2 Best Sights in Courmayeur/Monte Bianco, Piedmont and the Valle d'Aosta

Monte Bianco's attraction is not so much its shape, which is much less distinctive than that of the Matterhorn, as its expanse and the awesome vistas from the top. The Skyway Monte Bianco cable car, which ascends from Entrèves, just below the Mont Blanc Tunnel, whisks you up first to the Pavillon in about 10 minutes—a starting point for many beautiful hikes, and also home to the Alpine restaurant and the Mountain Bar. In another 10 minutes, you reach the spectacular viewing platform at Punta Helbronner (more than 11,000 feet), which is also the border post with France and home to the Kartell Panoramic Bistro and the world's highest bookshop.

From Punta Helbronner, in winter, you can ski parts of the route off-piste. In summer, if so inclined, you can switch to the Panoramic Mont Blanc cable car to France, stopping first at Aigulle du Midi (30 minutes). The trip is particularly impressive; you dangle over a huge glacial snowfield (more than 2,000 feet below) and make your way slowly to the viewing station above Chamonix. It's one of the most dramatic rides in Europe. From this point you're looking down into France, and if you change cable cars at the Aiguille du Midi station, you can make your way down into Chamonix itself in about 20 minutes.

Cogne, 27 km (17 miles) south of Aosta, is the gateway to this huge park, which was once the domain of King Vittorio Emanuele II (1820–78). Bequeathed to the nation after World War I, it is one of Europe's most rugged and unspoiled wilderness areas, with wildlife and many plant species protected by law. The park is one of the few places in Europe where you can see the ibex (a mountain goat with horns up to 3 feet long) and the chamois (a small antelope). The park, which is 703 square km (271 square miles), is open free of charge throughout the year; there's an information office in Cogne. Try to visit in May, when spring flowers are in bloom and most of the meadows are clear of snow.