Croce Carrel

Situated at 2920 m above the “Orionde” shelter, the Cross is dedicated to Jean Antoine Carrel and was built right on the spot in which the Great Mountaineer died on 25 August 1890 returning from the Matterhorn, but not before having saved his client, the musician Leone Sinigaglia, from a storm. You reach as far as under the rocks of the Matterhorn, the exact point where the mountaineers start the climb for the Italian way. From Cervinia the walk to Carrel Cross is undemanding and does not require mountaineering skills: you travel the carriageable road that takes to the “Orionde” shelter (a 2-hour walk) or you climb along trail “13” which shortens the travel time by 30 minutes. From the shelter it takes another good half hour of climbing to reach the Cross (always trail “13”): the last section is on stone and it’s best to proceed with caution. From the Cross, the view ranges from the southern side of the Matterhorn, to the Grandes Murailles, and over most of Valtournenche.