Aaah.. the beautiful "Valle del Aosta"

Today, we took a journey to this most beautiful part of Italy and discovered many amazing treasures.  The road to Aosta was particularly scenic with what seemed to be a magnificent, ancient castle on every hill!! This area was inhabited by the nobles for hundreds of years and they have certainly left their legacy on the area.
The villages were brimming with the most amazing buildings!  They are built to withstand months of snow and the rooves are made of large, round sheets of stone and have a definate 'alpine' look about them...stunning!!

We met our guide Christina in Aosta where we toured the old city and enjoyed her wonderful knowledge and marveled at the ancient ruins of churches and the magnificent amphitheatre, as Australians, it is always incredible to think about how old these places are - we are such a young country.
For a delicious lunch and some very good local wine, we headed to the ski village of Courmeyer and the home of Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) which they tell us will be covered in snow by the end of October...hard to believe as the weather is still quite warm.  The mountains were spectacular!! Three to four kilometres high and snow capped, with the awe inspiring Monte Bianco towering above them all and two glaciers with rivers gushing down from them.
Heading back to Torino....and yes I was singing for this trip after the wine!!! We stopped at a shop that sold all regional produce and wares, our group managed to collect chestnuts, biscotti made from the local hazelnuts, some of the local wines including the regions most famous wine Blanc de Morgex, an excellent way to finish our day trip.
Our driver Ivano entertained us with his driving prowess in Torino... the men in our group all had front seats to learn the intricacies of driving in Italy, and although Ivano does not speak English we all understood the universal hand signals, gestures and the tone of his voice!! Now, we are all a little wiser and I for one have decided, I will not be driving in Torino!!!!!
A great day ended with  "Passegiatta" and a meal of pasta downtown.  Day one finito!!