Hotellerie de Mascognaz: luxury among the Walser stars

Two hundred days of sunshine (and just as many starry nights!) a year and a small town where everyone is committed to keeping light pollution to a minimum; and a sufficient altitude (1600 m) to bring the sky just close enough. A small record for the Vallone di Saint-Barthélemy, in Val D'Aosta, where the Astronomical Observatory of the Autonomous Region of Valle d'Aosta (OAVdA) has been located in Lignan (Nus) since 2003. Here the night of the full moon is unforgettable. Not far away is an ancient Walser village, now converted into a widespread hotel in the midst of unspoilt nature. Comprising nine characteristic chalets, Hotellerie de Mascognaz, at 1850 m a.s.l., is a four-star hotel with a wellness centre and one of the highest altitude restaurants in the Alps. The village, founded by a Walser colony about 700 years ago, retains all the charm of the Stadel houses typical of the architecture of this people, facing narrow alleys and made to last even in the harsh winters of Monte Rosa. Situated in the municipality of Champoluc, the Hotellerie de Mascognaz is a certified location among 'I Cieli Più Belli d'Italia' (Italy's Most Beautiful Skies), and is a place where one can admire the vault of heaven in all its splendour.