The Walser Trail connects Gressoney with its neighboring valleys, ascending several high-mountain passes enroute. Like many of the other trails that zigzag the mountainsides, the route is exceptionally scenic. The day hike described here passes through several of the old Walser settlements and finishes at Castello Savoia, home of the famous "mountaineering" Queen Margherita of Italy.

From the church in Gressoney La Trinité (a small town at the head of the valley), exit the village to the south, down the valley, along the road. About 100 meters from the church there is a little field on the right, and a trail signpost. Here begins a section of the Walser Trail, ascending to the right through the field and soon entering the forest. At the start the trail is marked with a black "W" on a yellow background, painted on the rocks and trees, it is also similarly marked "10a" (as Trail 10a coincides with the Walser Trail here). Climb steadily through the forest for the first half-hour, reaching a height-of-land where there are scenic breaks in the woods. You will pass a three-trail intersection; continue on Trail 7a - W, maintaining your elevation and southerly direction. After about an hour you will have reached the first of the old Walser settlements, the Alpenzu Piccolo. The trail winds through the ancient buildings and open pasture fields well above the valley floor. The houses date from the 18th century, as there was a devastating avalanche in 1706 that all but destroyed the settlement. Note the distinctive houses here, with their stone bases and wooden roofs (good for insulation). You'll see this type of architecture in the other Walser settlements.

The views extend to the lush, narrow valley below and the glacier-covered Lyskamm Orientale (on the Monte Rosa massif) at the valley's head behind you, making the Alpenzu a nice place for a rest stop - except of course if you are being blockaded by grazing cows. If your progress is impeded, the best thing to do is hike above or below the herd. They won't run you over, but it's a good idea just to leave them a little space.

Continuing past Alpenzu Piccolo, you will soon reach another trail intersection: follow the W-marked trail, which keeps to the ridge (Trail 7a descends to the left toward the valley floor). After 45 minutes of downhill then uphill hiking through the woods, you will ascend to the top of a hill, where there is another Walser village in the middle of a great clearing. This is the Alpenzu Grande, the oldest and largest of the settlements, with some of the houses dating from the late 17th century. There is a private rifugio (mountain hut) here, Rifugio Alpenzu, where you could spend the night or enjoy an excellent lunch. The setting here is as bucolic as that at Alpenzu Piccolo: the trail winds through the narrow alleys between the houses, and there is a beautiful little chapel dedicated to Santa Margherita, from 1663.

From Alpenzu Grande, you will leave the Walser Trail, which ascends the ridge to several other little villages. Instead, at the trail intersection take a left and descend steeply via Trail 5a - 6. After half an hour you will have descended to the valley floor. Continue south along the road for 500 m until you reach the next village, Chemonal, on your right. Take a right and walk through the village until you reach the start of Trail 15, continuing to the south but entering the woods above the woods. There is another little ascent, nothing major, to reach the ridge. After approximately 45 minutes on this pleasant path you will reach Gressoney St. Jean, the main town in the valley. I say "town", because compared to the Alpenzu villages it is a bustling metropolis; but in reality it is not much more than a village. The trail skirts above the town, reaching a road and Castello Savoia, an ornate manor house built for Queen Margherita of Italy one hundred years ago.

It is worth a tour of the castle-like mansion, not just for its design and decoration (by Emilio Stramucci, who also did the Quirinale in Rome) but also to view some of the old photographs. Queen Margherita was very fond of the valley and hiking through the mountains; you will see pictures of her and her entourage on the Lys Glacier. In 1893 the Italian Alpine Club built Europe's highest rifugio (4559 m), and dedicated it in the Queen's honor - she climbed here and stayed one night with her entourage soon after it opened. One of her "favorites" was the Baron Beck Peccoz, who died while crossing the glacier from Gressoney to Zermatt in 1894. The queen was disconsolate after the Baron's death, so much so that to cheer her up her husband (King Umberto I) decided to build her a castle, a grand residence in her favorite vacation spot. She returned to Gressoney every year until 1925, though after the Baron's death she never returned to the slopes of Monte Rosa, hiking only in the vicinity of the valley.

After a tour of the castle and gardens, descend to Gressoney St. Jean center via the road. In town there are several nice pubs and cafés; the hot chocolate is as good as you'd find in Switzerland (like drinking pure molten chocolate). Accommodation is difficult to find only in August or Christmas/February: contact the tourist office in Gressoney St. Jean.