Touring Monte Rosa is without doubt one of the most suggestive and exciting treks throughout the entire Alpine region.
This tour, which can be completed in seven days, unfolds over the Monte Rosa massif, an imposing wall that gives life to six valleys: two in Piedmont (Valsesia and Valle Anzasca), two in Val d’Aosta (Val del Lys and Val d’Ayas) and two on the Swiss side (Saastal and Mattertal). A great excursion at altitude, the Rosa Tour is characterised by its versatility, where any of the stages can be used as the starting point, making it a circular route around Monte Rosa and its valleys.
One characteristic, common, and anthropic element of this entire region is the architecture of the Walsers, a Germanic population who were the first to inhabit these impervious areas codifying and passing on a unique cultural model of survival during tough winters and poor harvests. Throughout this trek, the beauty of the area dominated by the Alps is accompanied by the history of a population that has left a tangible mark of its settlements in the valleys.
Over 190 km are distributed over nine stages, aided by ascending facilities and Alpine mountain huts, and there is a vast array of flora and fauna to be seen en-route making this tour a nature lover’s paradise dominated by the grandeur of Monte Rosa.
Leaving Macugnaga you can take the ascent facilities to Passo del Monte Moro (2868m), from here you descend towards Switzerland until you reach Saas Fee (1772m) and then on to Grächen (1619m). Following Grächen you come to Zermatt (1616m) where the ascent towards the TheodulPass (m 3317) starts. The breathtaking landscape of the Alps continues until Colle Superiore delle Cime Bianche (2982m) and back down to St. Jacques. The next stage is from St. Jaques to ressoney (1840m). The trek continues from Val d’Ayas towards Valsesia until you come to Col d’Olen Alagna (1190m). The circular tour closes by crossing the ancient Passo del Turlo back towards Macugnaga.
The Monte Rosa tour can be completed from May to October in accordance with the opening of the ascending facilities and Alpine mountain huts.