지그노드‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪19‬개의 산길

The highest road pass in the Aosta Valley and a place that has always fascinated the writer for its thousand-year history, the austere Mauritian hospice and the profound beauty of the landscape.

The climb winds through a majestic valley (personally my favorite), never reaching excessive gradients; it's long but pedalable, allowing you to fully enjoy the natural surroundings. Apart from the peak season, there's almost no traffic, although you might encounter a few campers, which can be annoying on the way down. If you tackle the climb during periods of the year when there aren't too many tourists, you might, like me, have pleasant encounters with ibex and chamois that have come down to road level.

이 오르막은 정말 놀랍습니다. 가파르지는 않지만 길고, 아주 길고, 끝이 없습니다. 페달을 밟은 지 한 시간이 넘었는데도 정상은 보이지 않고, 에너지는 거의 다 떨어졌고, 바람은 계속 얼굴을 때립니다. 자전거를 던져버리고 "그만! 여기서 멈출 거야..."라고 외치고 싶을 정도입니다. 하지만 이건 잠시뿐입니다. 당신이 이 도전을 선택했고 무엇을 하러 가는지 아주 잘 알고 있었기 때문입니다. 이전보다 더 강한 의지로 다시 출발하고, 남은 모든 힘을 다해 마지막 몇 킬로미터를 달려 나갑니다. 그리고 터널에 들어서면, 해냈다는 것을 깨닫기 시작합니다. 터널을 나와 약간 왼쪽으로 꺾이는 길을 따라가면, 꿈처럼 호수가 나타납니다. 정상에 도착하면, 수세기 동안 이 길을 걸었던 수많은 사람들을 생각하게 됩니다. 살라시족, 로마인, 수도사, 이주민, 나폴레옹 군인들... 당신은 역사가 깊고 자연이 아름다운 곳에 있다는 것을 깨닫게 되고, 이 언덕을 사랑하지 않을 수 없습니다.

Very panoramic hill, reachable only with bike on your shoulder

A wonderful sight after a long climb - in early summer, when the lake is just waking up from hibernation, you can sometimes see very beautiful pictures of melting ice, snow marbled with Sahara dust and blue water.

The austere buildings of the hospice of the Great Saint Bernard are located in a rocky pass through which an icy wind almost always blows, on the edge of a lake that is frozen on average 265 days a year and where winter lasts almost eight months. For nine centuries, canons regular of the order of St. Augustine, who settled here through the help of St. Bernard of Menthon, have maintained a tradition of helpfulness and hospitality. Travelers who want to relax for a while in that peaceful place are welcome all year round.

Drive past and enjoy, definitely too cold for swimming

The Tsa de Merdeux is a large mountain pasture located in the upper part of the valley of the same name, in the western part of the Gran San Bernardo area. In Aosta Valley dialect, the name means "Larch mountain pasture", although unfortunately you don't see many of them in this area. You can reach it by following the Alta Via 1 route, which in this area is very easy and not very technical for running. As you climb, the view is limited by the surrounding peaks, but this makes the place suggestive and pleasant to the eye, thanks also to the vast valley.