Italy TravelNew Skyway Monte Bianco Opens on Italian Side of Mont Blanc

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New Skyway Monte Bianco Opens on Italian Side of Mont Blanc
Published on Sunday, July 26, 2015 by

cable-carDubbed “The Eighth Wonder of the World” due to its previously impossible views of the Alps, the Skyway Monte Bianco transports visitors above 7,000 feet. That’s not all: the rounded gondola cars also rotate 360 degrees, allowing people to see the breathtaking slopes on the Italian side of one of the world’s most famous peaks, called Mont Blanc across the border in France. This new experience in Italy’s Val d’Aosta even offers a shortcut to the snowboard runs at Chamonix.

Requiring 110 million Euros and 10 years of construction. Skyway Monte Bianco doesn’t stop at a mere 7,125 feet above sea level. The new glass-fronted lodge filled with restaurants, cafes and shops at that Pavillon du Mont-Frety may tempt the agoraphobic, since the next stop, “The Eagle’s Nest” at Punta Helbroner, is at 11,371 feet, high enough that you can glimpse the Matterhorn in the distance.

Even more wonderful: The new Skyway’s construction exemplifies energy efficiency and environmental conservation, including special pholtovoltaic surfaces and insulating materials. The result is a marriage of sustainable architecture, cutting-edge technology, and up-to-the-minute design that is meant to allow people to focus on natural beauty instead of manmade details.

On June 23, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi cut the ribbon to open the new Skyway, saying “This is a beautiful work of great engineering.” But he was not joined at the ceremony by his French colleagues, who may be miffed by Italian claims that Courmayeur in the Val D’Aosta is the highest peak in the region. Although Renzi joked “We are not invading France,” the Italian ownership of the Skyway may continue to ruffle a few Gallic feathers for some time.

By Kathy McCabe

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