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The TMB Diaries Day 3 – Mont Blanc from the Italian side – Rifugio Elena to Rifugio Bonatti

For walkers like us on the Tour de Mont Blanc, the routine was “early to bed and early to rise”. But as we left our bedroom in Rifugio Elena for breakfast at 7.30am, the cleaner was waiting outside our bedroom door with vacuum cleaner at the ready. We’d found the mountain refuges on our trek though France, Switzerland and Italy were a mixed bag and at Rifugio Elena it seemed that they couldn’t wait to see us on our way.

Rifugio Elena on the Tour de Mont Blanc Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Rifugio Elena on the Tour de Mont Blanc

By 8am we were putting on our walking boots outside the door, with the refuge in shadow as the sun started to rise over the jagged peaks of Grand Col Ferret, the pass between Switzerland and Italy, that we’d crossed the afternoon before. The rough path now took us downhill, alongside a stream that was headed to join the river Po and eventually end up in the Adriatic.

The Grand Col Ferret from the Italian side Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
The Grand Col Ferret from the Italian side

In less than an hour we reached the bottom of the valley where there was a car park beside the river and stopped for a coffee at the very pleasant Chalet Val Ferret , a small hotel with restaurant and garden cafe. In the cosy bar I ordered a cappuccino, Julia a cafe con latte and we shared a slice of local torte, filled with sweet fruit puree scattered with pine nuts and a lattice of pastry across the top. A large guided group of Americans came in just as we were leaving for a quick coffee and bathroom stop, before heading in the direction that we’d come, towards Grand Col de Ferret. I didn’t envy them, knowing that they had a long, arduous day ahead of them, while we had a relatively easy one.

Chalet Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc in Italy Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Chalet Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc in Italy

The muddy track snaked up behind the Chalet Val Ferret, through rather unattractive scrub, but once we got above the treeline the views opened out on the hillside. It was an easy, open path with fabulous views and I could count four or five glaciers on the opposite side of the valley, hanging below the rocky peaks. By late morning our side of the valley was bathed in sunshine and every so often we played hop scotch across a stream, that carved a channel of grey stone through the grassy green of the hillside.

Stopping for lunch above Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Stopping for lunch above Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc

After walking a couple of hours from Val Ferret, the balcony path gave us a grandstand view from one end of the valley to the other and the peak of Mont Blanc itself was in sight. Whenever we stopped for a break, we could hear the crickets chirping among the scrub and wildflowers, with butterflies flitting between silver thistles and patches of purple flowers.

Above Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc, Italy Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Above Val Ferret on the Tour de Mont Blanc, Italy

We passed a mule coming the other way, laden down with baggage in support of a small group of walkers. Each walker had their belongings in a red cylinder bag and they were all being unloaded for a lunchtime stop. We continued a little further before we found our perfect picnic place, eating the local sausage and cheese we’d brought with us, with chili flavoured olives and bread that was getting a bit stale. Our view was of grey mountain peaks and glaciers backed by a blue sky, while from the bottom of the valley we could hear the river rushing and see it snaking along the river bed of shale.

The Mule carries the walker's baggage on the Tour de Mont Blanc Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
The Mule carries the walker’s baggage on the Tour de Mont Blanc

By mid afternoon we rounded a spur and saw villages in the valley stretching out before us, while just beyond a group of old ruined buildings was Rifugio Walter Bonatti. Another half an hour and we were on the sunny terrace of the refuge, joining the walkers who had come up from the valley on a day hike and those who were walking the Tour de Mont Blanc. We left our rucksacks in our room, exchanged our walking boots for slippers provided by the refuge and sat outside to bask in the late afternoon sun, backs against the stone wall with a cold beer in hand. Even though today’s path had been undemanding, it felt like the perfect reward for our day’s walk on the Tour de Mont Blanc.

To be continued ….

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Heather at Refuge Bonatti in Italy on the Tour de Mont Blanc Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Heather at Refuge Bonatti in Italy on the Tour de Mont Blanc

More tales from the Tour de Mont Blanc

The Tour de Mont Blanc Diaries Day 1 – Champex Lac to Ferret and a walk in the woods
The Tour de Mont Blanc Diaries Day 2 – Ferret to Rifugio Elena and over the pass to Italy
Last year’s walk on the Tour de Mont Blanc – video diary

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

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Mark H

Sunday 28th of April 2013

The chalet looks beautiful. I can hardly think of anything more invigorating or relaxing than walking in the mountains.

Barbara Weibel

Sunday 28th of April 2013

Love the shot of the trail leading down to the cottage at Val Ferret. Wouldn't it be just lovely to spend a summer there?

Heather Cowper

Sunday 28th of April 2013

@Barbara We found September has been the best month for walking in the mountains - we've always had wonderful settled weather and sunshine. Summer in the mountains is glorious.