Today we visited the town that gains its name from the valley. Aosta dates from around 2900 BC, when the it was the military centre of the population of Salassi. Since then it has passed through many hands (it is known as the 'Rome of the Alps') and is full of antiquities.
Today's postcard shows the Arch of Augustus; it was built in 25BC and is the symbol of the town of Aosta.
We had a full day amongst the sights of the town, but en route we felt compelled to visit our old friend Alessandro, at his hotel (Hotel Aigle) in Entrèves near Courmayeur.
Alessandro was his usual laid back smiley self, and immediately offered us cappuccinos and cakes. They were delicious.
Alessandro was discovered for us last year by Nick, who assisted with our bookings at the time. Nick now works in Shanghai and has difficulty accessing these pages due to Chinese censorship, but an email to him brought an immediate response 'say hello to Alessandro for me, and enjoy a glass of wine with him'.
So we returned to Hotel Aigle this evening to enjoy one of their excellent dinners, a glass of wine, and a surprise offering from Alessandro - a film of the 2008 Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc. We thought this was an excellent documentary, certainly worthy of commendation should it be entered in any of the upcoming mountain film festivals.
Alessandro was a most generous host tonight, treating us as friends rather than as customers. Thank you, Alessandro, it was a pleasure to meet again, and we do hope to join you for a walk when that can be arranged.
For the record, and in keeping with the tradition of these pages, tonight's delicious menu was:
Calamaretti in olio e limone
Risottino di Cogne
Filetto di trota nel cartoccio con melanzane al funghetto
Insalata mista
Strudel di mele
Next day
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