta et Brusoni.— ‘ Guide de I’Ossola.’ 3rd edition, 1889, 3 francs. Mountaineers will find all necessary information in Mr. Conway’s ‘Climbers’ Guide to the Central Pennine Alps.’ 1890-1. Vols. I and 2 extend from the Col. Ferret to the Simplon. Fisher Unwin. 10.?. each. M. Kurz’s ‘Climbers’ Guide to the Chain of Mont Blanc.’ 1892, Fisher Unwin. los. Signori Martelli e Vaccarone’s ‘ Guida delle Alpi Occidentali.’ Vols. i and 2 extend from the Maritime Alps to the Southern range of the Cogne district, Vol. 3 to be issued in 1891 will take in Cogne and part of the ranges around the Val d’Aosta. 5 francs a volume. Turin, 1889. Special Climbers’ Guides for the Cogne, and Tarentaise districts are in preparation by experts. The ‘ Guide du Haut Dauphine,’ by Messrs. Coolidge, Duhamel and Perrin (Gratier, Grenoble, 1887), with a supplement issued in 1S90, 10 fr., and supplement 2 fr., contains full details of the glacier region of the Dauphine Alps, with an excellent map of the district. A thoroughly revised edition (in English) of this book (los.), and of the maps (3s. 6 d. bound in cloth), appeared in 1892. Fisher Unwin. Within the Swiss frontier the Government maj)s satisfy all possible requirements. In the Savoy Alps the French Ordnance Survey is the best map, ‘ Carte de I’Etat Major,’ §77^^, i fr. a |-sheet in Paris (copper-plate), PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. 431 40 c. lithograph. The ‘ Carte de la Frontiere des Alpes,’ on the same scale, is a reproduction of a part of this map in smaller sheets (i fr. each)_, with contour lines. The new French Government map in colours on a scale of 5-^Voo completed for the S.W. Alps, and contains the latest information, 80 centimes a sheet in Paris. Mieulet (1865) and Yiollet-le-Duc (1879) have published special maps of the Mont Blanc chain. The French Alpine Club published (1874) a map of the Pelvoux group, 40^0 5 glacier region of Dauphine is the admirably clear and accurate one by M. Duhamel mentioned above (scale iwcfcoA)- For the Piedmontese Alps there is the new Government Survey ^TooVoo)* This is now to be obtained in Turin (Crespi; Via Lagrange) at 50 centimes the sheet (is, the sheet at Stanford’s). The southern spurs of the Pennine chain, and portions of the Graian Alps, were mapped by the individual enterprise of members of the Alpine Club, and particularly of Messrs. Adams Reilly and Nichols. The late Mr. A. Reilly published maps of ‘ The Southern Valleys of Monte Rosa’ and ‘ The Mont Blanc Chain ’ (Longmans), both now out of print. The south-western sheet of the Alpine Club map, edited by Mr. R, C. Nichols (3 m. to the inch, 2 5(i W o)> includes Val d’Aosta and the greater part of Savoy ; the south-eastern sheet the Italian Lakes and Bergamasque Alps. Its scale is, however, somewhat too small for the amount of detail given, so that an enlarged edition was issued in 1881 (I m. to 1 inch, j-gpVoo). At Loescher’s Library, 19, Via di Po, Turin, most books and maps relating to the Piedmontese Alps can be obtained. At Grenoble the traveller will find in the publications of the Societe des Touristes du Dauphine many useful facts as to guides and accommodation. § 6. Custom-houses.—The examination on entering Italy by any of the carriage-roads or by steamer is generally slight, and civilly conducted. That at Chiasso, on the St. Gotthard line, is an unfortunate exception, and is one of the most disagreeable in Europe. Travellers leaving Italy are warned that in order to prevent the exportation of valuable ancient works of art the customs officers are empowered to stop in transit any object, however sihall or trifling in value, which they may consider anterior in date to the present century, and that they use this power with more zeal than knowledge, to the great detriment of Italian trade. § 7. Skeleton Tours are subjoined. The first three show how travellers able to ride, but unwilling to undertake fatiguing ex¬ peditions, or to submit to bad accommodation, may best see the districts here described. It should be remembered that Turin is an excellent base for a mountain tour, where maps, books, or a store of portable preserved provisions, can be laid in. See also Introd. § 8. 432 PRELIMINAEY INFOEMATION. I. Tour in the Pennine Geneva to Chamonix. Tete Noire to the Tete Noire Inn. Col de Balme to Chamonix. Brevent. Montenvers. Chamonix to Conrmayeur, by the Col de Voza, Col du Bonhomme and Col de la Seigne. Courmayeur to Aosta. St. Kemy. Hospice of the Great St. Bernard. Martigny. (See Switzerland, Kte. 56.) Sion (Rly.) Evolena. Excursion to Arolla. Zinal by Col de Torrent. St. Luc. Gruben by Zmeiden Pass. St. Niklaus by Augstbord Pass, as¬ cending Schwarzhorn on the way. Zermatt, Riffelberg, &c. St. Theodule. (Foot or chaise-a- porteurs.) Chatillon, Val d’Aosta. Col de Jon. Alps and Italian Lakes. Col de la Ranzola. Gressoney. Col d’Olen (Inn). Alagna. Varallo, Val Sesia, Val Mastallone. Col de Colma. Orta, on Lake of Orta. Monte Mottarone. Vogogna. Macugnaga Val Anzasca. Monte Moro Pass.^ Saas. Excursion to Fee. Visp. Pass of the Simplon, Domo d’Ossola. Cannobio, by Val Cannobina. Locarno (excursions to Val Maggia, Vol Verzasca, and ValOnsernone). Stresa (steamer). Varese. Lugano. Monte Generoso. Lake of Como Home by St. Gotthard or by Milan, Turin, and Mont Cenis. II. Tour in Savoy and the Graian Alps, staHing from Aix-les-Bains. Annecy. Albertville. Brides-les-Bains. Pralognan. Col de la Vanoise. Col de la Leisse to Tignes and Val d’Isere. Lanslebourg by Col d’Iseran. Mont Cenis Turin. Lanzo (excursions to Balme and Forno). Ceresole, by Col della Crocetta or Col della Piccola (foot"), or return to Lanzo and drive to Locana. Locana. Ponte. Cogne, by Col della Nouva. Excursion to the Trajo Glacier (Partly foot.) Aosta. Becca di Nona. Ivrea. Biella by Oropa. Varallo. III. Tour in the Dauphind Alps, the Vaudois Valleys, and by Monte Viso to the Maritime Alps. Grenoble. La Grave. Excursion to Plateau d’Emparis. Monestier. Ville Vallouise, by Colde TEychauda. Brian9on. Cesanne. Col de Sestriferes. Ascend Rognosa di Sestri^res. Pragelas—Val Clusone. Perosa. Val Germanasca and Balsille. 1 Those who wish to avoid the Moro will return to Domo d’Ossola and drive to Cannobio Rte. 113 ), or make a tour by the Simplon, Furka, and St. Gotthard Passes. PKELIMINAEY INFORMATION. 433 Prali by Fontaine, Rodoretto, and Galmond. Col Julien. Bobbio, La Tour (Torre Pellice). Val Angrogna. Rora, Luserna. Crissolo by Col de Sea Bianca. Sources of the Po and Traversette tunnel. IV. A Walking Tour in the Grenoble. Grande Chartreuse. St. Laurent du Pont. Chambery by Les Echelles. Dent du Chat. Aix les Bains. Visit Haute Combe. Over Dent de Nivolet to Montmelian. Baths of Allevard. Inn at the Sept Laux. Bourg d’Oisans. La Grave. Col des Arsines to Monestier. Brian9on. Mont Genevre to Cesanne. Fenestrelles, Col d’Albergian, and Val Germanasca to Perrero. Infernetto to Val Angrogna and La Tour de Luserne (Torre Pellice). V. A Tour for practised clinibers, Western Alps, from Aix-~ To Bourg St. Maurice. Ascend Mont Pourri—descend to Ste. Foy. Cross Rutor to Fornet in Val Gri* sanche. Ascend Bee dTnvergnan and de¬ scend to Notre Dame de Rhemes (or back to Fornet and next day to Notre Dame over Colle della Finestra). To Tignes or Val d’I sere over the Granta Parey or the Aig. de la Sassiere or Tsanteleina or Pointe de la Galise. Col de la Leisse and Grande Motte, to Entre deux Eaux. Col de la Vanoise to Pralognan, ascending Grande Casse en route. Chateau Dauphin (Castel Del- fino). Colle della Bicocca to Val Maira. Cuneo. Certosa of Pesio. Besimauda. Tenda. Col de Tenda. Baths of Valdieri. Col della Ciriegia (Col de Cerfeze). St. Martin Lantosque. Nice. Dauphine and Cottian Alps. Excursions from La Tour. Val Pellice to Bergerie de Pra. By Monte Meidassa and Col del Luissas, or by Col de Seyliferes and Col de la Traversette, to Crissolo. Col delle Sagnette to Castel Del- fino. Col de Vallante to Abrils. Ascend Brie Froid. Brian9on. Ville Vallouise. To La Berarde by Col de la Temple. Bourg d’Oisans. Grenoble. Visit limestone district of the Ver- cors, Royannais, aiid Devoluy (see Handbook to France, Rtes. 311, 312, 314, and 316). with glacier guides, in the South- 'es-Bams or Courmayeur. [Excursion to Glacier de la Va¬ noise (Dome de Chasseforet).] Col de Chaviere or across Peclet group, to Modane and St. Jean de Maurienne. To St. Jean d’Arves. Ascend Grandes Rousses (N. peak), and descend to Bourg d’Oisans. To St. Christophe. Ascend Aig. du Plat (marvellous panorama). To La Berarde. [Ascend Sommet des Routes or Grande Ruine or Pic Coolidge or PI a ret.] To La Cliapelle en Val Gaudemar. Ascend Pic d’Olan, descending to La Lavey. 434 PRELIMINARY INFORMATION. Return to La Berarde by Col de la Lavey, ascending the Tete de I’Etret or Pointe des Etages on the way. Col du Sele to Vallouise, Bivouac at Refuge Tuckett. Ascend Pointe des Ecrins, and de¬ scend, by S. face of peak or by Col des Ecrins, to La Berarde, Breclie de la Meije to La Grave, Col de Martignare, or Col Lombard with perhaps the S. Aig. d’Arves, to chalets of Rieublanc. Cross Col des Aig. d’Arves (ascending N. or Central Aig. d’Arves from coP to Valloire and St. Michel. To Bonneval or Bessans, perhaps halting at Modane or Termignon to ascend the Dent Parrachee. Ascend Charbonel or Levanna or Rochemelon. Cross Ciamarella to Balme, and re¬ turn to Bessans by the Albaron, or Bessanese. Cross Grande Aiguille Rousse to Yal d’Is&re (and next day to Cere- sole by the Col de la Galise) or by the Col d’Oin from the peak to Ceresole. Col de Teleccio, and Tour du Grand St. Pierre to Cogne, Ascend Grand Paradis, descending to Val Savaranche, Return to Cogne over the Grivola or the Herbetet or the Punta Bianca. To Val d’Aosta, by Punta di Tersiva or Mont Eniilius. VI. Tour for clirnbers in the Queyras, Viso district, and Maritimes. This can be most conveniently done in the course of a journey through the S.W, Alps by starting from Vallouise. To Abrifes by the Combe du Queyras. Col de la Traversette to Crissolo or the Club hut. Ascend Monte Viso and descend to Castel Delfino, Col de Lautaret to Maljasset in the Ubaye valley. Ascend Aiguille or Brec de Cham- beyron. To Barcelonnette. To St. Etienne in Tinea valley or by Col de I’Argentiere to Demonte. To the Bagni di Valdieri. Ascend Punta Argentera. To St. Martin Lantosque. Ascend Cima dei Gelas. Ascend Mont Clapier, descending to San Dalmazzo di Tenda. Cross Col de Tenda to Cuneo and regain Vallouise by way of Saluzzo, Pinerolo, Susa, and the Mont Genevre, or else by Pinerolo, the Val Pellice, and Abides. ROUTES IN SAVOY AND PIEDMONT, THE ITALIAN LAKES, THE PENNINE ALPS, AND PART OF DAUPHINE. ROUTE 111. DOMO d’oSSOLA TO BAVENO. Miles. 9 t i8| 24? Domo Vogogna Gravellona Baveno From Domo d’Ossola Ely. to Gravel¬ lona, and by Orta (Rte. ii8) to Novara. Four trains daily each way, taking i hr. lo min. to Gravel¬ lona, and 2 hrs. thence to Novara. From Brieg to Domo d’Ossola, by the Simplon road, see Rte. 59. Pallanza, on the N. shore of the Baveno Bay, is a little farther from Domo than Baveno, to the S. In hot weather it is worthy of con¬ sideration that the sun is oif Baveno by two o’clock in the afternoon, whilst it shines fiercely on Pallanza till the evening. The Rly. from Domo descends (mainly by the rt. bk. of the river) the wide and flat valley of the Tosa, the bridges over which, below Domo d’Ossola, and again 6 m. below Vogogna, were carried off by the storms of 1834 and 1849. At (4^ m.) Villa d’Ossola Stat. the stream from the Val Antrona is crossed. [This is a beautiful valley leading to several passes over the main chain to Saas. The chief vil¬ lage, Antrona Piana, is reached in 3-32 hrs. from Villa by a paved mule- track and is most picturesquely situ¬ ated at a height of 2959 ft., some way below the beautiful lake of the same name. The most frequented pass. rough but easy (9 hrs.), is the Antrona Pass (9331 ft.), frequented since the 13th cent, (see Rte. 121). The Latelhorn, 1200 ft. above it on the N.E., is easy of access in i| hr., and commands a noble panorama (Rte. 121). There are also tracks from Antrona Piana to Val Anzasca (Rte. 120).] 6 | m. Piedimulera Stat., where travellers bound for the Val Anzasca (Rte. ]2o) get out. Monte Rosa is seen for a moment from the high road. 91 m. Vogogna Stat. Its Latin statutes of 1374 are still preserved and contain many traces of interesting local customs and institutions. The Tosa crossed by an iron bridge, 580 yds. long, soon after traversing the Anza, is navigable in spite of its ra¬ pidity ; the barges are towed up by double teams of 6 or 8 horses on each bank. At ( 13 I m.) Cuzzago Stat. the carriage road to Pallanza branches E., passing the beautiful iag'o di Mer- gozzo. Near (i6| m.) Ornavasso Stat. are the white marble quarries which supplied the stone for Milan Cathe¬ dral. Two chapels are seen high above. Ornavasso — Germ. Urndsch — was (like the neighbouring village of Miggiandone) occupied by a German speaking colony from the village of Naters (opposite Brieg) in the Valais, at some time between 1295 and 1307. The statutes of i 575 contain notices of some ancient Teutonic customs, but German has not been the language of the inhabi- 436 EOUTE 112 . BELLINZONA TO LOCAENO. tants for over loo years, though certain names of places are of Ger¬ man origin. Yet the natives have a lively recollection of the rock whence they were hewn, for in 1871 a street in Ornavasso was named by the local authorities ‘ Via Naters.’ Near (i8| m.) Gravellona Toce Stat., a large bridge crosses the Strona, a stream which drains the Lago d’Orta and sets in motion several cotton mills. The railway continues to Orta (Rte. 118); and the main carriage road to 22 1 m. Fariolo. Here Lago Maggiore bursts into view, with the Isola Madre, the northernmost of the Borromean Islands, in the dis¬ tance. A little further are nu¬ merous quarries of a beautiful rose granite, which derives its colour from the prevalence of felspar. It cleaves into thin slabs. The tele¬ graph posts are made of granite. Felspar is obtained here in beautiful flesh-coloured crystals. 24 ]: m. Baveno (see Ete. 112 ). For Lago Maggiore, see next route. ROUTE 112. BELLINZONA TO LOCARNO (RAIL¬ WAY) -LAGO MAGGIORE TO A RON A. The Swiss ports of Magadino and Locarno are nearly opposite to each other at the N. end of the Lago Mag¬ giore. It is 10^ m. from Bellinzona to Magadino, which since the con¬ struction of the railroad has entirely lost its importance, and 13I m. to Locarno. The valley of the Ticino between Bellinzona and the lake is a broad plain, from which the mountains recede to a considerable distance. The country is highly cultivated, the slopes covered with vineyards, but near the lake the bottom becomes marshy and is unhealthy. [The rly. along the E. shore of the lake is described in Ete. 34B. It affords but scanty glimpses of the scenery, and will hardly be used except by through travellers.] To Locarno, Ely. 6 trains daily in 40-50 min. The rly. keeps close company with the Luino line as far as (5^ m.) Cadenazzo, the junction of the lines to Lugano and Luino. Crossing the Ticino, it ap¬ proaches the head of the lake. 10 m. Gordola Stat. Here the exquisitely blue torrent of Val Ver- zasca pours out of a gorge. The line runs along the shore, through villas and vineyards, to Locarno. 13I m. Locarno —Germ. Luggarus. This was formerly one of the three capitals of Canton Tessin. It has 3353 Inhab., and once contained many more, but has decayed since the 15th cent. It is beautifully situated on the margin of the lake, (on which it has a little port), at the foot of wooded cliffs surmounted by the church and convent of the Madon¬ na del Sasso, and near the entrance of the converging valleys of Verzasca, Maggia, Onsernone, and Centovalli. The groves of orange and lemon, the tall white steeples on the hillsides, and the little white chapels peering out from among the trellised vines and mirrored in the glassy lake, are all characteristic features of an Italian landscape, even though, as far as frontier lines are concerned, we are still in Switzerland. As a lake station Locarno cannot rival the towns on the more southerly shores of Lago Maggiore. It is, however, the starting-point for drives uj) three of the most beauti¬ ful valleys in the Tessin Alps (see Ete. 113), and those who make it a centre for a week’s excursion in June or the autumn months will be well repaid. In midsummer the climate is hot, but not unhealthy, as the delta of the Maggia is com¬ posed of dry granite debris. The Government House, in a ROUTE 11 2 .—BELLINZONA TO LOCARNO. 437 square planted with shrubberies, was built for the sittings of the Grrand Council. In the castle, begun in 1342, but in great part pulled down in 1531, the seat of the Swiss bailitf, are some antique rooms with beautiful wood-carvings. The old desecrated ch. of San Francesco formed part of a Franciscan convent which existed here 1228-1848. The ch. of San Vittore at Muralto, close by, has been a church of secular canons since the middle of the 13th cent. The ch. is mentioned in the loth cent., but the present building— a stately basilica—does not date farther back than the 12th cent., and has been modernized ; it has some early sculptured capitals in the crypt, the tower was begun in 1524, and the ch. was the parish ch. of Locarno till 1816, when Sant’ Antonio succeeded to that position. In Jan., 1863, the roof of Sant’ Antonio gave way under the weight of snow (a most uncommon phenomenon here) and 40 persons were killed. There are some good frescoes (dated 1442 and 1476, but unluckily now rapidly decaying) in the cemetery-chapel of Santa Maria in Selva. The market held once a fortnight, exhibits a singular mixture of cos¬ tumes. In 1512, Locarno was conquered by the Swiss and held by 12 cantons as a subject bailiwick, until 1798. Beccaria, a priest of Locarno, became a Protestant, and by 1548 gathered together about 200 followers there. In March, 1555, 116 persons, who had refused to purchase the privilege of remaining by the sacrifice of their religion, were Ijanished by decree of the Swiss Diet, in pursuance of the Plea of Kappel, 1531, by which the subject bailiwicks were not allowed to become Protestant. With them went industry and prosperity ; they settled at Zurich, transferring thither the manufacture of silk, which is now of such importance to that city. The Orelli, the well- [_Switz. II.] known publishers of Zurich, are a Locarno family, also the Muralts, but not the Pestalozzi (despite common belief), for they came to Zurich in 1564 from Chiavenna. [The Madonna del Sasso (founded, in consequence of an apparition to one of the Franciscan friars at Locarno, in 1480), 20 min. walk above the town, is well worth a visit. The path is formed into a Calvary, inferior to those at Dome d’Ossola and Varallo, but beautifully laid out. The portico of the church commands an exquisite view over the lake and entrance of the valley of the Ticino, whose winding course may be traced flashing in the sun. From 1485 it has belonged to a Franciscan convent, and contains a Flight into Egypt by Bramantino. From this a footpath leads in 10 min. to the Trinita del Monti, commanding a more extensive pano¬ rama. Excursions, a. From the ham¬ let of Losone, | hr’s. drive from Locarno beyond the Maggia, an excellent mule-path leads in i hr. to Ronco. It first crosses a low birch- draped pass, an Italian Trossachs, and then runs in a smooth and level terrace among gardens commanding noble views over the lake and of the mountains at its head. A zigzag road connects Ronco with the high¬ road along the W. shore of the lake, by which Locarno may be regained, h. 2 Ill's’, walk above the town is the chapel of Sayi Bernardo (close to it a humble Pension), whence a very fine view can be obtained, and greatly extended by ascending to the Cimetta. The following are the principal drives : i. To Contra, on the hillside behind the town, and to the brow above the entrance of Val Verzasca. 2. To Intragna, returning by rt. bank of the Maggia. 3. Up Val Onsernone as far as Russo. 4. Up Val Verzasca to Sonogno. 5. Up Val Maggia to Bignasco and Fusio (2 days, V)etter 3, sleeping at Bignasco, and visiting G g 438 EOUTE 112.—BELLINZONA TO LOCAENO. Val Bavona"). 6. Down the shores of the lake to Cannobio, and up the gorges of Val Cannobina. Those who are not afraid to walk or ride should sleep at Sta. Maria in Val Vigezzo, and return to Locarno by Val Centovalli. There is an excellent road along the W. shore of the lake to Pallanza, 4 hrs.’ drive. To Domo d’Ossola by Val Vigezzo (Rte, 113 )- j Val Maggia, Val Verzasca, and Val Onsernone are described in Kte. II3- Lago Maggiore. The Lago Maggiore, the Lacus Verbanus of the Komans (Germ. Langensee), is 40 m. long, about 3 m. wide, except at its greatest breadth (7I m.( opposite Baveno, 646 ft. above the sea, and in places 1230 ft. deep, while it covers an area of nearly 83 sq. m. Its prevailingwinds are the Tramontana from the N., and the Inverna, which blows by day, from the S. Only a small portion at its N. extremity belongs to Switzerland. About 7 1 m. S. of Locarno,the Italian frontier commences. The naviga¬ tion is free to both states. The chief rivers by which the lake is fed are the Ticino, flowing from the St. Gotthard ; the Maggia, from the valley of the same name ; the Tresa, from the Lago di Lugano ; and the Toce, or Tosa, from Val Formazza, past Domo d’Ossola. The scenery of the upper end is bold and mountainous, and at the same time diversifled by a succession of striking and beautiful features. The stately beauty of the hill-forms round the bay of Baveno (to call by that name the W. arm, containing the Borro- mean Islands) is hardly equalled even in this beautiful region ; but, towards the S. and E., the shores are less lofty, subsiding gradually into the plain of Lombardy. The fishery is the property of the Borro- meo family, and is let for a large sum. . In 1848 Garibaldi and his friends seized the only two steamers then on the lake, armed them, and for two months cruised about, levying con¬ tributions on the Austrian towns and on the Sardinian convents, and the lake was again the scene of fight¬ ing in 1859. The voyage (5^ hrs.) down the lake is very delightful, ?md the scenery ex¬ quisite. The mountain sides aie so precipitous that there were until late¬ ly no roads along them. Villages and churches are, however, perched on the heights ; and wherever a deposit has been formed in the lake by a torrent, a village will be found. Beyond the delta of the Maggia is Ascona, on the W. shore, sur¬ mounted by a castle. The i8th cent, tower of the i6th cent, church is veiy much like that of St. IJrsus at Soleure, for which it doubtless served as a model, the builders of St. Ursus being the Pisoni family of Ascona. Brissago, W., a charming spot, conspicuous with its white houses, and avenue of cypress leading to the ch. ; its inhabitants are wealthy and industrious, cigars being ^ the chief manufacture. Terrace rises above terrace against the hill-side; and the vine, fig, olive, pomegranate, and myrtle flourish in the open aii. About I m. beyond this the Swiss territory ends. Cannobio, W., situated at the entrance of the Piedmontese Val Cannobina (Rte. 113). The Santuario was designed by Bramante, and contains an altar-piece reputed the finest work of Gaudenzio Ferrari — Christ carrying the Cross. The island off Cannero, on which is a ruined castle of the Borromeos, was, in the early 15th cent., the resort of 5 robber-brothers of Ronco named Maz- zardi, who committed depredations along the shores of the lake. Before reaching Oggebbio is the villa Ricci- d’Azeglio, a favourite sojourning place of the great statesman. Lnino, E. (see Rte. 115), stat. for Lugano and Como. THE ITALIAN LAKES Map 2. iadtme^ Giovo 'T 7 #o/f ._ P“Ore:aaiia Torif Vog' d-^giiODie.^^ Mquheijiu) 'orno >scui. "j; V Criuiu. ii>ue ,, '"w\\v" ' \lbonico° jcLffru ave^gia} Contr'a. BELLINZOl^A nsernoii e )Mosoano 'CIO tux, iCARNa Pajiso scoria zwona /_ \,,. ocenoj r'avfggxi ■ 0 >Z ',£rissnacx (bpuino G Jlai'ui .^oyioie it; Larnidario^ ougxi fiisso I Meiioue HTXiaiO S. Altbotidiq j (tDot'io (hUa \ Vh^TTCl- / « Boafib, AAfizzoro •iTno Yestr^*^ """•" cr~ojntr'ozzi ■e/,. •eg‘a — J^ezr.onxt'O BiecXru} one 'orru (Cnsint ^MararuX ; C6tDT?( I. Bon’ouieaa \i I deUBescatori 'K J°BellcL ybUianiiq, \allqbxfX irenzto' noiacffio Curate Uri^ ngtxaxur Chios. /tnet Sxiello ■lono l bsfeqxiifivt. tln^H.sK Miles tnFbvan to MUtin Edw^'WeUer Lomh'ii hilni ifi/tTuv, .Fhivnorle Street EOUTE 112 .—BELLINZONA TO LOCAKNO. 439 Portovaltravaglia, E., with a station and pier occasionally called at by trains and steamers. Laveno, E., is situated in a beautiful little bay which was strongly fortified by the Austrians when that side of the lake belonged to Austria. Blys. to Milan by Gal- larate and by Varese, each 2| hrs. Some distance S. of the town is Santa Caterina del Sasso, a church found¬ ed in 1350, very beautifully situ¬ ated. It is named from a piece of rock, weighing above a ton, which some 400 years ago fell, penetrating the roof, and was arrested in a curious manner. Above the town is a conspicuous hillock, Sasso di Ferro (3456 ft.), the view from which is most magnificent towards the Alps and over the lakes. It is a very easy 2 hrs.’ climb from Laveno, a:ncl should on no account be omit¬ ted by any one who finds himself in the neighbourhood. It is a delightful and easy walk to go from Laveno up the Sasso di Ferro (i| hr .), descend to lunch at the primitive little Croce Bianca at Casero (| hr.), to mount again by a broad path to the ridge behind the village, to follow its crest to its highest point, Monte Nudo (i| hr.), and to descend thence past the Sanctuary of Sant’ Antonio, to Portovaltravaglia (2 hrs.), whence (Kte. 34 b) Luino is reached in ^ hr. by rail or | hr. by steamer. The views all the way are most enchant¬ ing. [A beautiful cross road leads to Ponte Tresa on Lago di Lugano (3 hrs.). A railway leads in 13I m. to Varese. The country traversed is, after the first few miles, broad and open. In place of the picturesque variety of most of the lake-drives, the traveller has before him a stately classical landscape, crowned in clear weather by a superb view of Monte Rosa and the Saasgrat. Varese. The Lake of Varese at some distance, surrounded by low, vine-clad hills, is a feature in the foreground. The town (14,166 Inhab., 1240 ft.) has no very remarkable buildings or works of art. The ancient Monte Sacro di Varese is well worth a visit for its beautiful view and curious collection of build¬ ings, and shrines resembling those at Varallo (see Handbook to N. Italy, Rte. 17).] Intra, W., 5945 Inhab. A thriv¬ ing town, with manufactories of glass, cotton, and silk, and a foundry. The torrent from the Val Intrasca affords abundant water power. Near it is the magnificent Villa Franzosini (formerly Poniatowski). From here Val Intrasca offers a charming by-way for pedestrians to Homo d’Ossola or Val Cannobina ; at Premeno, 5 m., there is a good Inn. From Miazzina (2 hrs.’ drive from Intra—fair a 3 hrs.’ walk leads to a Club hut l3uilt by the Italian Alpine Club on the Plan Cavallone, whence in 2 hrs. the top of the Pizzo Marone (6729 ft.) and in i| hr. more that of the Monte Zeda (7077 ft.) may be gained ; or the latter peak may be reached direct from Intra in 6 hrs. Both summits form part of the ranges between Dome d’Ossola and the lake, and command superb views.] A small island belonging to Count Borromeo lies off the point before reaching Pallanza, W., 4241 Inhab. Owing to its position, sheltered from N. winds and exposed to the full winter sunshine, Pallanza has come into some repute as winter quarters for invalids. The conspicuous building above the town is a large model prison for male convicts. There is a nursery-garden of some celebrity close to the town. The Borromean Islands may be visited from Pallanza. A good carriage-road runs hence to Gravellona on the Dome d’Ossola- Orta rly. (Rte. in). Few travellers will omit to visit the beautiful Layo d'Orta from this place or Baveno. Baveno, W., 2389 Inhab., is beau¬ tifully situated on the shore of the 440 ROUTE 11 2 .—BELLINZONA TO LOCARNO. lake and at the foot of the Monte Mottarone, the walks on the sides of which are very pretty and less en¬ closed by walls than is usual in Italy. There are good rowing-boats to be hired. The splendid Villa Clam, perhaps the finest on Lago Maggiore, has been built by Charles Henfrey, Esq., C.E., on a terrace above Baveno. It was occupied in 1879 by Queen Victoria. The liberality of Mr. Hen¬ frey has provided for the benefit of his countrymen an English Church, of elegant design, in the Lombard style (Mr. Pullan, architect), and original in plan. It is a domed octagon, sup- 2)orted on marble pillars and richly decorated within. It was finished 1873. The Simplon road is carried along the shore of the lake to Arona —rly. projected. Borromean Islands. —Theindis- l^ensable excursion from Baveno is a visit to the far-famed Borromean Is¬ lands, which lie scattered about the deep bay of Baveno, and are pictur¬ esque objects in every view. The steamers touch at the Isola Bella. It takes 25 min. to row from Baveno to the Isola Bella (boat there and back 5 fr., or 2 fr. an hr,). Isola Bella belongs to Count Borro- meo. Count Vitaliano Borromeo, in 1671, converted this bare and barren slate-rock, which lifts itself a few feet above the lake, into a beautiful garden, teeming with the vegetation of the tropics. It consists of 10 terraces, rising in pyramidal form one above another, and lined with statues, vases, obelisks, and black cypresses. Upon these, as upon the hanging-gardens of Babylon, flourish in the open air, not merely the orange, citron, myrtle, and j)ome- granate, but aloes, cactuses, and the camphor-tree (of which there is a specimen 40 ft. high), and this within a day’s journey of the Lap- land climate of the Simplon, and within view of Alpine snows. The proverbial disagreement of doctors is nothing in comparison to the discord of travellers as to the merits of this island. To Simond the sight of the island at a distance suggested the idea of ‘ a huge Peri- gord pie, stuck round with the heads of woodcocks and partridges ; ’ Mat¬ thews extols it as ‘ the magic creation of labour and taste ... a fairy-land, which might serve as a model for the gardens of Calypso ; ’ Be Saussure calls it ‘ une superbe fantaisie, une idee vraiment belle et noble, une esj^^jce de creation Gibbon ^an enchanted palace, a work of the fairies, in a lake ac¬ companied with mountains ; ’ while Brockedon sternly pronounces it as ^worthy only of a rich man’s mis¬ placed extravagance, and of the taste of a confectioner.’ To the taste of the present century there is much that may seem misplaced ; but, for a traveller fresh from the north, this creation of art, with its aromatic groves, starting out of the rocks— and, above all, its glorious situation, bathed by the dark blue waters of the lake, which reflect the distant snows of the Alps—cannot fail to afford pleasure. Every handful of mould on the island was originally brought from a distance, and requires to be con¬ stantly renewed. It is probable that its foundation of slate-rock favours the growth of tender plants by long retaining the heat of a noonday sun ; in addition to this, the terraces are boarded over during winter, and the plants protected from frost by stoves beneath. The orange and lemon blossoms perfume the air to some distance. The Palace, which, with the gar¬ dens, is liberally shown to strangers, contains two portraits of Beltraffio, 2:>ictures by Procaccini, the Charity of Andrea Sacchi, and 50 landscapes by Peter Molyn, better known as Tem- pesta. In the Chapel are 3 fine monu¬ ments of the Borromeo family, re¬ moved from Milan at the time of the Cisalpine Republic : one Avas con¬ structed to^ hold the relics of Sta. Giustina, a member of the family; another, on the rt. of the altar, is erroneously attributed to Ant. Busti. These monuments are all junbably ROUTE 11 2 .—BELLINZONA TO LOCARNO. 441 by Amadeo, the sculptor of the monument of Colleoni at*Bergamo (1490). The large unfinished build¬ ing which separates the two wings was intended for a theatre, but has never been covered in. At the level of the lake is a series of grottoes, en¬ crusted with shells and pebbles. At present the palace and gardens pre¬ sent a somewhat dilapidated appear¬ ance. Isold del Pescatori is a small island near Isola Bella, which does not belong to the Borromeo family. On it is a village of poor but picturesque houses, a large church, &c. The inhabitants are fishermen. The Isola Madre is well worth a visit (fee i fr.h From its greater distance from the mountains, which screen the sun earlier from the others, it enjoys a milder climate in winter. The plants of New Holland grow luxuriantly out of doors ; the two species of tea are generally in flower in October ; the Chilian Arau¬ caria here attains a great size. On the island are many pheasants, a rare sight in Italy, these birds being as it were imprisoned, from their inability by flight to gain the oppo¬ site shore. The Isolina di San Giovanni is the smallest of the group, and the nearest to the shore. [The Monte Mottarone or Margoz- zolo, rising behind Baveno,commands fine view of the Alps, the Lago Mag- giore, and Italian plains. Donkeys are kept for the ascent. A cog¬ wheel rly. is to be shortly con¬ structed from Stresa to the top (7I m. in 1 1 hrs.). On foot it takes 3^ hrs. from Baveno, mounting at first through forest, and then by heathery slopes, to reach the top, 4892 ft. above the sea. Near the summit a large well-kept Inn (4675 ft.) has been opened. Travellers may de¬ scend the long slope on the opposite side to Orta in 3 hrs., and return by Oniegna and the high road ; or, if bound to Varallo, sleep at Orta, and proceed next day by the exquisite Col de Colma (see Rte. 118).] Stresa, W. This place is beauti¬ fully situated, and is by some pre¬ ferred to Baveno. Villa Pallavicini has a fine garden. The Villas Bo- longaro (formerly the property of Rosmini, the philosoj)her, now of the Duchess of Genoa), Casanova, Col- cani, and Durazzo may also be visited. The Rosmini college on the hillside has been turned into a school. Belgirate, W., and Lesa, W., are pretty villages, remarkable for the number of villas with terraces and gardens in front. The colossal statue of S. Carlo Borromeo appears on the hill above the road on the rt., before reaching Arona, W., an ancient and rapidly improving town of 4474 Inhab., built on the margin of the lake ; the principal street is so nar¬ row that only one carriage can pass. The Simplon road runs through the upper pai't of the town. This is the port at which the steamers end their voyage. The station of the rly. to Novara (about I hr.), is close to the steam¬ boat pier. Bail from Novara to Turin in 2| hrs. ; direct to Genoa by Alessandria in 3^ to 4^ hrs. ; to Milan in i^ hr. ; to Varallo in 2I hrs. The principal Ch. {Santa Maria) contains a very beautiful picture attributed to Gaudenzio Ferrari—a Holy Family—with shutters, bear¬ ing figures of saints, and the portrait of a Countess Borromeo, by whom it was presented to the church. It is retouched. San Carlo Borromeo was born (1538) in the old Castle above Arona, destroyed by the French, 1797. On a hill, about half an hr.’s walk from the town, stands the Colossal Statue of San Carlo Borromeo^ 77 ft. high, and placed on a pedestal 38 ft. high. The head, hands, and feet, alone, are cast in bronze ; the rest of the figure is formed of sheets of beaten copper, arranged round a pillar of rough masonry which forms the support. The statue was erected. 442 EOUTE 113 .—VALLEYS OF CANTON TICINO. 1614-1697, by subscriptions, princi¬ pally contributed by the Borromeo family. It is possible to enter the interior and to mount up into the head. The ascent is by means of two ladders tied together (provided by a man who lives hard by), resting on the pedestal, and reaching up to the skirt of the robe. The statue has nothing but size to recommend it Carlo Borromeo (1538-84), a mem¬ ber of a wealthy Arena family, and nephew of Pius IV., became Arch¬ bishop of Milan and a cardinal at 22. He was a man of singular spiritual energy and an ardent Churchman, and appears in Swiss history as the supporter of the Catholic revival in the Forest Cantons, with which he was closely connected, as the Val Leventina was part of his diocese (the diocese of Como, which included the other Swiss lands in the Milan¬ ese, was in the ecclesiastical province of Milan), and was the real author of the Golden or Borromean League, 1586. In 1579 he founded the Colle¬ gium Helveticum at Milan for the edu¬ cation of 24 Swiss candidates for the priesthood, an institution which lasted till 1797, 24 free places being still reserved for Swiss at the archi- episcojDal seminary in Milan. He employed Capuchins and Jesuits to bring back his flock to the old faith, and wore himself out by his personal exertions. ‘ He performed his epi- scoj)al duties, not with energy and conscience only, but with a sort of passion. He was incessantly occu¬ pied in the pastoral visitation of his diocese, which he traversed in every direction ; there was no village, however remote, that he had not visited two or three times ; the highest mountains, the most se¬ cluded valleys,* all were alike known and cared for.’—Ranke’s Popes. He is worthily remembered for his heroic and self-forgetful exertions during the plague and famine at Milan, in the Duomo of which his remains are still preserved and reverenced, as he was canonized not long after his death. The present College at Arena occupies the site of the old Benedictine monastery (founded in the loth cent., occupied by Jesuits 1574 - 1763), to which from 999 the pastures of Macugnaga in Val Anzasca belonged, and in which, in 1604, was unearthed a famous 14th cent. MS. of the Imi¬ tation (now preserved at Turin), the authorship of which is attributed to John Gersen of Cavaglia, Abbot of Vercelli, the very existence of whom, however, seems to be problematical. From the top of la Rocca, a hill above Arena, there is a fine view. The geologist will find near the quarries of limestone (Dolomite) an interesting contact of the magnesian limestone and red porj>hyry. Opposite Arena, on the other side of the lake, stands the Castle of An- gera, a fief of the Borromeos, on a hill of a similar limestone, and at its foot the neat modern village of the same name. The castle dates from the time of Giovanni Visconti, Archbishop of Milan (1342-1354),and was built in 1350. Some frescoes represent events in the life of his father, Ottone Visconti. Remains of lake-dwellings have been found near Mercurago, i m. S. of Arona. ROUTE 113. THE VALLEYS OF CANTON TICINO. A. Locarno to Airolo, by Val Maggia and Val Lavizza. B. Locarno to Tosa Palls, by Val Maggia and Val Ba- vona. C. Locarno to Faido, by Val Verzasca. D. Val Onsernone. E. Domo d’Ossola to Locarno, by Val Vigezzo. F. Domo d’Ossola to Cannobio, by Val Cannobina. EOUTE 113 a.—VALS MAGGIA AND LAVIZZAKA. 443 The district which lies between the Nufenen, the Val d’Ossola, the Val Leventina and Lago Maggiore, though as yet little known to Eng¬ lish travellers, contains scenery scarcely to be surpassed for beauty in the whole Alpine chain. A large proportion of the inhabitants emi¬ grate in their youth, returning home in middle life, English, picked uj) in California or Australia, is con¬ stantly heard in country cafes or diligences. For further details see Bazetta and Brusoni’s Guide de VOssola, and Freshfield’s Italian Alps, A, TheVal Maggia is,as its name implies, the largest of the mountain valleys which open on the head of Lago Maggiore. It is traversed by a good road extending to Fusio, the highest village, to which an omni¬ bus runs once daily (34 m., 7jhrs.), with a second service from Bignasco to Fusio. For the first 2| m. from Locarno the road traverses rice-fields and vineyards, on the 1. bank of the united streams of the various val¬ leys, which form a delta below the town. At Ponte Brolla the Maggia issues from the N. through a deep cleft in white gneiss rocks. The water, ex¬ cept during the melting of the snows, or after heavy rains, is of the most glorious deep blue colour. [Here the roads to Val Onsernone (see D) and Intragna branch off, crossing the bridge. The natural gap formed by Val Centovalli and Val Vigezzo would, but for political considerations, have long ago been traversed by a high road. The two valleys diverge from the same low plateau, more like an English heath than an Alpine watershed. But Val Centovalli is Swiss ; Val Vigezzo, Italian. There is still consequently a break in the char-road near the frontier, and the road connecting Val Vigezzo with Lago Maggiore is carried through the intricate gorges of Val Canno- bina within Italian territory.] The lower portion of Val Maggia is a deep broad straight trench, be¬ tween lofty gneiss ranges, rising on either hand in precipices, streaked by waterfalls, one of which, the Soladino Fall, is noteworthy. The scenery, though fine, is mono¬ tonous, and the aspect of the valley is marred by the stony bed of the torrent. The village of Maggia. is 8| m. from Locarno. The next place of importance is Cevio, 15 1 m. from Locarno, at the junction of Val Kovana with the main valley. [The stream of Val Eovana here issues from a narrow gorge. A char-road climbs into it by steeji zigzags. An hr, from Cevio the valley divides. The N.W. branch leads to Bosco, an isolated German- speaking (13th cent.) colony from the Valais, where the cure entertains strangers. Thence in about 6 hrs. to Val Formazza, by the CrinerPass or Hin- ter Furka, through varied and pleas¬ ing scenery. The Inn at Tosa Falls may be reached in one day from Lo¬ carno by this rte. The S.W. branch of the valley, Val di Campo, is traversed by a char-road as far as Campo (3j hrs.). Thence passes lead S. to Comologno in Val On¬ sernone, and W. to Premia in Val Antigorio.] At Cevio the valley of the Maggia, hitherto straight and monotonous, turns abruptly to the N,, and rocks, fringed below with beech and chest¬ nut, above with larch and birch, overhang the torrent, whose brilliant waters dance along among white boulders. 2| m. further (18 m. from Locar¬ no, 32 hrs’. drive) lies Bignasco (1424 ft.). This is one of the most exquisite spots in the southern Alps. The village is built at the junction of the torrent of Val Bavona with the Maggia. Both streams are crossed by high-arched bridges, which unite with frescoed chapels, white-walled villas, on whose terraced roofs ole¬ anders bloom, and vines, trellised over stone pillars, to give an Italian 444 KOUTE 113 B.—VAL BAVONA. character to the foreground. Im¬ mediately opposite, a superb vista of granite precipices and forested slopes is closed by the glittering snows of the Basodino. Behind the village are deep bays of chestnut forest, under which the Alpine rho¬ dodendron flourishes. In another direction, one of the summits of Piz Campo Tencia closes Val Lavizzara, the hill - sides of which ascencl steeply in broken slopes. There are lovely walks in every direction through the woods, and the river supplies good trout-flshing. This beautiful spot should be a favourite resort of travellers. [A fine pass leads hence into Val Verzasca (see C belowX] Above Bignasco the valley is known as Val Lavizzara, The road ascends steeply through a very pic¬ turesque defile for some miles. Shortly after passing Broglio the valley becomes level, and the Val cli Prato opens E, [This is a romantic glen. Beyond the Monte di San Carlo an excellent path pierces a narrow defile, and gives access to the upper pastures whence it is easy to cross the ridge to Fusio. A mountaineer may cross Piz Campo Tencia (10,089 ft.), to Faido (8 to 10 hrs.’ walking from Broglio). A foot-pass, Passo della Redoria, leads to Sonogno, in Val Verzasca, in 5 hrs., through another branch of the valley.] The valley bends again north¬ wards, and the poor hamlet of Pec- cia, with the opening of Val Peccia, is passed. [This wild valley is traversed by rough tracks leading to the head of Val Bavona, A good walker may ascend it, returning to Bignasco by Val Bavona, a magnificent walk.] The road now climbs in zigzags a steep ascent, which leads to the highest level of Val Lavizzara. The chief village, Fusio (4203 ft.), is charmingly situated among gentle slopes, finely wooded with beeches. Several passes lead to Val Leven- tina. The most frequented is the Campolungo Pass (6 hrs.) to Fai’do or Dazio Grande, a rough mule-path. A steeper footpath, starting from the chalets of Corte higher up in the glen in which the Maggia rises, leads directly to Airolo, in 5 hrs., by the Sassello Pass. The traveller will do well to take a guide, as the Airolo side is in j)arts very steep, and the goatpaths are easily missed. There is another and easier, but longer rte., mounting to the Lago di Naret, at the extreme head of the valley, crossing the Passo di Naret, and descending to Ossasco, in Val Bedretto, above Airolo. B. Locarno to Tosa Falls, by Val Bavona. To Bignasco (see ante). Val Bavona, which opens im¬ mediately opposite Bignasco, is one of the most beautiful of Alpine valleys. For 2 1 or 3 hrs. from Bignasco to San Carlo it is a trench between granite ranges. Owing to its depth, the sternness of the rock scenery is relieved by the utmost richness in the vegetation. The huge boulders fallen from the impending preci¬ pices are half smothered in chestnut woods, and picturesque cottages, shaded by vines, peep out from the confusion of rock and wood. A fine waterfall issues from the Val Cal- neggia (through which the Cazoli Pass leads to Val Formazza) to the W. near Foroglio ; | hr. fur¬ ther is the highest hamlet, San Carlo. [The Val Antabbia, a steep glen, ofi^ering the most direct ap¬ proach to the Basodino, and leading by the Tamier Pass to Tosa Falls (see Kte. 62\ here opens on the left.] The stream from the large glacier lying on the E. flank of the Baso¬ dino issues from a narrow glen, the entrance to which is attained by a steep ascent through beech woods. Higher up the streams tumble from all sides in fine waterfalls, to unite in an Alpine pastui'age. Et. a track crosses into Val Peccia ; due N. the EOUTES 113 c, D.—VAL VERZASCA AND ONSERNONE, 445 Cristallina Pass leads to Val Be- dretto. The traveller bound for Tosa Falls turns to the 1. and ascends in steep zigzags to the Robiei Alp, a group of chalets, sometimes used as sleeping-quarters by those who as¬ cend the Basodino, whose snowy crest is a beautiful object, A gentle ascent, skirting the extensive and finely crevassed Cavergno Glacier, leads to the Bocchetta cli Val Maggia '8708 ft.), whence a short rough descent brings the traveller on to the track of the San Giacomo Pass. It is a long day of ii to 12 hrs.’ walking from Bignasco to the Inn at Tosa Falls by this rte., and the traverse across the Basodino (see below) is in every way to be pre¬ ferred, In the opposite direction less time and toil are required. [From the Robiei Alp, or better from the Zotto Alp to the S.W,, a fair climber, provided with a rope, will find a higher, but more direct and interesting rte. by mounting the glacier, and then steep snow and broken rocks to the summit of the Basodino (3|-4hrs., 10,749 ft.). The descent (2-2I hrs). to Tosa Falls is short and easy, but steep. The traveller must keep slightly to the rt., and not follow the stream, which joins the Tosa below the falls, but pass the Ghigel huts.] C. Locarno to Paido. Val Verzasca. A good carriage-road from Gor- dola to Sonogno, 18 m. Gordola (stat.) is 3 m. from Lo¬ carno by road. Here the road to Val Verzasca turns off. Unlike the neighbouring valley, it is the lower portion of Val Verzasca which is most remarkable. For 9 m. be¬ tween Lavertezzo and the lake it is a continuous defile, offering a suc¬ cession of charming landscaj)es. The road which penetrates it is a masterpiece of engineering art, cut out of the steep eastern hill-sides, and carried over lateral torrents on lofty arches. Many villages, joined by terrace paths, lie high on the op¬ posite (W.) side of the valley. The track connecting them with Locarno climbs to a great height on the spurs overlooking the lake. Lavertezzo (10 m. ' is the prin- cijml hamlet of Val Verzasca. Its inhabitants formerly bore a bad character, and are spoken of by a i6th cent, writer as homines syl- vestres sparsim ferarum ritu degentes. Up to recent times they had a reputation for being too ready with their knives ; but no strangei’ is known to have suffered at their hands. [From Lavertezzo to Locarno by the paths on the W. side of the valley is a 4 hrs.’ walk. The track is at first a mere footpath, steep and difficult to find, but from Mergo- scia a very narrow char-road, com¬ manding glorious views of the hea ARTtfICeS VICLURCH RAMAEAM BAl LVitAyj JjondoTv: >7ohnjMiirrav, ALbemarle^ ' •/ ROUTE 134. —TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. 523 tilts; a wild path leads down to them, and the view of the bridges from the bottom of the ravine forms a striking scene. In the 15th cent, castle of the Challant family (which, on its ex¬ tinction in 1802, passed into the hands of the Counts Passerin) is a very rich library, including a mag¬ nificent illuminated missal executed in 1470, [Here is the opening of the Val Tournanche and the road to the Col St, Theodule (Rte, 128),] To see Chatillon and the beauties of its valley to advantage, a stranger should walk to a plateau on the opposite side of the Doire, where the mins of Chateau cl’Ussel (14th cent, ) ri.se in the foreground. Above Chatillon the same rich scenery prevails, interrupted here and there by traces of destruction, caused by torrents at times, 67I m, Chambave Stat,, celebra¬ ted for its wine, one of the richest in Piedmont, The vineyards of the Val d’Aosta have a great reputation, and are cultivated on the mountains to an elevation of 3000 ft, above the sea. Hemp, Indian corn, and fruit- trees fill the valley like a garden, 72 m, Nus Stat., a poor village with the ruins of a chateau. At the entrance of the Val S. Barthelemy is the picturesque 14th cent, castle of Fenis. [Several passes lead from the Val S. Barthelemy to the Valpelline. The least difficult is the Col cle Vesso 7 ia to Oyace (Rte. 132). An easy pass, called the Fenetre de St. Barthelemy, goes from the village of the same name to Antey in Valtournanche. There is no Inn at S. Barthelemy, but the cure will receive strangers.] Near ( 73 ^ m.) St. Marcel are copper-mines, and the remarkable . Fontaine Bleue, impregnated with copper. On the approach to Aosta, above the (75 m.) Quart-Villefranche Stat., the 12th cent, castle of Quart is seen high on the mountain side ; a path leads to it from near Ville¬ franche, and down on the other side to Aosta, so that a visit requires no retracing of steps, and beautiful scenes are presented on the ascent and at the chateau. 5 m. further up the valley is 80]: m, Aosta Terminus (1913 ft.), acityof7376Inhab,; of small im¬ portance in trade, wealth, or popu¬ lation, but attractive to a stranger. Its situation is most striking, in a deep, rich valley, surrounded by lofty and snow-capped mountains, which look down into its sc{uares and streets. It stands at the foot of the Great St. Bernard, on the junction of the Buthier with the Doire. N, the snows of the Grand Combin, and W. those of the Ru- tor close the view. On the S. the crags of Mont Emilius and the Becca di Nona tower with startling abrupt¬ ness above the valley, Aosta, the Augusta Praetoria of the Roman Itineraries, claims a high antiquity. It was the chief city of the Salassi, but its history earlier than its con¬ quest by Terentius Varro, a general of Augustus, is not to be relied on. The Romans captured it 24 b. c., and reduced its inhabitants to subjection. Augustus rebuilt the city, gave it his own name, and a garrison of 3000 soldiers. The remains of large public buildings (theatre, amj^lii- theatre, &c.) attest its importance at that time, and though much in¬ ferior in beauty and extent to many in the S. of France, they will be viewed with interest. In the main street at the E. en¬ trance of the town is a Triumphal Arch, in tolerable preservation, decorated with 10 Corinthian pillars, disfigured by a modern roof. It was erected in honour of Augustus, and is one of the finest of the remains. About 200 yds. to the E. of the arch, in a narrow street, is a Roman bridge, which once spanned the Buthier, though now 100 yds. E. of it. It is buried to a considerable depth by soil. A conduit of water runs under it, and by its side a 524 EOUTE 134 .-TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. path ; so that you can walk under the arch, which is a fine piece of masonry. In the convent-garden of St. Joseph are the ruins of a Basilica or Praetorian palace, towers, walls, and fragments of un¬ known former appropriation, now serving only to perplex antiquaries. The plan of Aosta, like that of other Roman cities, was a square, and the chief streets crossed in the centre. The triumphal arch stood outside the town, in front of the chief gate¬ way. This, the ancient Porta Prae- toria, now called Porte de la Trinite, is still in good preserva¬ tion, though much of the casing of hewn stone has been removed. It has two fa9ades, with a quadrangle, each fayade composed of three arches—that in the centre being much the largest. The Boman walls, flanked with mediaeval towers, are most acces¬ sible, and in best preservation on the S. side of the town. ^ The district is, and always has been, a piece of G-aul on the Italian side of the Alps.an outpost of Gaul within the bounds of Italy. . . It always showed a tendency to at¬ tach itself to the master of Burgundy rather than to the master of Italy. . . . It belongs, in fact, to the same group of lands as Maurienne [Taren- taise], Vaud, Bresse, the Lower Valais, and the other dominions of the House of Savoy . . . Since the first rise of the Savoyard power in the iith cent., Aosta has always been a cherished possession of the dynasty, and it still remains the last frag¬ ment of their once great Burgundian dominion on both sides of the Alps, on both sides of the Leman Lake. . . We thus see why the speech of the vale of Aosta is not an Italian, but a Gaulish tongue. The old allegiance of the land was due not to the crown of Monza, but to the crown of Arles. . . . And what is true of language is equally true of architecture. There is not a trace of Italian work in the buildings of Aosta, save only the towers with open arcades at the top. which are seen in some of the greater houses. Otherwise every feature is Burgundian. The doors and win¬ dows of houses and churches are such as are nowhere seen in Italy, but such as may be found anywhere from Dijon to Constance. Indeed, to an eye long accustomed to Italian forms, it is a relief to see real mul- lions and mouldings. . . There is nothing that can be called street architecture. And the military works of mediaeval times consist only of the round towers added to the Roman walls, picturesque, but nothing more.’— Freeman. Of these the most remarkable are the Tour de Bramafam and Tour du L^preux. The latter is the scene of Xavier de Maistre’s well- known tale, a real story, as the un¬ fortunate man was secluded there from 1773 to his death in 1803, his sister predeceasing him in 1791. Aosta has been a bishop’s see since the 4th cent.; St. Grat (bishop 452-470) is the patron of the diocese. On the N. of the main street is the Cathedral Church (SS. Grat and Jucundus), with its twin Roman¬ esque towers. The woodwork of the stalls in the choir is of the end of the 15th cent. See in the Choir the very remarkable 14th or 15 th cent, mosaics (wrongly described as Roman), the monuments of Count Thomas of Savoy (d. 1259), and of three bishops ; and in the Sacristy antique plate, shrines, a diptych of the 5th cent., a 14th cent. Pontifical, and a 15th cent, missal. On the N. side of the ch. is a Romanesque cloister, built in 1460. E. of the Cathedral is the interest¬ ing collegiate Ch. of St. Ours, with a picturesque campanile of the 13th cent., an old crypt under the choir, and fine carved stalls of 1500. On the S. side of the ch. is another i2t}i cent. Romanesque cloister of singu¬ lar beauty and curiosity; the car¬ ving of the capitals is remarkable. Close by is the 15th cent. Priory (where the priors of St. Ours former¬ ly dwelt), an elegant edifice in orna- EOUTE 134 .-TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. 525 mented brick with an octagonal tower. The interior contains frescoes and wood carvings. Aosta has been much improved since 1854, the chief square is en¬ larged, and there are many new and handsome buildings. In the Hotel de Ville, the Italian Alpine Club has a room full of maps and books illustrating the neighbourhood, to which foreign travellers are wel¬ comed. St. Anselm, Archbishop of Can¬ terbury (1093-1109), was born at Aosta about 1033. The house where he is said to have been born (4 Via Sant’ Anselmo) is still shown, and the Antiquarian Society of Aosta, ‘ the Societe Academique,’ which is under his protection, is commonly called the ^ Academie de Saint An- selme.’ ‘We are apt to look on Anselm as an Italian, and to be puzzled at the statement of his biographer that to him, a stranger in Italy, the heat of that land was oppressive. When we have seen his birthplace we better understand the words of Eadmer, and we grasp the fact that Anselm was in no sense a countryman of Lanfranc, but that he was, in a wide sense, a country¬ man of St. Hugh. It was the Im¬ perial Burgundy which gave us alike the saint of Canterbury and the saint of Lincoln.’ — Freeman. (For St, Hugh, 1135-1200, see Rte. 131 in Handbook for France.) No better description of Aosta exists than that in the first chapter of Dean Church’s admirable of Saint Anselm. A monument records the alleged flight of Calvin from Aosta in 1536. St, Bernard of Menthon (nth cent.) whose name is associated with the mountain pass between the val¬ leys of the Rhone and Doire, was archdeacon of Aosta ; and his per¬ sonal knowledge of the exposure and suffering incidental to a passage of the Alps, led to his establishment of the celebrated hospice, upon a permanent footing. See for further information Ratti and Casanova’s guide, and an ad¬ mirable paper in Mr. Freeman’s Historical and Architectural Sketches., chiefly Italian (1876). [The Becca di Nona (10,309 ft,') above Aosta, and nearly S, of it, commands a magnificent view of the Alps The ascent can be made on mules in 6 hrs., the descent in 5 hrs. A hut has been lately built near the top. After crossing the Doire the path mounts rapidly to Charvensod, whence Aosta is well seen, with Mont VMan and the Combin as background ; soon afterwards Monte Rosa, and still later the Matterhorn, come into sight. From Charvensod the path lies for or 3 hrs, through beautiful woods and meadows, with clear streams and waterfalls, past the hermitage of St. G-rat, the ham¬ let of Chamole, and over a ridge to the alp of Comboe (belonging to the chapter of St. Ours), where the late Chanoine Carrel fitted up a chalet. Hence the path is good to the summit (10,309 ft.). From the topmost pastures the path may be easily lost, as it passes into the ra¬ vine between the Becca and Mont Emilius, as if the latter were the ob¬ ject ; but it is well worth while to follow it, as the direct ascent, though shorter, is very hard work. The view is glorious—the whole of the Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa ranges, together with the Velan, Combin, Dent Blanche, Weisshorn, and Mischabel; to the S., the Grand Paradis, Grivola, &c. The Mont Emi¬ lius (11,677 ft.), close at hand, cuts off the view towards Italy. A pano¬ ramic view and full account have been published by M, Carrel at Aosta. There is another way to Comboe ( 1 . from Charvensod) by the glen of the Bard, which at the head of the valley leaps in a cascade into a little amphitheatre under the crags of the Becca. Pedestrians, iji place of returning to Aosta, may cross the mountains by the Col d’Ar- hole (9300 ft.), to Cogne. It can be done by sleeping at Comboe, or, in i 526 EOUTE 134 .-TUKIN TO COUEMAYEUR. day from Aosta by starting early. [Mont Emiliiis lies considerably nearer the pass than the Becca di Nona, and a good walker will per¬ haps not greatly increase his labour by preferring the loftier summit [4 hrs, from Comboeb Its ascent presents no difficulties, but a local guide is desirable. The course to the col from the top of the Becca [2^ hrs.) is about S., and the de¬ scent to the Cogne valley lies by the Chalets d'Arpisson, most beautifully situated, with commanding view of the Grivola. Nearer the Mont Eini- liiis is the Col de Garin (10,479 ft.), whence Cogne is reached by the chalets and valley of Grauson. There are two lower passes from St. Grat to Cogne practicable for mules (see Rte. 146).] The beautiful valley of Aosta is affiicted with cretinism and goitre more perhaps than any other in Piedmont. The peasantry are a squalid and filthy race, generally stunted and diseased. Of the whole population in the neighbourhood of Aosta, I in 50 is a cretin ; and above half are more or less goitred. Some of these are horrid objects, with tumours as large as their heads ap¬ pended to their throats. The extreme dirt of the houses, villages, and persons of the peasan¬ try would be sufficient to account for any amount of disease ; but it is remarkable that in the spots they select these dreadful maladies seem to be capricious. At St. Vincent they prevail; at Chatillon, at Cour- mayeur, and at La Thuille they are almost unknown; at Ivrogne and Arvier they are most prevalent. On leaving Aosta to ascend the valley, the rte. lies across the open plain, and through scenes of the greatest richness in vegetation. At 3I m. from Aosta the road passes beneath the Chateau de Sarre, pur¬ chased by the late King of Italy, and filled with the antlers of the bouquetins slain by him ; nearly op¬ posite to it, on the other side of the valley, is Aymarille, where the mule- road to Cogne begins (Rte. 146). At (5 m.) St. Pierre there is one of the most picturesque chateaux in the valley, and a good view of the snowy ridge N. of the Grivola, par¬ ticularly of the rock tower of the Grd. Nomenon (11,444 ft.). A fine scene is presented on the approach to Villeneuve, where the vast rock above the town is surrounded by the Chdtel d’Argent, backed by the snowy Alps at the head of the Val Savaranche. About a mile from St. Pierre the road turns towards the river, which it crosses to reach the little town of 6 | m. Villeneuve, a dirty village with large iron-foundries. Near this the valleys of Savaranche and Rhbmes open together from the S. (Rtes. 147 and 147A). Above Ville¬ neuve the valley narrows and be¬ comes much more wooded, the wal¬ nut tr es forming in some places almo.st a forest, especially near Arvier, 2|m. above Villeneuve. Here the vineyards are celebrated. The torrent which flows into the Doire from the Val Grisanche on the S. is crossed (Rte. 148). The road now enters the defile of Aviso, just after passing (9I m.) Live- rogne. At the end of this gorge, Mont Blanc at the head of the valley closes the scene. The view is strikingly beautiful. The road, carried along the face of the precipice, crosses in some places deep rifts in the moun¬ tain side, then descends rapidly to the Doire, which it crosses, and thence continues on the 1. bank to La Salle, a dirty narrow village, in which, however, is preserved the name of the ancient people of this valley, the Salassi ; many traces of its antiquity have been found in and around. On a hill near La Salle are the ruins of the 13th cent. Castle of Chdtelar. At the distance of a league beyond (i6| m.) Morgex the diligence takes a branch road across the Doire to EOUTE 134 .-TUEIN TO COUEMAYEUE. 527 195^ m. Pr§ St. Didier, situated in beautiful meadows, and com¬ manding a fine view of Mont Blanc. [Here the ascent to the Little St. Bernard begins (^Rte. 149).] Behind the village are some prettily - placed laths^ much fre¬ quented by Italians during July and August. The building and avenue to it are pleasing. Beyond the baths a path leads to the mineral springs (temp. 92°) up a ravine which will remind the visitor of Pfaffers. Bug¬ ged precipices nearly close the cleft in the mountains down which the stream from the Rutor and Little St. Bernard forces its way. Good carriage-roads from Pre St. Didier, about 3 m. of ascent, to 2i| m. Courmayeur, situated at the head of the Val d’Aosta (which above Pre St. Didier is called the Val d’Entreves'', is a village, very beau¬ tifully situated, 4016 ft. above the sea, at some height above the Doire, and below the confiuence of its two branches, which descend from the Col Ferret and the Col de la Seigne, along the S. side of Mont Blanc. To the W. is Mo’ut Chetif^ to the E. the Mont de la Saxe, while the Aigmlle du Geant, and its glaciers, high above Mont Frety, seem to close the valley. From Courmayeur the ascent to the Col du Geant can be traced, and the singular A. du Geant is conspicuous to the E. of the pass, but the summit of Mont Blanc is concealed by the Mont Chetif. Half an hour’s walk, however, discloses the chain, from the ‘Monarch’ to the Grandes Jo- rasses. Courmayeur is much resorted to in summer by invalids, for the sake of its mineral waters. The spring of La Victoire is i| m. S.W. ; its waters are impregnated with car¬ bonic acid gas, sulphate of magne¬ sia, and a little iron, and have a temperature of about 54°. The spring of La Marguerite varies a little in the proportions of its com¬ ponents, but its temperature is 12° iiigher. The Piedmontese- place great reliance on the salutary effects of these springs, and the resort to them brings together much agree¬ able Italian society. Of late years the Queen of Italy has spent part of several summers at the Hotel Royal, The baths of La Saxe are about 1 m. beyond Courmayeur, and some¬ what rough. Club huts have been erected by the Italian Alj^ine Club on the Col du Geant on the Grandes Jorasses and at the foot of the A. de Triolet; and also halfway up Mont Blanc. Excursions. a. Ascent of the Crammont. —An ex¬ cursion which no visitor to Cour¬ mayeur should fail to make if the weather be favourable, for few spots in the Alps will afford him so fine a view of Mont Blanc, or a more glorious panorama. A hut near the summit enables those who desire it to witness the effects of morning and evening on the panorama of peaks. For riders it is first necessary to go to Pre St. Didier, i hr. (pedes¬ trians may take a shady path on the rt. bank% then ascend by the Little St. Bernard road (Rte. 149) for about | hr. to a path which strikes to the rt. among the larches, and mounts through them past several clusters of chalets for about 2 Ill's. Mules cannot go beyond the wood, and must be left, and from this point there is about i| hr’s. climb to the summit : total 4 hrs. from Courmayeur. There is a more direct but difiicult path for pedes¬ trians up the Courmayeur face, for which a local guide is requisite. The highest point, 8980 ft., is the outer edge of a large slab or flat mass of rock, sloping at an angle of 20° towards the S. ; the upper end of this mass actually overhangs the rocks below, so that a stone dropped from it would fall perpendicularly hundreds of feet, and then striking the precipitous sides of the moun¬ tain, would bound into the abyss beneath. 528 ROUTE 134 .—TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. From this point the whole of the enormous chain of Mont Blanc is open to the observer: from the peaks which hound the Col de la Seigne to those above the Col Ferret every aiguille and glacier in this line of nearly 20 m. is seen, within an angle of 150°. The depths of the Allee Blanche are concealed by some low intervening mountains, which may be considered the west¬ ern bases of the Crammont. Towards the E. the Val d’Aosta forms a beautiful vista. The moun¬ tains which bound it sweep down to the Doire, and leave between them the channels which are the courses of its affluents. In the valley the Doire appears like a thread of silver. Farther to the E. are the summits of Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn. Looking S.E., directly down the line of ascent to the Crammont, the Camp of Prince Thomas, and the table-land above the precipices of the valley of La Thuille, appear to be immediately beneath. Above and beyond them lies the enormous ice-field of the Rutor, one of the finest objects in view : and beyond it are the glaciers at the head of the valleys of Rhemes, and Grisanche, with the Grivola and Grand Para¬ dis towering above them. Towards the S. is the pass and plain of the Little St. Bernard, Towards the Great St. Bernard the course may be traced of the pass of Serena from Morgex to St. Remy. The hospice is not visible, but the Mont Velan and Grand Combin are seen beyond it. De Saussure thus records his second visit to the Crammont in 1778 :—‘Nous passames trois heures sur ce sommet ; j’y en avois aussi passe trois dans mon premier voyage [1774] ; et ces six heures sent certainement celles de ma vie dans lesquelles j’ai goute les plus grands plaisirs que puissent donner la con¬ templation et Tetude de la nature,’ The traveller who proposes to make a visit to the Crammont a part of his day’s journey to Bourg St. Maurice, should start very early, and direct that the mules, if he take any, should, from where he left them, be sent across the pastur¬ ages to chalets which lie in his way to Balme, He will thus gain time in ascending the valley, though the descent to the hamlet of Elevaz, down a steep and rugged path over loose stones, is fatiguing. Balme is on the Little St. Bernard road, about an hour’s walk above the spot at which the track turns up towards the Crammont; and there is no object of interest missed between the two places. The name Cramont (or Crammont) is probably, as else¬ where in the Alps, a corruption from Grand Mont. It has been con¬ nected with the Cremonis jugum of the MSS. of Livy, which itself, how¬ ever, is probably a copyist’s error for ‘ Ceutronum.’ h. To the Col de Checruit or Checouri, highly to be recommended on ac¬ count of the splendid and uninter¬ rupted view of the chain of Mt. Blanc and the Allee Blanche. It lies due W. of Courmayeur, and may be made on a mule (2 hrs. to the col). Cross the Doire, pass through the village of Dollone, and along the N. side of the ravine for about I hr. from Courmayeur ; then the path ascends the side by a series of steep zigzags past a little oratory on a rock (i hr.) ; up slopes of grass, a narrow stony path, and then pastures, in another hr, to the col, 6431 ft. The best view is obtained from a rocky eminence on the rt. No guide is necessary. [A footpath, not easy to find, about | hr. below the col, leads in i| hr. up the Mt. Chetif, also called Mont Dollone., and Pain de Sucre (7687 ft.), commanding a remarkably fine view of the tre¬ mendous precipices of Mont Blanc and the deep valley beneath, but not equal as a panorama to that from the Crammont,] Instead of descending at once through the pine-forest into the Allee Blanche, it will well repay the traveller to keep along the slope of the moun- ROUTE 134 .—TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. 529 tain until he arrives above the Lac de Combal (Rte, 139), then descend¬ ing to the lake. He thus gains a complete view of the valley, of Mont Blanc and the Glacier de Miage. For the latter part of the excursion, liowever, a guide is advisable. From the Lac de Combal the return to Coiirmayeur, by the Allee Blanche, takes 21 hrs. c. The Mont de la Saxe, N.E. of Courmayeur, is easily accessible (2| hrs.), and commands a glorious near view of Mont Blanc, and a prospect in some respects finer than that from the Crammont, but less pano¬ ramic ; the Eutor, and the peaks of the Cogne range are well seen. After passing the baths of La Saxe, the track to the rt., leading into the Val Ferret, is followed for a short dis¬ tance, and then the ascent begins by an easy path, which gradually reaches the summit; this is a sort of undulating plateau, in which no single point much overlooks the rest. The finest view is from a point at the E. end of the range, called Trosse Blanc, or Tete de la Tranche (8455 ft.). A shorter path starts from the church at Cour¬ mayeur. Another commanding point for Mt. Blanc lies just E. of Cour¬ mayeur, opposite the Mt. Chetif. This is the Col de Sapin, or de Chapy, reached in 2| hrs. by ascending the little valley of Chapy, between the Mts. dela Saxe and Cormet; the view from the latter is magnificent. The descent may be made on the E. side of the Mt. de la Saxe to the Val Ferret. By way of this col a high rte. has been made to the Great St. Bernard in 8+ hrs. from Courmayeur. It passes on the rt. the Grande Rochere ('10,912 ft.), and 3 ridges by the Col d’Artereva, or Malatra (2j hrs.). Col de Bellecomhe hr.), and Col de St. Remy (i hr. 20 m.). Another rte. is by Morgex and the Col Serena (Rte. 1370)1. For nearly the whole dis¬ tance the chain of Mt. Blanc is full in view. The G'rande Rochere, which commands an extremely fine view, may best be reached from Cour¬ mayeur by gaining the head of the Chambave glen from the Col de Chapy, and then mounting a steep gully or a snowy ridge (8 hrs. up). d. Few excursions in the Alps are more interesting than that to the upper portion of the Glacier de La Brenva ; but, since its retreat, the ordinary tourist will gain little but a stony walk by visiting its lower extremity. Good walkers, with a guide, may penetrate, by a steep ascent on the E. flank of the ice, to the level of the upper ice-fall under the Aiguille de Peteret and Mont Blanc, one of the most majestic scenes in the Alps. It is possible, and not very difficult, to ascend from this point the peak of the Tour Ronde, (12,386 ft.), descending by the neve of the Glacier du Geant to the hut on that pass or the Mont Frety Inn —a noble excursion for com¬ petent mountaineers. e. The Inn on the Mont Frety (7130 ft.), 2 1 hrs. from Courmayeur, at the southern base of the Col du Geant (Rte. 142), opens every summer on the ist July. Hence a mountaineer of moderate experience will find no difficulty in reaching alone the summit of the col, 2| hrs., which is interesting as well for the magni¬ ficent view which it commands as for its associations with the history of Alpine adventure since the time of De Saussure. The steep slope above the Inn was in i860 the scene of a sad accident (see Rte. 142), wherein 3 English travellers and one of their guides—Frederic Tairraz, of Chamonix — were lost. From the col there is a most glorious view of glaciers and mountain chains to the S. and E., among which the Grand Paradis and Monte Rosa rise with imposing effect. A substantial hut has been erected on the pass, where the night may be spent with¬ out serious discomfort. /. Another fine excursion is by the Allee Blanche to the Glacier de Miage, ascending it some way, for a view of the ice-cascades at its head. This 530 ROUTE 134 .—TURIN TO COURMAYEUR. glacier is on a grand scale, and has 2 important tributaries—the Glacier du Mt. Blanc and Glacier du Borne. Over it lies the pass of the Col de Miage (11,077 ft.') i Rte. i42\ and by the Glacier du Mont Blanc is the easiest way up Mont Blanc from the Italian side. At its lower end is a grassy oasis called the Jmdin de Miage, a pleasant excursion of 3 hrs. from Courmayeur. g. Mont Blanc was first climbed from the Courmayeur side via the Col du Geant. The ascent was facilitated by a hut under the Aig. du Midi, but this is now little better than a ruin. From the sj^ot where it stands, the Corridor can be reached in 4^ hrs., by the Mont Blanc du Tacul and Mont Maudit. This was the rte. by which Messrs. Hudson and Kennedy first attempted, 1855,without guides, to scale the mountain, and by which it was reached in 1863 by MM. Maquelin and Briquet, of Geneva. This route is now seldom used. The problem of a direct ascent by one of the great southern glaciers was first solved in 1865 by Messrs. G. S. Mathews. A. W. Moore, Frank and Horace Walker. Leaving a bivouac 5 hrs. above Courmayeur by the side of the Brenva Glacier, they came in 3 hrs. to the foot of a biittress of Mont Blanc; climbing this, and passing over an extremely narrow crest, they reached the steep slopes of the neve, which led up to the Corridor. The summit of the Corri¬ dor was thus reached in io| hrs. from their sleeping-place. By bear¬ ing more to the left, the top of the Mur de la Cote might have been gained. This is a very difficult a^s- cent, and has been but twice re¬ peated. To attempt the descent would be in the highest degree perilous. A route which, though totally dif¬ ferent in character to that from Cha¬ monix, may from its freedom from any extraordinary risk or difficulty fairly be considered a rival for the favour of climbers, was at last dis¬ covered by Mr. Kennedy in 1872. A comfortable wooden hut, called the ‘Rifugio Quintino Sella,’ after the late distinguished statesman and President of the Italian Alpine Club, has been erected on the rocks high above the E. side of the Miage Glacier (11,812 ft.), 8 hrs. from Courmayeur. The key is kept by the Guide-chef. From this point the summit of Mont Blanc may be reached in 8 hrs. In contrast to the Chamonix rte., which is throughout a walk up snow, this is a sharp rock climb, but in fair weather it presents no very .serious difficulties or dangers, and with good guides is safe as a descent. It is not, however, fit for persons with¬ out considerable experience in moun¬ tain climbing. Between the Brenva and Miage Glaciers lie the two small glaciers of Brouillard and Fresnay, and above them the face of Mont Blanc rises in a precipice which has been found inaccessible. In 1877 Mr. Eccles, having reached the head of the Fres¬ nay Glacier from the Brouillard Glacier, gained the S.E. ridge of Mont Blanc which falls towards the Peteret, and by dint of a good deal of step-cutting followed it to the Mont Blanc de Courmayeur, and so reached the top of Mont Blanc. This is a difficult ascent, but not ap¬ parently dangerous, with good guides and a competent party. Ji. The W. peak of the Grander Jorasses was ascended in 1865 from Val Ferret by Mr. Whymper. The slightly higher E. peak (13,797 was gained in 1868 by Mr. H. Walker, This is a very fine expedition for capable climbers : its difficulty varies greatly according to the season. The view is one of the finest in the whole chain of the Alps. A hut has been built to facilitate the ascent. i. The Aiguille de Peteret (12,392 ft ), the flame-like pinnacle so conspi¬ cuous from the Allee Blanche, was climbed in 1877 by Lord Wentworth. It is a severe rock-climb, fit onlv for practised cragsmen. j. The A. Blanche de Peteret (13,478 ft.), on which Professor F. M. Bal- ROUTE 135 . —MARTIGNY TO AOSTA. 531 four and his guide were killed in 1882, was first climbed in 1885 by Mr. H. S. King. k. The Grand Paradis (13,324 ft.) is sometimes climbed in 2 days from Courmayeur by way of the Val Savaranche. l . The Riitor (11,438 ft.) can be reached in 2 days either by La Thuille or by the Val Grisanche. Besides glacier passes (Rte. 142^ 5 rtes. diverge from Courmayeur : I. to Aosta ; 2. the Great St. Ber¬ nard (Rte. 137) ; 3. the Little St. Bernard (Rte. 149); 4. the Col de la Seigneto Chamonix (Rte. 139) ; 5. the Col Ferret to Martigny iRte. 137)- ROUTE 135 . MARTIGNY TO AOSTA.-PASS OF THE GREAT ST. BERNARD. Hrs. Martigny I . . Bourg 2| . . Sembrancher 1 1 . . Orsidres 14 . . Liddes . . Bourg St. Pierre 3I . . Hospice ij . . St. R6my i j . . St. Oyen 3| . . Aosta Distance, 47 m. ; ii hrs.’ walk to the Hospice ; about 6 hrs. thence to Aosta. Carriage-road to the Cantine de Proz, and from St. Remy to Aosta. Light carriages have been taken over the pass, and the carriage-road across from the Cantine de Proz is in active construction. Diligence in 3^^ hrs. to Orsieres. This pass is more remarkable from a religious, historical, and romantic j)oint of view — on account of its Hospice and dogs — than for its scenery, which is inferior to that on most of the other great passes. The Antonin-e Itinerary, and the Peutinger Table (both 4th cent.) mention this pass, which, between 774 and 1414, was crossed 20 times by the mediae¬ val Emperors (including Charle¬ magne), and largely frequented by clerics and pilgrims bound to Rome. Its old name is Mo7is Jovis (Mont Joux), and it was only in the 12th cent, that it acquired its present style from the second founder of the Hospice on the summit. Buonaparte crossed it on the 20th May, 1800. Each regiment occupied 3 days in the passage, arriving the first night at Bourg St. Pierre, the second at St. Remy or Etroubles, the third at Aosta. From Martigny-Ville (1562 ft.) (Rte. 56) the road passes through Martigny-Bourg, and shortly after crosses the Dranse to its.l. bank. The bed of this river still ex¬ hibits evidence of the devastation occasioned in 1818 by the bursting of a lake in the Bagnes valley (see Rte. 136). The road leaves that to Chamonix on the rt., and continues up the valley of the Dranse to the miser¬ able village of Les Valetfes. [Hence a char-road (i| m.) leads to the Gorges du Durnand, worth a visit, a narrow defile with fourteen waterfalls, rendered accessible by wooden galleries (i fr.). There is a Restaurant at the entrance. Passing through this goi’ge, a track leads up to the path from Les Valettes or Bover- nier to the pretty wooded Val de Cham- pex, which offers the pedestrian a pleasanter though longer rte. than the high road to Orsieres, about 4 hrs. from Les Valettes (see below'.] Beyond Bovernier the river is re¬ crossed, and the road enters a defile so narrow that it was necessary to cut a Tunnel 200 ft. long througli the rock. Emerging from it, the traveller sees 1. the ruins of a build¬ ing connected with abandoned iron¬ works, which was occupied 1797-8 by some Trappist monks and nuns, and was overwhelmed with rubbish brought down by the bursting of the lake, 1818. Bovernier was saved from the same fate by a projecting 532 EOUTE 135 . —MAKTIGNY TO AOSTA. rock. The road recrosses the river, and ascends on the 1. bank to 9 in, Sembrancher, a larger village, under Catogne, at the con¬ tinence of the two rivers Dranse, coming from the Val de Bagnes and the Val d’Entremont and St. Bernard, Above Sembrancher the Val d’Entremont offers some tine scenes, but none strikingly grand ; it has the general character of an Alpine valley. The Branse is twice crossed before reaching i3j^ m. Orsi^res (2920 ft.). [Here the Val de Ferret, leading to Cour- mayeur by the Col Ferret (Rte. 137), opens into the Val d’Entre¬ mont on the rt. For the high level I’te. to the Cantine de Proz by the Mourin, see below under the ex¬ cursions from the Hospice. 4 hrs, from Orsieres or Champex is the Cabane d’Orny (Club hut), whence many climbs may be made. The easiest glacier pass to Chamonix is the Col du Tour (Rte. 142). [From Orsieres to Chamonix there is a pleasant mule-path to the Forclaz (Rte, 141 ) by the valley and lake of Champex (4807 ft.), lying to the W. of Mont Catogne. The lake is said to be well stocked with lish. It is most beautifully situated amidst forests, and has the Grand Combin in full view, the snowy peaks of which are reflected in its glassy waters. On its shores are several Inns and Pensions. The lake can be reached over a low ridge in 3 hrs. from Les Valettes, and Orsieres is an hour further. The lake, enbo- somed amidst splendid forests, and its surroundings, are among the love¬ liest scenes in Switzerland, and deserve to be better known to English travellers. The Catogne, (8402 ft.), may be reached hence in 4 or 5 hrs., while the Arpette glen gives access to Trient in 4 or 5 hrs., and affords many climbs and excur¬ sions. 4 or 5 hrs. to the Forclaz ; 7 hrs. to the Tete Noire Inn.'] Beyond Orsieres there is a flne view, and the scenery becomes rather more wild. The torrent can seldom be seen in the deep gorge, and the road mounts rapidly in zigzags. 4I m. Liddes, 4390 ft. above the sea. si m. Bourg St. Pierre is a dirty, wretched village, 5358 ft. Rt. is an easy pass of 4 hrs. to the chalets of Ferret by the Col des Planards, 9197 ft., at the head of the small Val des Planards. The church dates from the nth cent., and has a flne carillon of bells. An inscription recording" the ravages of an Ismaelita cohors in the loth cent, exists in the church. Between a. d. 890 and 973 the western Alpine passes were infested by bands of Saracenic freebooters from Fraxinetum, a stronghold on the coast of Provence, near Frejus. In 940 they crossed the St. Bernard and burnt the monastery of St, Maurice. In 973, St. Majolus, Abbot of Cluny, was taken prisoner at the bridge of Orsieres, and ransomed for a large sum, . The points GsdledLeMourin^goSs ft.), to the W. of Bourg Saint Pierre, and the Croix de Tzouss (9285 ft.), to the S., may be gained without difficulty in 3 hrs., and command glorious views. From the former it is possible to descend to the Cantine de Proz or to Orsieres. The brothers Bailey, of Bourg St, Pierre, in 1858, discovered the route from this place to the summit of the Grand Combin by the Col des Maisons Blanches. [L. is the Valsorey, up which lies the rte, to Mauvoisin by the Col des Maisons Blanches (Rte. 136), to Chanrion by the Col du Sonadon (Rte, 136), to the top of Mt. Velan (see below) and that of the Grand Combin (Rte. 136'). At the head of the Valsorey glacier, nearly due S., lies the Col de Valsorey or des Chamois, an easy glacier pass (5 hrs. from Bourg St, Pierre), leading to Val d’Ollomont, and in about si from the Col to Valpelline (Rte. ■132).] EOUTE 1 35 .— MARTIGNY TO AOSTA, 533 On leaving Bourg St.Pierre the road crosses a deep abyss, through which the Dranse forces its way. (On the 1. the torrent, descending from the Valsorey Glacier,forms a magnificent cascade.) It then passes round the foot of a great mound, on which is the garden of Alpine plants belong¬ ing to the Genevese ‘Association Internationale pour la Protection des Plantes Alpines,’ and called La Linnaea (admittance 50cents.). The old path led through the forest of St. Pierre, among rocks and roots of pines, and was so steep and tortuous that Napoleon’s difficulties in transporting his artillery were here, perhaps, the greatest that he encountered on the pass from natural obstacles. The present road, cut along the precipices which overhang the deep course of the Dranse, avoids the steep rises and falls, and leads by an easy ascent through a savage defile. Beyond the forest, where the pines are stunted from their eleva¬ tion above the level of the sea, the traveller arrives at some pastures on which there are many chalets. This is the plain of Proz, where amidst the shelter of surrounding moun¬ tains, numerous herds gather the rich herbage. The char-road ceases about 2 hrs. below the Hospice at 3| m. The little Inn (rather rough) called the Cantine de Proz, 5912 ft. [Hence the ascent of Mt. Vdan [ 12,353 ft.), can be made in 10 hrs. 6 hrs. up. This mountain was first ascended in 1779 by M. Murith, prior of the Great St. Bernard. The first part of the ascent (guide 25 fr.) is up the pastures of the Montagne de Proz, on the N. bank of the torrent, and by steep, stony slopes to the Glacier de Proz. This is traversed to the bergschrund at its head in i hr., or about 3| hrs. from the Cantine. Here the main mass of the Velan is reached, which rises in a wall of rock, over 2000 ft. high. It is not difficult, and may be climbed by any one of numerous buttresses. The top l^Sioitz. II.] is a saddle-shaped plain of snow, perhaps ^ m. in length, and being situated between Mt. Blanc and Mte. Rosa, and close to the Grand Combin, commands an exceedingly fine view. It is better to descend by the glacier and valley of Valsorey to Bourg St. Pierre. This will take from 4 to 5 hrs., and, for the exquisite beauty of the glacier itself, and grandeur of the near scenery—it does not command distant views— the rte. is scarcely to be surpassed in the Alps. The descent for some way is along the crest of rocks which bounds the glacier of Val¬ sorey on the side of Italy, and very steep. At the junction of the Glacier du Tzeudet formerly existed the little lake of Goille a Vassu, described by De Saussure. Those bound for Aosta mav descend as %/ they came, and cross the Col de Mouleina or d’Annibcd (9859 ft.\ at the head of the Proz Glacier, A more direct descent on the S. side has been effected to Etroubles, and one on the E. side to the Val d’Ollomont. A more direct rte. to Etroubles from the Cantine de Proz is the Col de Menouve, (9062 ft.), 7 hrs.] On rising above the plain of Proz the path to the Hospice enters another defile, and beyond it another summer pasturage, steep and rugged ; the scene becomes more sterile and dreary, another ravine is passed, and the summit is approached. Near the path is a cairn, under which are buried the bodies of some workmen killed Nov, 19, 1874, by a ‘veurra,’ or whirlwind raising the snow in a sort of frozen waterspout, A little higher up, an inscription records the fate of two canons and a ‘maronnier,’ or lay brother, who perished at the same time. At length, after crossing some beds of snow, the solitary walls of the 5] m. Hospice appear, and the traveller reaches, on the very crest of the pass, this dwelling in the clouds, 8111 English feet above the sea. Here, in the practice of the most N n ROUTE 135 . —MARTIONY TO AOSTA. 53(1 during the winter, are in November, Februaiy, March, and April. As many as 2000 per month will pass in February and March, because the poor inhabitants of the valleys are then going out to seek work ; in November they come home with money in their pockets. ‘A column opposite the middle of the lake marks the boundary of Piedmont and the Valais ; above and beyond it, is the little plain of .Jupiter, where a temple formerly stood, and from which a Roman road led down on the Piedmontese side of the pass. This road may be traced in the hewn rock, and the remains of a massive pavement; but not a vestige of the temple is left above the surface .’—Brockedon (re¬ vised'. There is historical evidence that a monastery existed in Bourg St. Pierre in 812, and here by the year 859- The present hospice was founded by Bernard, who was born of a noble family of Savoy, at the cha¬ teau of Menthon, on the Lake of An¬ necy, and was archdeacon of Aosta. He died most probably in 1081. For some time after the death of St. Bernard the hospice was exposed to frequent outrages from barbarians who traversed the mountains ; and its records in the nth cent, present a succession of calamities. The date 962, usually given as that of the foundation of the hospice, is an im¬ possible one, as the Saracens then held the pass. Possibly since 1154, certainly since 1215, it has been served by Austin canons regular, the mother house being at Mar- tigny. ‘ It soon acquired celebrity and opulence. As early as 1177, it had, in various dioceses, 88 benefices, priories, cures, chMeaux, and farms ; it had lands in Sicily, in Flanders, and in England. Its climax of riches and importance was in 1480, when it possessed 98 livings. Sub¬ sequently, however, the Reforma¬ tion, political changes in the states. loss of distant property, disputes with the popes, with the neighbour¬ ing states, and with each other, drove the canons of St. Bernard to seek even eleemosynary assistance. Very little property in land now be¬ longs to the hospice ; a vineyard at Clarens and a farm at Roche, in the Pays de Vaud, are the principal : their resources are small, and in aid of them collections are regularly made in the Swiss cantons.’— Brocke¬ don. Buonaparte rather impoverished than enriched the monks. It was true that he assisted them with donations, but his claims upon their funds exceeded his benefits ; 40 men were quartered upon them for months together, and 60,000 passed in one season, and all these were assisted. Near the convent is the Morgue, or receptacle for the dead. It is a low building, where the bodies of the unfortunate victims to storms and avalanches in these mountains have been placed. They have generally been found frozen, and put into this horrid receptacle, tied on to the long narrow boards which have served as litters to transport them from the spot where they were found. Here many have ‘ dried up and withered,’ and on some even the clothes have remained after 18 years. In a walled enclosure on one side of the Morgue was a great accumulation of bones, white, bro¬ ken, and apparently the gathering of centuries. From the hospice, the Mont Velan A2,353 ft.) can be ascended by the Proz Glacier in 5 or 6 hrs. Nearer at hand are the Chenalette (9479 ft. ^ and Mont Mort (9403 ft.\ each acces¬ sible in I hr. or i| hr. ; the Pic de Dronaz, or Pointe des Lacerandes (9676 ft.), takes 2| hrs. For the di¬ rect rtes. to Courmayeur, see Rte. 134 c and Rte. 137 c. [Should the traveller desire to re¬ turn to Martigny by a different rte., he may cross the Col de Fenetre to the Swiss Val Ferret (Rte. 137 b , ROUTE 136 .— MARTIGNY TO AOSTA. 537 and then either descend to Orsiferes, or cross the Col des Planards to Bourg St. Pierre, or the Col des Nevi de la Rossa to Liddes. A pleasant high- level rte. is to go fi*om the Cantine de Proz, by the Porgnon pastures, to the Moiirin (9085 ft.'), 3 hrs., and thence reach Orsieres by the Tzisset- taz chalets, the Tour de Bavon, and the Bavon chalets—in all 9 hrs. to Orsieres.] On leaving the hospice to descend to the Val d’Aosta, the path skirts the lake, beside which is the boun¬ dary-stone between Switzeidand and Italy, and runs between it and the Plan de Jupiter. A little farther, after passing through a short defile, the scene opens towards Italy, into the basin of the Vacherie, where the cows of the convent are pastured. The road turns abruptly to the rt., and sweeps round the basin to descend gradu¬ ally to the plain below. The view on first looking out upon the Vacherie, from the gorge in the Mont Mort, is very fine ; the moun¬ tains on the opposite side are grand in form and elevation : the most striking being the Pam de S^^cre, celebrated by De Saussure. At the lower end of the Vacherie the path winds down by zigzags, and the descent is rapid to 4 m. St. Remy, a dreary little village. Here I'eturn chars to Aosta may generally be obtained for 10 fr. Travellers who leave Aosta to visit the hospice in a char for St. Remy, and intend to return, cause it to wait for them here for 4 or 6 hrs., and pay 20 fr. for the char for the day, with a bonnemain to the driver. Here is the Italian custom-house. [F rom St. Remy a pedestrian may reach in 5 or 6 hrs. the summit of the Mont Fallcre (10,046 ft.)—superb view—and may descend to Aosta in 4 hrs. by the Sarre chalets.] From St. Remy the road descends, with little interest in the scenery, to St. Oyen. At 4^ m. Etroubles [Hence a high path winds round the mountain¬ side past Doues to the village of Valpelline thus enabling a traveller to reach the Col de Fenetre and Val de Bagnes by an easy rte. from tiu! Hospice.], the St. Bernard branch of the Buthier is crossed, and the road descends to Gignod, where the vegetation begins to be luxuriant, and the effects of an Italian climate are felt and seen. Here there is a fine peep into the Valpelline. Be¬ low Gignod the richness of the sce¬ nery is constantly increasing. Trel- lised vines and Indian corn mark the approach to the valley of Aosta, and the first view of its ancient, city, where the background is filled with the magnificent forms and snowy summits of the range of Mt. Emilius is very fine indeed. 10 m. Aosta iRte. 134). ROUTE 136 . MARTIGNY TO AOSTA, BY THE VAL DE BAGNES AND COL DE FE- Nf:TRE. Hrs.' walking. Martigny 2} . . Sembrancher (car¬ riage-road) o] 3 *^ 3} I9- . Chable . Champsec . Lourtier (bridle-patli) . Mauvoisin Cher montane Col de Fenetre . Valpelline (carriage- road) 3 . . Aosta This fertile and beautiful valley can be visited with convenience since the establishment of the little Inn at Mauvoisin. Carriage-road as far as Lourtier, mule-])ath thence to Valpelline. Diligence to Chable in 3} hrs. from Martigny. Martigny to 540 ROUTE 136 .-MARTIGNY TO AOSTA. Comhin de Corbassihe rises to the N.W. and farther N. is Les Follats, liere called Petit Comhin. Tlie ascent lies N.W. from Manvoisin to the small glacier of Otanes, and a gap in the ridge above it, the Col des Otanes. From this the rocks are somewhat steep down to the Corbas- si6re glacier (near this point is the Club hut of Panossiere), which is crossed, and ascended on the W. bank, and close under the snows of the Grand Combin to the col, 11,241 ft. The way down is by steep rocks and a snow gully, to the stream from the Valsorey Glacier^ by which the way is easy to Bourg St. Pierre. From the head of the Corbassibre glacier, an easier and more beautifixl pass, the Col de Panosseyre (11,150 ft.') leads by the Boveyre glacier and chalets to Bourg St. Pierre in rather less time than the Maisons Blanches. From the head of the Corbassiere glacier it is perfectly easy to ascend either the Combin de Corbassiere (12,212 ft.) by its W. ridge, or the Petit Corn- bin (12,045 ft) in I hr. more. Both command glorious views on all sides, and are short expeditions when taken from the Panossiere Club hut. Other passes lead across the Cor- bassiSre glacier to Orsieres. The Col des Pauvres reaches the glacier near its foot. It is then necessary to cross two high ridges, first the Col des Avolions, and then the Col de VAset, or de I’Ane. It is 10 hrs. by this rte. from Mauvoisin to Liddes in the Val d’Entremont. The Grand Combin (14,164 ft. ), known in the Val de Bagnes as the Graffeneire, is the giant of this part of the Pennine chain, but so shut in by lofty ridges that it is seldom seen from the adjoining valleys. For this reason, from the confusion of names, and the near neighbourhood of a second peak nearly as high, there has been some difficulty in identifying it. Its ascent from Mau¬ voisin is long and fatiguing, and at one point, overhanging seracs make the descent in the afternoon a little dangerous for a short distance. M. Devi lie in i860 was the first to reach the higher S. peak. The peak has since been climbed in one day. from Bourg St. Pierre, and back again by way of the Col des Maisons Blanches. The steep S.face,overhang¬ ing the Col du Sonadon, has also been climbed. A shorter I'oute, striking up the face of the mountain before reaching the Sonadon Gl., has also been discovered. On the Mauvoisin side the best starting-point is the Panossiere Club hut, on the Valsorey side, a hut built by the Baileys, 2^ hrs. below the Col des Maisons Blanches. The safest way up the peak is by the rocky W. ridge from that col—not difficult when the rocks are free from snows. The two most useful passes to the Val d’Herernence and Arolla are the easy Col de Seilon, by the Getroz Gla¬ cier, described above (Rte. 131. Passes c', and the higher Col de Bre- ney (11,877 ft.) The latter is the finest pass for mountaineers, es¬ pecially if combined with the ascent of the Pigne d’Arolla (under i hr. from the col). The glacier is reached from a long grass plateau, leading for nearly 3 m. S.S.E. from the path to the Getroz chalets, and most easily reached from the Chanrion Club hut. The N. side of the glacier is ascen¬ ded, and the ice-fall, the most likely soui'ce of trouble, has been found easy. The col lies between the Pi¬ gne d’Arolla and the N. end of the Serpentine ridge. The easiest de¬ scent from the col is by the Glacier de Seilon 'see Pigne d'Arolla., Rte. 131'). The Col de Chermonfane, leading up the magnificent Hautemma Gl.. is also a fine pass to Arolla 1 Rte. 131, Passes For the Col de VEveque and the direct high-level rte. to Zermatt by that pass and the Col de Bertol see Rte. 131, 3 b and c. The most tempting ascent on this side of the valley is perhaps tlu* Mont Plenreur (12,159 ft.) : it has been ascended from the Col de Vasevay (N. of the peak) by passing S. along the ridge, under the highest rocks of ROUTE 136.—MARTIGNY TO AOSTA. 541 La Salle 111,946 It.", but is best climbed from the Col de Geiroz (on the way to the Col de Seilon) by its easy S. face, and S.W. ridge. The Ridnetfe (12,737 ^"^4 Blanc de Seilon (12,701 ft. \ may be best climbed, the former from the Chanrion Club hut by its S. W. ridge, the latter direct from the Col de Seilon. A series of passes has been de¬ scribed above (Rtes. 129, 130\ con¬ necting Arolla and Zermatt (or St. Niklaus', which deserves notice as affording ordinary pedestrians a most agreeable and varied introduc¬ tion to some of the finest scenery of the Alps. Persons able to cross the Col de Seilon, a pass little harder than the Theodule, may thus go from Martigny to Zermatt, by what may be said to form a Middle Level Rle. between the mountaineers’ passes and the Rhone valley, in¬ cluding in order from the W. the following pleasant halting-places— Mauvoisin, Arolla, Evolena, Zinal, St. Luc, Zmeiden. Mules may be taken from Arolla to St. Niklaus, and heavier luggage sent by post to any point. Above Mauvoisin the valley to its head (9 ni.) is savage and solitary, a few huts of herdsmen being the only habitations. A j hr.’s descent brings the traveller to the waterfall and heap of ice below the Getroz Glacier mentioned above. Here 1 . (10 min.' is a bridge and path leading up to the chalets of Getroz, and towards the Cols de Getroz, de Seilon, and du Mont Rouge. The bed of the lake is passed, the cliffs to the 1. being beautifully draped. with cascades, which float away on the wind. In I hr. the path crosses to the E. bank at the 2 chalets of Vingt-huit, above which are the Glacier de Zessetta and Tour de Boussine, a buttress of the Grand Combin. The little I?m at Lancey has been ruined by an aval¬ anche. In another | hr., having recrossed the stream, the traveller looks up the Glacier de Breney, de¬ scending from the Pigne d’Arolla. [Here 1 . by a bridge to Chanrion.] Steep zigzags bring him in j hr. to the Glacier du Mord Durand, which bars the way, extending to the precipices on the opposite side of the valley. It is easily crossed, even by mules, and in i hr. the dirty hovel of Grande Chermontane (7317 ft. is reached, at the foot of the Glacier d’Hautemma, where mountaineers used to pass the night in the midst of magnificent scenery, but also of mud, pigs, and cattle. On the alp to the E. are the hut and lake of Chanrion, close to which an admirably situated Club hut has been built by the Swiss Alpine Club (8071 ft\ 3-4 Ill’s, from Mauvoisin. Hence the Pointe d’Hautemma (11,136 ft.], im¬ mediately to the W. can be reached by its W. face and S. ridge, or any of the other peaks or j)asses round the Breney and Ilautemma Glaciers. [The following are the chief passes S. and W. from the head of V. de Bagnes. The route to the Col du Sonadon mounts from Chermontane to the Glacier du Mont Durand, passing its ice-falls along the rocks either of the N. or S. bank. [Several notches in the ridge S. of the Mont Durand Glacier afford access to the By Alp at the head of the Val d’Ollomont. j The col (11,446 ft.) lies directly under the cliffs of the Grand Com¬ bin, on the ridge connecting that mountain with the main chain. On the W. side is the chief difficulty. Below the first snow-slopes the Glacier du Sonadon is descended for about 500 yds., when it becomes impassable. Erom this point the course is along the face of steep rocks on the N. side, and down a gully raked by falling stones to the lower level of the glacier. It is possible to avoid this dangerous gully by climbing over a lofty spur of the Grand Combin, due N. of the col. Mauvoisin to St. Pierre about 10 hrs. To the Upper Valjjelline lead the 542 EOUTE 137 .—MAETIGNY TO COUEMAYEUE. glacier passes of the Col de CrUe Shhe and Col d’Oren (or de la Reuse de I’Arolla) (Rte. 132).] A rapid ascent by cattle-tracks, above the Fenetre glacier, with grand view of the frosted ribs of Mont Gele, brings the traveller in hr. from Chermontane to the 3 m. Col de Fenetre, 9141 ft. above the sea. Calvin is said to have fled by this pass from Aosta in 1536. The ruined walls and entrenchments were thrown up in 1688 (as on the St. Theodule) by order of the Duke of Savoy to prevent the exiled Vaudois from re-entering his domi¬ nions. [Mont Avril (10,962 ft.), is easily ascended from the Col de Fenetre in hr., by slopes of debris. It commands a splendid view of the Grand Combin.] ‘ The view towards Italy is won¬ derfully striking. The Cogne moun¬ tains beyond Aosta, and the glaciers of the Rutor, are spread out in the distance, and beneath we have the exceeding deep valley of Ollomont, communicating with the Valpellina, which is itself a tributary of the Val d’Aosta. The col is enclosed by ridges of the most fantastic and sa¬ vage grandeur, which descend from the mountains on either side ; on the N.E. from Mont Combin, rising to a height of 14,164 ft., and on the S.E. from Mont Gele, ii ,539 high, and almost too steep to bear snow, presenting a perfect ridge of pyramidal aiguilles stretching to¬ wards Valpellina."— Prof. Forbes. The course from the Col de Fene¬ tre to Valpelline is to skirt the base of the .jagged ridges of Mont Gele by following the mule-track, passing a small lake, by a rapid descent to high pastures. [From the highest chalets the Mont Gele (11,539 ft.), may be easily gained in 3^-4 hrs. by a rocky gorge to the N.E., and the easy Gla¬ cier de la Balme. The view up the Hautemma Glacier and down the Val de Bagnes is most striking; while the descent may be made across the Balme Glacier to the Val¬ pelline.] The descent is long and fatiguing to Balme, the first hamlet, and to Ollomont, where there are copper mines, and traces of an aqueduct built by the Romans for the supply of water to Augusta Praetoria. 10 m. Valpelline, at the entrance of the valley of the same name, with a fine view of the Becca di Nona and Mt. Emilius. From this village a beautiful carriage-road leads to 8 m. Aosta (Rte. 134 '. ROUTE 137 . MARTIGNY, OR THE ST. BERNARD, TO COURMAYEUR. A. By the Col Ferret. B. By the Col de Fenetre. C. By the Col Serena. A. Col Ferret. Orsieres to Courmayeur, 9 to 10 hrs. The most direct route from Mar- tigny and the Valais to the S. side of Mont Blanc is by the Col Ferret. The scenery on the Piedmontese side is fine. The route from Martigny to Or¬ sieres has been described, Rte. 135. Char-road from Orsieres as far as La Folly, chiefly used by hay-carts. Curiously diminutive cows draw these conveyances. At Orsieres the road turns off on the rt., and enters the Val Fer¬ ret, that name being given to the valley on the Swiss side, as well as to the Piedmontese valley descending from thence towards Courmayeur, and forming, in fact, a continuation of the Allee Blanche. The road to the col mounts along the bank of the torrent, and, after pursuing a tolerable road to Ville d'Issert 1,40 i min.), the principal village, ascends I rapidly towards the higher hamlet ROUTE 137 a.—COL FERRET. 543 of Praz de Fort (20 min.) opposite the end of the Glacier de Saleinaz. The mountains which bound the valley towards the W. are lofty, and crowned by those vast glaciers of the chain of Mont Blanc which descend to¬ wards the Val Ferret. Looking back the traveller may notice the Pierre d Voir, but there is nothing very remarkable in the scenery of the Swiss Val Ferret. Beyond Praz de Fort (25 min.) begins a long ascent of an undu¬ lating green alp, passing numerous hay chalets, (at those of Seiloz is a small Inn), and afterwards some forest to La Folly (i hr. 20 min.), where an opening on the rt. discloses a grand view of the Glacier de la Neuva, descending from the rocks which connect Le Tour Noir (N.) with Mont Dolent (S.), and over which lies the pass of the Col cVArgentiere (Rte. 142). It is a splendid ampitheatre of rocks and ice, with firs in the foreground, and a remarkable slate wall under Mt. Dolent. Here the path and valley bend to the 1., to the Chalets de Ferret (35min.),with a small chapel, and rich pastures on the mountain sides. About | m. farther, crossing the detritus of a mountain which fell in the year 1776, burying the pasturages of Ban d’Arrey, the path divides—straight on for the Col de Fenetre and tlie Great St. Bernard, rt. passing the stream and ascending a wild solitary alp to the Col Ferret (i| hr.\ 8321 ft. above the sea. [A short path leads from La Folly to another col, nearer the chain of Mont Blanc, called Le Petit Ferret (8176 ft.). It is not a mule-path, and the distant views are inferior. The paths re-unite at Pre du Bar.] The woods and pasturages of part of the Swiss Val Ferret belong to the Convent of the Great St. Bernard. From the crest of the Col, the view along the S.E. side of Mont Blanc j towards Piedmont, is one of the scenes celebrated by De Saussure. The eye is carried through the Val Ferret and the Allee Blanche to the Col de la Seigne, a distance of 18 m. Numerous glaciers are seen on the rt., streaming down into the vallej' from the ridge of Mont Blanc ; but the ‘Monarch’ himself is not seen— the enormous masses of the Grandes Jorasses and the Geant conceal him in this view. In the opposite direc¬ tion are the Grand Combin and other mountains at the head of the Val d’Entremont. The descent is over a soft slaty soil, wherein the tracks of cattle have cut deep trenches, in which if a man stand he is half concealed. 25 min. bring a j)edestrian to the Chalets of Pre de Bar at the foot of the Glacier du Mont Dolent, and 20 min. more to the level of the valley, close to the vast moraine of the Glacier de Triolet, an ice-stream descending from the Mt. Dolent and A ig. de Triolet. The road now runs amidst rocks and stones and bushes, 'and com¬ mands a wild scene of Alpine deso¬ lation. The valley is narrow, flat, and marshy, and each rift on the mountain side towards Mont Blanc has its glacier hanging from the summit. Not less than 6 distinct glaciers are passed in the course of this valley before reaching the vil¬ lage of Entreves, near Courmayeur, viz., Gl. du Mont Dolent, Gl. de Triolet, Gl. Freboutzie, Gl. des Grandes Jorasses, Gl.deRochefort,Gl. du Mt. Frety. Three descend from the Grandes and Petites Jorasses, and the remarkable peak of the Geant. A few miserable villages are passed. The highest is Gh'uetta (i| hr. from the col) ; those below. La Vachey, Praz Sec, and Neiron. About 2 m. below Neiron the path divides in a fir-wood—straight on by Entre¬ ves ; 1., crossing the stream, and by a shorter rte., to Courmayeiir. More than half the length of the valley is passed, on the descent, before Mont Blanc is seen. When its i^rodigious mass opens to the view, the effect is overwhelming. Taking the 1 . of the 544 ROUTE 137 B,C.—COLS DE FENETRE AND DE SERENA. two paths, and passing under the rocks of Mont de la Saxe, the pedes¬ trian, in 11 hr. from Gruetta, reaches Courmayeur (Rte, 134). B. Col de Fenetre. By allowing 2 easy days for the journey from Martigny to Cour¬ mayeur tlie pedestrian may combine a visit to the St. Bernard with the view of the Alice Blanche from the Col Ferret, which is one of the strik¬ ing scenes in the tour of Mont Blanc. Going on the first day to the Hospice of the St. Bernard (Rte. i35\ he may take a guide to lead him thence by the Col de FenUre (8855 ft.\ i| hr. from the Hospice to the head of the Swiss Val Ferret. The way is pretty well traced ; but a little fresh snow would be sufficient to conceal it, when it would be very difficult to find the true direction. 3^ hrs. from the Hospice suffice to reach the point where this path joins the ordinary rte. from Orsieres to the Col Ferret, about an hour below the summit of that pass on the Swiss side. C. Col de Serena. This is the shortest rte. for pedes¬ trians from the Great St. Bernard to Courmayeur. It is not, however, a very interesting pass. A path turns to the rt. close to the Vacherie of the Hospice, and, winding round the slopes of the mountain, reaches the chalet at the foot of the Col de Serena, where it joins the regular track. This is a considerable short¬ cut, but is fatiguing, and requires a local guide. A good walker may easily get to Courmayeur this way in 7 hrs. The ordinary rte., which is passable for mules, descends as far as St. Remy. It there turns rt. to the village of Bosses, and runs through fields for | hr. to the foot of the col. From that point it is a | hr.’s ascent through a pine-forest to the last chalet, where milk and cheese may be obtained as long as the cows are on the mountain. Here, instead of following a road to the rt., go up the mountain by a zigzag path immedi¬ ately behind the chalet, and i| hr.’s good walking will land you on the col (8328 ft.). This part of the rte. is exceedingly steep, but the view from the summit well rewards tl.\e labour. The scenery is very wild, especially towards the N. and N.W., offering a great contrast to the beau¬ tifully cultivated valley of Aosta, which shortly afterwards (just above the village of Morge'you see extend¬ ed at your feet. From Morge to Mor- gex, on the high road between Aosta and Courmayeur (Rte. 134), is a walk down a stony path of about \ hr. Thence to Courmayeur 2 hrs.’ walk ; in all about 9 hrs. from the Hospice. The Serena abounds with ptarmigan. There is another pass from the Hospice, called the Col de St. Remy, by which the Piedmontese Val Ferret may be reached over the Col d'Artereva or Malatra (see Rte. 134, c 1. There is no advantage in this rte. It is longer than the Serena, and you lose the view of the Alice Blanche from the Col Ferret. ROUTE 138 . GENEVA TO CHAMONIX. Eng. m. i6| 261 364 53 ^ G-eneva Bonneville Cluses Sallanches Chamonix. The rly. to Chamonix is now open as far as Cluses, and is being rapidly pushed on. Three trains daily from Geneva are in correspondence at Cluses with the diligences, Chamo¬ nix being thus reached in about 7 hrs. from Geneva, and St. Gervais in 4 1 hrs. Return tickets may be had, or circular tickets allowing a traveller to regain, by diligence, the idy at Martigny ( 8 hrs. ) or Annecy (ii| hrs.), or Albertville (9 hrs.) — all pleasant rtes. (see Rtes. 141 and i5oN ROUTE 138. -GENEVA TO CHAMONIX. 545 Tlie rly. (which as far as La Roche is that to Annecy ) starts from the Eaux Vives Station on the E. side of the town, and runs amid villas and gardens to m.) Chene Stat. It offers some fine views of the Voirons 1 ., of Mont Saleve, the pic¬ turesque red Chateau de Mornex^ and the range of the Jura rt. Soon after leaving Chene, the line crosses a little stream, the Foron, which has its source in the Voirons, and is the boundary between the Canton of Geneva and Savoy. There is no customs examination, as Haute Savoie was made a ‘free zone,’ at the time of the French annexation. A little beyond it is (4^: m. ) Anne- masse Stat., junction for Evian Rte. 57) ; a steam tramway hence to Samoens (for Sixt) will be opened in 1891. To the S.E. the Mole^ a conical mountain, is seen in all its height, 5932 ft., partly concealing the hollow through which the course to Chamonix lies. Beyond Annemasse the rly. runs up the valley of the Arve, keeping at a good distance from the 1. bank of the river, along the rt. bank of which the carriage-road passes. In the distance are seen the ruins of the iith cent. Chateau of Faucigny, which gives its name to the province of Faucigny. Several small stations are passed before reaching (14! m.) La Roche sur Foron Stat. Here the Chamonix line leaves that to An- necy(Rte. i52\and bendingE.,crosses the Borne before entering (i6| m.) Bonneville Stat., 2271 Inhab., be¬ fore the annexation to France the chief place in the province of Eau- cigny, and now a sous-prefecture. The top of the Mole may be reached in 3I hrs. [A beautiful rte. to Annecy (car¬ riage-road) is by the valley of the Borne and Thones (30 m.) (Rte. rSOb]. At one end of the stone bridge — built 1753 —over the Arve, is a Column erected in honour of King Charles Felix, and in gratitude for his having added to the security of the town by the formation of strong embankments, to restrain the furi¬ ous Arve. It is surmounted by a statue of the King, and is 72 ft. high. At the other end is a Monu¬ ment to the memory of the Haute Savoie men killed during the Franco- German war of 1870-71. The rly. and carriage-road now run between the Mole and the Pic de Jalouvre (7999 ft.), which on the S. bounds the valley of the Arve, here richly cultivated. After some time, the valley widens, and the Arve is joined by Giffre, which, descending from the Buet, hows through the valley of Sixt. On the 1 ., on a col, is Chdtillon, through which lies the carriage-road (12 m.) to the valley of Sixt (Rte. 143). [To the rt., before reaching Cluses, the entrance to the Vallee du Beposoir is passed, through which it is pos¬ sible to gain St. Jean de Sixt and Annecy (Rte. 150^ In 2 or 2} hrs. from the high road the Chartreuse du Beposoir is reached. This is a large Carthusian monastery, founded in 1151 by Aimo, Baron of Faucigny, and still inhabited by monks. It is in a very wild and secluded position, and was several times visited by De Saussure, though rarely by travel¬ lers since his time. A good walker may, after spending the night here, or at the humble Inn at the neigh¬ bouring hamlet of Pralong, climb (4 to 5 hrs.) the Pointe Perce'e du Beposoir, or Mont Fleuri (9030 ft. ), which is so placed as to command the finest possible view of the W. side of Mont Blanc, towering above the basin of Sallanches. The climb is a rough one, and requires local knowledge. Pessey-Girod, to be heard of at the Chartreuse, is a good guide. It is possible, with knowledge of the ground, to descend to Sallanches in 21 hrs.] 26| m. Cluses Stat. (1591 ft. ', an old town. Pop. 1915—almost burnt down in 1844, and rebuilt away from the mouth of the gorge in which it originally stood. The 546 ROUTE 138.—GENEVA TO CHAMONIX. wind issuing from this opening used to foment any fire into a conflagra¬ tion, and from this cause Cluses has suffered many times. The ch. is th e 15th cent, chapel of a Cordelier convent. .Its inhabitants are employed in watchmaking, which has recently received a considerable impulse here by the foundation of a Technical School. [For the passes to Sixt see Rte. 143.] On leaving Cluses for the 4I hrs, drive to Chamonix, the road is car¬ ried through the defile bounded 1. by the limestone Chame des Fretes. The valley is very narrow nearly all the way to Magland, and, in some places, the road is hemmed in be¬ tween the river and the precipices, which actually overhang the travel¬ ler. The banks are well wooded, and the scenery beautiful. Before arriving at Magland, the cliffs on the 1. retire a little, forming an amphitheatre, which is filled, nearly half-way up, with the debris of the mountain. [At the top of this talus, 800 ft. above the valley, is the Grotto of Balme, to which a bridle-path leads—2 hrs. there and back. At the hamlet of La Bahne, mules are kept for a visit to the grotto (adm. 3 fr.). The cave pierces the mountain for more than 1800 ft. ; but the view from its mouth, owing to the narrowness of the valley, is limited. The peaks, however, on the other side of the valley, are re¬ markably fine in form,] 3o| m. Magland lies below the lofty mountains on the rt. bank of the Arve ; the commune, which is straggling, contains 1576 Inhab. 2| m. beyond Magland, the road passes close to one of the highest waterfalls in Savoy, that of Nant d’Arpenaz 853 ft.) ; the stream is small, and before it reaches half its first descent it is broken into spray, yet its shape is graceful, and after being nearly dissipated and dispersed over the face of the precipice, it reforms on the slope, and rushing across the road beneath a bridge, it flows into the Arve. The rock of brown lime¬ stone, from which it descends, is remarkable for its tortuous stratifi¬ cation, forming a vast curve. [To Sixt, see Rte. 143.] Beyond Magland the valley in¬ creases in width, and rich fields spread up the base of the mountains; on the 1 . the Aiguille de Varens rises 8163 ft. above the sea. 36 m. St. Martin. [The Aig. de Varens may be as¬ cended from here, a severe climb of 5 hrs.—the limestone plateau of Plate to its E. is very curious and striking. For passes from St. Martin to Sixt, see Rte. 143.] The valley of Chamonix, like many others, is shut in by a rocky mass, through which the stream cuts its way in a deep ravine. The old rough char-road kept to the rt. bank of the river, and ascended by Chedde and Servoz. [Hence a mule-path over the Col d’Anterne leads to the valley of Sixt [Rte. 143), while the Buet may be ascended from the head of the Diosaz valley (Rte. 138).] It crossed the Arve in the middle of the ravine by a bridge known as the Pont Pelissier, and reached the valley of Chamonix by a very steep and rough ascent, called Les Montets or Montees. The new road keeps to the 1 . bank, and is a fine example of the costly but splendid engineering works of the Second Empire, It crosses the Arve to Sallanches, half a mile from St. Martin. From this bridge there is a noble view of Mont Blanc : the actual distance is more than 12 m. in a direct line, yet so sharp, and bright, and clear is every part of the stu¬ pendous mountain, that one unused to such scenes will think it much nearer. On looking up the valley over the broad winter-bed of the Arve, however, objects recede, and give the accustomed impressions of distance : above the Arve rises the Forclas, its sides clothed with pines, and its summit with pasturage. Be¬ yond these green heights is seen the summit of Mont Blanc, To the 1 . of it the Aiguille du Gouter and Dome 1 T* A * [ ' ' - ■ 'f ^ . * . '\ - *51^ '‘ -L’ ■« “ ' .. ' t . M*' * > ^•1 .--; rrr*» 7 ^ ‘ / , ..•< t ;* -i '-'*- -V*^' . ■ t • — r% .. - - •^-.K'. i y"*'y ' V ^^ * ■•■;' 0^ -py:X *« "• -w » -. J ■ - . -•'! '( -.'S '.'i' •■^'' " Sc - • ♦ , •■. -f> S. " '■ '•^X L. , * ‘tfc. '<■;, - ■?'V^ \4 'r. 1 V ■1 - ' A 'V ‘^-V- * '■ : - \ - %» 'V ■-: '^ - '^ V'. ... ■,--'v ■ -‘« .. . ^ Swri. r. 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