Aosta · Italy

The city's mountain

Look to the south, over the roofs. The pyramid closing the view is Mont Emilius, 3,550 metres, and before it, lower and squarer, the Becca di Nona. They are not the region's most celebrated mountains: Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn lie elsewhere, at the heads of the side valleys, and neither is visible from here. These two rise directly above the city, and they are the ones the inhabitants of Aosta look at every day without considering it. They serve as a clock and a barometer: when the Becca is clear one may go up, when it wears its hat one remains below. A mountain city rarely regards the highest mountain. It regards its own.

Go deeper

Can you climb it?

Yes, and in summer it is a long walk rather than a technical climb, starting from the villages above the city. Many stop at the Becca di Nona, which has a chapel on top and is the classic local outing. Mont Emilius takes a full day.

Where does the name come from?

It is not clear, and the explanations that circulate are more charming than documented. The name in this form is relatively recent; before that the mountain had various local names. This is common: summits receive official names late, usually from whoever maps them.

Where is the best view of it?

From any open ground on the north side of the city, looking south, and better still on the way up to the villages above Aosta. The light is best in late afternoon, when the sun catches the face while the city is already in shadow.

Where it is

Parco Saumont, 11100 Aosta · 45.74721, 7.32327 · Open in Maps

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