Valtournenche

Valtournenche is a comune in the autonomous region of Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy. It lies at the head of the Valtournenche valley, a glacially shaped valley that runs from the Alpine massif toward the Dora Baltea valley. The municipality includes the popular ski resort of Breuil-Cervinia, located at the valley floor near the base of the Matterhorn. The surrounding terrain ranges from alpine meadows to high mountains, with elevations spanning from about 1,200 meters to well above 3,000 meters.

Valtournenche's economy is dominated by tourism, especially winter skiing and summer hiking. The Breuil-Cervinia resort forms part of a cross-border ski area linked with Zermatt in Switzerland, accessed by lifts, cable cars, and pistes that traverse the Italian-Swiss boundary. Outside the resort, agriculture and dairy farming, notably cheese production, have traditional significance in village life.

The area is part of the culturally diverse Aosta Valley, where Italian and French have official status and Franco-Provençal (Valdôtain) is spoken in some communities. The municipality has a small, seasonal population that swells during the ski season.

Access is via regional roads from Aosta and other towns in the valley; the Cervinia area is served by lift networks and mountain transport that connect with the broader Alpine tourism network. The region’s scenery and alpine environments attract visitors year-round.