Flying backwards into Italy & some unexpected discoveries!

Ugh. After discovering most of the Swiss mountain passes are all closed I was left with a choice; miss out on riding them or find a route that would put me back in Switzerland in 3-4 weeks when they are (hopefully) open.


Staring at the map the answer became obvious - do the entire next 4 weeks of travel in the reverse order. In 4 weeks time I was going to be in the Italian Alps which are only 2 hours south of my current location and with no accommodation booked I can more or less go anywhere (ish)!


Pushing south first into Switzerland I accidentally stumble across a castle guarding a narrow stretch of road and riverway.

The castle itself isn't open however there is a cave complex above which all the tourist signs point to; climbing a LONG way up the hill sits a cafe on a narrow ledge.

The cafe is also the entry to the caves, named La Grotte aux Fees / Cave of Fairies entry is 9 Euro ($15AUD) but I'm handed a laminated guide and told it takes about an hour; seems like a good deal! Unfortunately underground photos aren't the best however there are 15 points of interest spanning the 500m underground path including...amazing colourful rocks.

The fairy's fountain, this is an upward panorama - the fountain falls over 5m or so. I did make a wish, cant tell you what it was!

The final site is a MASSIVE underground waterfall and lake, from 77m above a deafening amount of water pours down into the large lake which then slowly filters back out through the caves.

The caves have been used for centuries by locals however have been open to visitors since the late 1800s and a covered walkway allows you to stand under the waterfall.

Heading back out I finally managed my first decent photo, this section was pitch black as the caves are only lit at each checkpoint but my phone's LED is proving its worth! Apparently historically locals would bring their sheep deep into the cave to sleep, lighting a fire at the entrance to ward off any ...local hungry wildlife.

Quick coffee and a snap of the view and I run back down the hill, jump on the bike and head towards Italy!

The actual crossing to Italy is via a tunnel under the Alps (again!!!) however the climb is amazing!

Dropping on the other side I'm plunged into the Aosta Valley which marks the entry to the Italian Alps towns. I stumbled on this castle too however only guided tours were allowed...and they were only offered in Italian...so I passed.

Continuing through the valley I eventually found the correct turn to head up to the first of my stops - Matterhorn!

And lucky timing too; I walk inside the hotel and during check in a thick cloud rolls in an immediately drenches everything. I learned something amazing too - hotels right next to churches are not...quiet. The bell went off every hour as well as a quick one every half hour. Thankfully this stopped at midnight as the ...toller...bellboy...ringbearer...went to bed.

Next morning the cloud had not cleared but thankfully the rain was almost done so I decided to race up the mountain for some photos.

At which point I finally hit snow; and took the obligatory photo! ​

In celebration the heavens opened and I was back into my wet gear, but very happy...because...snow.

Slightly lower down the road I'd noticed a set of tourist's cars parked on the side of the road; no indication why besides a small sign 'Lago Blu' but worth a look right?

Definitely!

But with the clouds still hanging overhead it was time to blast back down the mountain and over to my next stop; Gressoney. Amazing suggestion to come here! I powered up the mountain to the base of the ski resorts; the towns are all a bit quiet in the absence of tourists.

Arriving almost at the top of the mountain to find a gate I decided to run up the hill on foot; the views (and the workout) did not disappoint. ​

It was exceptionally cold riding up here to I'd put EVERYTHING on however as soon as I started walking (running...climbing) I regretted the two jumpers and jacket. The waterproof riding pants came in handy however; the ground was soaked but I sat for an hour or so and watched the clouds roll in.

It had gotten late very quickly so back down the mountain I went. In the mid season it seems there's very little in the way of tourism so accommodation is exceptionally cheap. I had a chalet to myself for 50 Euro; a full kitchen, laundry, lounge room etc. The onsite bar even hooked me up with some strudel!

Belly full it was time for bed. But next morning I headed to the nearby Lake Serru in the Gran Paridiso National Park. Having chosen to come here based on seeing one photo online I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was utterly astounded by how beautiful it was, and the road up the mountain was incredible!

They even had this handy map at the top to show where I'd been! The Lake I'd come for is at the front tyre and looked nothing like it did online. It looked much much better.

However it did have a certain...evil lair...feel about it! Just me?

From the inside however, much less mountain fortress, much more frozen lake.

Unfortunately the road up the rest of the mountain was pedestrian only - and after having a rant about closing the Swiss Alps passes I gained a quick understanding of why some Alps roads might not be currently passable.

So up I walked! I learned my lesson from the day prior and ditched the hoodie!

Further up Gran Paridiso mountain (not an overstatement) is a second lake, which was completely frozen over and topped with snow!

Near the top I came across this ...thing. Sadly not a wifi tower but a high precision GPS marker; part of the Alps GPS QuakeNet - the helpful plaque described this being one of 30 GPS receivers situated throughout the Alps to help study their movement as well as act as an early warning system if one or more areas beings to quickly move relative to the others.

I slowly found myself a nice spot and enjoyed the view! The photo doesn't do justice to the slow of the hill, but does show the road I rode in on next to my foot!

Slowly making the trek back down (I was nowhere near my accommodation for the night and clouds were rolling in again) I decided to make the most of the snow and go for a run in it! My shoes as it turned out are very waterproof from the bottom, but the seal between the pants and the boot are not, and I got very wet feet every time I fell into the snow. It was totally worth it... (continued over)