Visit to Italy from La-Norma-Chalet 96 In the middle of our autumn week in La Norma, we crossed to Italy for a day, to the town of Susa. You can do this by car from La Norma in two ways, via the toll road and through the Fréjus tunnel or over the pass at Val Cénis. We did the latter, not only because the toll road is quite pricey, but because we fancied a nice drive through the mountains. The weather was beautiful, so conditions were ideal. This pass closes in winter and is then put into use on the French side as a snow slope. So if you want to do this ride in autumn, check the website: https://www.france-voyage.com/cities-towns/val-cenis-29645/pass-mont-cenis-28160.htm. We left early, because in this part of France and also in Italy all shops close between noon and 2pm. There is a nice market on Tuesday mornings, but we were there on a Wednesday. As mentioned, the drive to it (about 1 hour and 15 minutes) was breathtakingly beautiful. The first snow had already fallen at 3,000 metres and against the azure sky, it stood out beautifully. The road was passable, especially on the French side. On the Italian side, the road is slightly narrower and more winding, but still doable. On the way, you pass Lac Val Cénis (at an altitude of 2,000 metres), a beautiful reservoir with a deep shade of blue. You are not allowed to swim in it because of the dam that discharges water into the lake, which can cause dangerous undercurrents.

But the lake also lends itself to a nice walk along it with a nice climb here and there over the rocks along the shore. Fun with children, but certainly also with a dog. Arriving in Susa, you immediately notice that you are in Italy. Everywhere the streets are slightly busier with people; it seems as if people here are more out and about than in some villages in France. On the square we enjoyed a delicious cappuccino. Then we had a nice city walk, looking at the Roman remains of the town. There is a Roman city gate, a road with original stones and an arena. As mentioned, we were there on a day when there was no market, so with about 2 hours you can have a good look around the town, see also this website: https://www.tripadvisor.nl/Attractions-g1078069-Activities-Susa_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html After noon, the pizzeria restaurants do stay open, so finishing with a delicious lunch can be one of the options. We had a wonderful day with beautiful weather. Should the weather be less beautiful, we think this tour would be slightly less suitable at this time of year. But in the La-Norma-Chalet area, fortunately, there are more beautiful than bad days in all seasons.

It is October 2024. The week before the autumn holidays start in the Netherlands. Our children have long since left the parental home, so we can nicely avoid the holiday periods together. Not that this matters very much. It’s quiet here anyway, even during the autumn holidays themselves for that matter. So if you’re looking for peace and quiet, you’ll be right here in La-Norma-Chalet. Do note that everything in the village of La Norma itself is closed: shops, restaurants, cafés, everything! But down in nearby Modane and Fourneaux everything is open, even on Sundays. So for fresh croissants in the morning, it’s a short 8-minute drive by car. There is one exception: Norma Looping (sledding on an outdoor roller coaster, highly recommended!) is open all year round, see their website Normaloops for opening hours. However, you will never really be alone here: many French and also Dutch people come during this period to ‘get away for a weekend’ or refurbish and/or clean their houses for the upcoming winter season. There are also a small number of people who live here permanently. The municipality also sometimes does some work in preparation for the winter season and there is especially a lot of sporting activity: hiking, mountain biking, skating in the village below (lessons were even given!). The children’s playground is also widely used. Peace and quiet has an important advantage: the animals in the forest show themselves a bit easier. In the two weeks we were there, we saw 5 deer, a lot of squirrels and a fox. The morning that winter time set in, we even heard some trudging and grazing right next to our cottage La-Norma-Chalet: most probably deer, given the fresh droppings we found fresh in the garden a bit later. Hiking in the La Norma area is very varied: from ‘easy’ (big wide paths, slightly uphill) to ‘extremely adventurous’ (not signposted, not found on Google or Komoot). I will devote a separate blog to this later. Mountain biking: The forest around La Norma (and also in the wider area) is littered with trails. I am no expert in this area, but if I had to judge what I have come across, it also varies from ‘easy’ (long routes that rise and descend slightly) to downright ‘neck-breaking’ cq ‘insane’. Mountain biking must almost have been invented here, the French are crazy in this area. But then again, to each his own challenge! The weather. In the more than 15 days we were here, we had only 2 rainy days and 1 day with light drizzle. Some days were cloudy (and then it gets pretty chilly at this time of year), but most days it was just sunny with accompanying lovely warm wind chill. At night, temperatures dropped to around freezing. Frost and snow stayed away. Snow did show up on the higher peaks around La Norma. Fortunately, the heating in La-Norma-Chalet works well and the shower was lovely and warm. The La-Norma-Chalet cottage is heated with small electric wall heaters, which in no time heat the whole cottage comfortably. The living room and bedroom have large windows, allowing plenty of light during the day. Our conclusion is that La-Norma-Chalet is a lovely place to be in autumn, with peace and quiet and also plenty to do for the more active among us.