Plateau Rosa: not just skiing

If you are in Breuil-Cervinia and want to look the Matterhorn in the eye, then go all the way up to the "Plateau", as everyone here calls this winter and summer skiing paradise.

With the cable car you can reach the ski area, but this is an experience not to be missed also for those who do not ski and want to enjoy the high mountains with clear skies, the bright light of the sun and crisp air.

In all the arrival stations of the lifts it is possible to stop for a break:

• cable car / gondola lift: Breuil Cervinia-Plan Maison
• cable car: Plan Maison-Cime Bianche Laghi
• gondola lift: Cime Bianche Laghi-Plateau Rosa

No picture can recreate the excitement of the scene that can be appreciated from the cable car or from Plateau Rosa. From the terrace, you can behold all of the tallest peaks of the Alps: the views of the Matterhorn are amazing, but you can also see the profiles of Mont Blanc and Gran Paradiso, the Monte Rosa massif and the peaks of the Valais in Switzerland before turning your gaze back to Italy and laying your eyes over the iconic pointy shape of Monviso, in Piedmont.

A spectacular show that is worth discovering even from the nearby museum "A Mountain of Work" where a solid bronze information plaque lists the directions, names, and heights of all the peaks above four thousand meters in the area, as well as the most famous ones.

You can also stay at the Guide del Cervino mountain hut (Cervino is the Italian name for Matterhorn), which is situated in a strategic location, the Testa Grigia, a great base for sport activities like climbing, trekking and skiing.

It seems to reach the top of the world, however, letting your gaze travel beyond the border, you will discover that another world of ice awaits you even higher up.

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Matterhorn Alpine Crossing: the highest cable car in the Alps

On 1st July 2023, the new Matterhorn Alpine Crossing lift, which directly connects Breuil-Cervinia to Zermatt, went into service.

The new Matterhorn Glacier Ride II cable car connects the peak of the Piccolo Cervino/Klein Matterhorn to the Plateau Rosa allowing everyone (not just skiers as happened before) to move between Breuil-Cervinia and Zermatt, between the Aosta Valley and the Canton of Valais, and vice versa.

Alpine Crossing/Matterhorn Glacier Ride II has a station in Testa Grigia/Plateau Rosa, Italy at 3,458 metres, allowing you to cross the highest cross-border pass in the Alps, the Matterhorn Alpine Crossing. The other station, on the Piccolo Cervino, in Switzerland at 3,883 meters above sea level, is in continuity with  the Matterhorn Glacier Ride I, which in 2018 replaced the previous cable car of the Piccolo Cervino.

The ice cave of the Piccolo Cervino/Klein Matterhorn, reachable by the new cable car, is 15 metres deep and is accessible through a 50-meter tunnel dug in the ice. The lighting and soft music create a very special atmosphere.

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