Aug 2017 - (with Gemma) Ascent from Pila. Goodness me. What an ascent! An eight-hour epic. The Becca di Nona mountain towers over Aosta and, at over 3100m, is a serious undertaking. The route climbs initially for a few miles before descending into another valley at an altitude only 150m higher than the start point. We didn't let this deter us (even though we knew we'd have to return over it later when legs were aching) and we pressed on. When the mountain came into view it was exhilarating; a kilometre straight up from the valley. Scrambly sections kept us enthused with the Matterhorn and the Mont Blanc massif as a backdrop. The immediate rugged surroundings were more than enough however with Monte Emilius dominating the view south-eastwards. I carried 6 bottles of water and Gemma 2 after our Swiss heatwave! Actually, as we set off at 7:30am, the heat wasn't really a factor on the way up and we reached the summit shortly before midday. Views were astounding with Aosta looking like a Lego set far below. A cast-iron statue of St. Mary adorns the summit which is a proper pinnacle with ferocious drops on 3 sides. We had lunch and spent almost an hour on the summit before descending to the col where evidence of a huge avalanche which had obliterated the adjoining descent path was obvious. The return was lovely apart from the energy-sapping up and over mentioned earlier. Truly memorable stuff. Billions of grasshoppers and a few marmots. Pizza earned in Aosta tonight!