Breuil-Cervinia

Breuil-Cervinia lies at around 2,000 m on the Italian south side of the Matterhorn, here called Monte Cervino. The resort is a well-known high-mountain ski area with glacier pistes and is linked to Zermatt over the Theodul Pass, so you can ski across the border between Italy and Switzerland.

Highlights

• Italian south side of the Matterhorn (Monte Cervino)
• High-altitude glacier ski area
• Ski link with Zermatt over the Theodul Pass
• Summer skiing on the Plateau Rosa

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

Breuil-Cervinia lies at the foot of the Italian side of the Matterhorn, which here bears its Italian name Cervino and rises as a vast, evenly shaped pyramid above the head of the valley. While the mountaineers from Zermatt achieved the famous first ascent of the summit in 1865, Italian mountain guides around the local Jean-Antoine Carrel pressed up from Breuil over the difficult south ridge and reached the summit only a few days later. Carrel, a man from Valtournenche, is to this day regarded as the great pioneer of the Italian side of the Matterhorn and as a symbol of the local mountain guides’ pride.

The place itself was originally only an alpine settlement at the very back of Valtournenche, before it was developed in the 20th century into one of the first systematically planned winter sports resorts of Italy. In the years of Fascism it received the Italianised name Cervinia, which is still carried today and recalls that era. Thanks to its high position at around 2,000 metres and the adjoining glaciers, the region is known for its long, snow-sure winter. The ski areas extend across the border ridge as far as Zermatt and thus connect the Italian and the Swiss side of the most famous mountain of the Alps into a cross-border experience.