Festival of the Alpine Guides and Procession of the Assumption

Ferragosto on Monte Rosa

On August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption, in Gressoney-La-Trinité, it's more than just a date on the calendar: it's one of the most heartfelt moments of the summer. The village, the last one in the Lys Valley and the gateway to the trails of Monte Rosa, experiences an evening of faith, tradition, and reflection that intertwines Marian devotion and mountain identity.

A Torchlight Procession Among the Walser Homes

The evening begins with Mass and continues with the procession: a torchlight procession that winds through the streets of the historic centre, among the ancient stone and wood houses of the Walser-speaking community. For the occasion, some women wear the traditional Gressoney costume, a precious and iconic garment of the village.

The Festival of the Alpine Guides

The symbolic heart of the procession is the Alpine Guides of Gressoney: they carry the statue of the Madonna on their shoulders, in a gesture that renews the bond between the community and the mountain each year. On the same day, the Guides celebrate their profession, that of accompanying climbers and hikers on the peaks and glaciers of the massif. At the end of the procession, the parish priest imparts the final blessing to all present.

An event that, more than most, tells the spirit of Gressoney-La-Trinité, in the province of Aosta: a mountain village that, on Ferragosto, unites faith, costume, and alpine culture.