Breuil-Cervinia and the Matterhorn

The Matterhorn, called Cervino in Italian, rises to 4,478 metres on the border, and from Breuil it shows a broader, less symmetrical face than the famous Swiss profile. Edward Whymper's party reached the summit from Zermatt on 14 July 1865, with four dying on the descent; Jean-Antoine Carrel, guiding the Italian attempt on this side, reached it three days later by the ridge that now carries his name. Breuil-Cervinia grew as a ski resort from the 1930s at about two thousand metres, linked over the Theodul pass to Zermatt, with skiing on the Plateau Rosa glacier possible into summer.

What you actually see

• The Italian face - a broader Matterhorn profile than the Swiss view.
• The Carrel ridge - the line of the Italian first ascent in 1865.
• The glacier skiing - Plateau Rosa runs usable into summer.
• The Zermatt link - lifts crossing the border at the Theodul pass.

When to go

December to April for skiing and July to September for walking and glacier snow. The village is largely closed in the shoulder seasons of May, June and November.

Honest expectations

The resort village is modern and functional rather than picturesque. The mountain is often in cloud. Cross-border lift passes and rules change with conditions.

Nearby

Aosta lies southwest; the Gran Paradiso is beyond it.